Give Back with Your Wedding Registry at Nashville’s Ten Thousand Villages | Nashville Gifts & Favors

Often times we get caught up in the day to day wedding planning tasks. And although the day is all about you as a couple, many couples look for ways to give back through their wedding. One great way to do that is through your wedding registry! Especially if you are looking for some unique products to decorate your home with, starting your wedding registry at Ten Thousand Villages is definitely the way to go! (Plus, you may remember back this past winter, we created a custom wedding basket on Today in Nashville with some of their amazing products!) At Ten Thousand Villages, you won't have to worry about where your products came from… every product is 100% fair trade approved and provides a fair income for the underprivileged across the globe. Talk about making an impact with your wedding registry! You can visit their shop right here in Green Hills or shop online and access your registry at any Ten Thousand Villages shop across the nation. We interviewed Nashville shop owner, Jo about how you can start your wedding registry at Ten Thousand Villages and fill your home with some of the most unique pieces… all while making a huge difference.

Tell us about your shop Ten Thousand Villages! Where are you located, the history, and what types of products do you offer?

Jo: Ten Thousand Villages is a 100% Fair Trade retail store. We are not your typical business. We are a non-profit social enterprise that partners with independent small-scale artisan groups, co-ops and workshops to bring their wares to our markets.

What is the philosophy behind Ten Thousand Villages?

Jo: Ten Thousand Villages creates opportunities for artisans in developing countries to earn income by bringing their products and stories to our markets through long-term, fair trading relationships. That is our only goal. Every purchase improves the lives of the makers by supporting their craft and providing a fair, stable income.

We hear you offer wedding registries! Tell us about the process.

Jo: You can sign up online, or in your local store. Your registry can be accessed at any Ten Thousand Villages Store. To sign up on-line, go to https://www.tenthousandvillages.com. At the top of the screen, click on “wedding registry.” Step-by-step directions are provided.

What types of wedding gifts do you offer?

Jo: Kitchen ware such as, place mats, tablecloths and napkins, hot pads, and dishcloths. Home decor including stone and metal bookends, carved stone coasters, woven sari chairs, pillows, hand-woven and metal wall hangings. Spring pots and garden decor. Unique jewelry for the bride or bridal attendants. Beautiful hand blown wine glasses, serving dishes, baskets. Wedding sculptures made from kissi stone.

Tell us about more ways couples can give back by buying products at your shop.

Jo: Every purchase improves the lives of makers by supporting their craft and providing a fair, stable income. We offer a way for you to become part of the story, to shop your values and give gifts with meaning. Because this is bigger than us. You may also make a monetary donation to help us further our mission.

What are some of the main communities and organizations that benefit from shopping at Ten Thousand Villages?

Jo: Together, we directly impact the lives of 20,000 makers in 30 developing countries. Some of the communities include Dhaka, Bangladesh, where women make beautiful throws and pillows from recycled saris; Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where artisans use bomb casings remnants to transform items meant for war into wearable beauty; Tirupur, India, where people of the marginalized Harijan community in a village in Tamil Nadu region craft vegetable glycerin soaps.

Thank you so much for sharing all of your insight with us, Jo! I am such a huge fan of Ten Thousand Villages and we are so excited to have you represent a unique wedding registry option for couples right here in Nashville! You can find out more about Ten Thousand Villages here – and make sure you visit their location in Green Hills and give them a follow on Instagram! You can also check out their post on 4 Ways to Step Up Your Wedding Gift Game!

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