Short answer: aim for one or two big prizes that sell tickets and a table of smaller ones, most of them donated. Ask local businesses, employers, family and your wedding vendors six to eight weeks out, in person, with a short letter. Offer a thank-you sign and a shout-out on the night, and pick each prize up yourself. Before any prize is drawn from paid tickets, check Ontario's lottery rules with your municipality.
Prize ideas for every budget
Big prizes are the ones guests talk about on the way in:
- A weekend at a family cottage or trailer, donated by whoever owns it.
- A pair of hockey, baseball or concert tickets.
- A golf foursome at a local course.
- A winery tour and tasting for two. In Niagara, there is no shortage.
- A spa day, or a massage and a facial.
- A barbecue, a kayak or a TV, bought with part of the ticket money if nobody donates one.
Mid-size prizes fill the table:
- Restaurant gift cards, ideally from places the couple love.
- Themed baskets: date night (movie passes, popcorn, candy), barbecue (sauces, tools, a butcher gift card), game night, car care or a spa basket.
- A haircut, a manicure or a massage from a friend's salon or clinic.
- An oil change or a car detail.
- Bowling, an escape room or mini golf for a group.
- A hardware store or garden centre gift card.
Small prizes keep winners coming back to the table:
- Coffee shop cards, movie passes and car wash cards.
- A dozen butter tarts, a pie or a tray of homemade cookies.
- Homemade jam, salsa or hot sauce.
Handmade and skilled prizes often get the highest bids: a quilt, a piece of woodwork, a framed print, or a photo session from a photographer friend.
Who to ask for donations
- Businesses you already spend money at. Your hairdresser, mechanic, gym, butcher and favourite restaurant know your face.
- Workplaces. Yours, your partner's and both sets of parents'.
- Friends and family with a trade. A baker, a contractor, a landscaper or a dog groomer can donate a service instead of a product.
- Your wedding vendors. Some will donate a gift card or a voucher for their own service. It puts them in front of a room full of people who are engaged or about to be.
- Local teams and clubs. A signed jersey or a pair of game tickets.
- Larger chains. Many take donation requests through a form on their website. Apply early.
How to ask (and get a yes)
- Start six to eight weeks out. Write a list of everyone you plan to ask, and split it between the couple and the wedding party.
- Ask in person, and leave a letter. A face gets a yes more often than an email does. The letter gives the owner something to decide on later.
- Be specific. “A $50 gift card or a basket of your products” is easier to say yes to than “anything you can give”.
- Be clear it is not a charity. It is a party for a couple, so there is no tax receipt.
- Offer something back. Their name on the prize table sign, a thank-you on the mic, and a tag when you post photos afterward.
- Track every prize. One sheet: business, contact, item, value, picked up, thanked.
- Say thank you. A card after the night, and send some business their way.
Sample donation request letter
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and print it on plain paper. Keep it to one page.
Hello [business name],
We are [your names], and we are getting married on [wedding date]. Our friends and family are hosting a stag and doe for us on [date] at [hall], [town], with about [number] guests.
Would you consider donating a prize? A gift card, a product or a service would mean a lot. This is a private party for our wedding, not a charity event, so we are not able to issue a tax receipt.
To say thank you, we will list your business on the sign at the prize table, thank you by name on the night, and tag you when we share photos afterward.
We can pick it up any time before [date]. You can reach [name] at [phone number] or [email].
Thank you for considering it,
[your names]
How to hand the prizes out
- Silent auction. Each prize gets a bid sheet with a starting bid and a closing time. The highest bid wins; there is no luck involved.
- Game prizes. The cornhole champions, the winning trivia table, the best dancer. If guests pay to play for a prize, describe the game to your municipality too: some games mix skill and chance.
- Door prizes and draws. If a paid ticket and luck pick the winner, that is a prize, a chance and a fee: the three parts of a lottery as Ontario's licensing offices define it. The AGCO says lottery licences go to eligible charitable and religious organizations, not individuals.
Call your municipality's lottery licensing office before you run any draw, and describe exactly what you plan. We rent photo booths; the rules are theirs to explain. Start with the AGCO's lottery licence page, and see what Ontario says about raffles and 50/50 draws.
Setting up the prize table
- Put it where everyone walks past, near the door or on the way to the bar.
- Number every prize and match it to its bid sheet.
- Start bids at about half the value, with a $5 minimum raise, so there is room to climb.
- Announce the closing time twice, half an hour before and again at ten minutes.
- Collect payment before the prize leaves the table, by cash or e-transfer, and keep a winners list.
- Thank the donors on a sign at the table, and once more on the mic.
A photo booth: the prize everyone takes home
Only a few guests win the big prizes. Every guest can leave with a photo booth print carrying the couple's names and the date. A self-serve booth runs on its own until 11pm, with free delivery anywhere from Mississauga to Fort Erie. Snap is $449 with photos texted to phones; Snap & Print is $549 with unlimited prints. See stag and doe photo booths, print your stag and doe tickets, or check your date.
Quick answers
How many prizes do we need?
One or two big prizes to get people talking, then as many smaller ones as you can collect. A full table draws people over; a sparse one does not.
Can a business get a tax receipt for donating a prize?
No. Only registered charities can issue official donation receipts, and a stag and doe raises money for a couple. Say so in your request so nobody is surprised.
Can we raffle the prizes off?
Check with your municipality first. A raffle is a lottery, the AGCO says lottery licences go to eligible charitable and religious organizations, and the Township of Woolwich lists stag and doe events among those not eligible for a lottery licence.
When should we start asking for donations?
Six to eight weeks before the stag and doe. Larger chains often need several weeks to approve a request, and local shops appreciate the notice.
Still have a question? See the photo booth FAQ, or browse booths for birthdays, proms and parties.