By: Jeanette Shinn
Once you have a head count and at least a rough idea of what your budget will support, the fun begins. There are no rules to giving wedding favors, so have fun! You want the wedding favors to be memorable, so look for a way to match the wedding favor to you as a couple. If you are getting married near Christmas, why not get Christmas tree placecard holder as a wedding favor? By the way, placecard holders are especially good wedding favors if you are having a formal dinner with assigned seating because then your wedding favor serves to identify the individual’s seat as well.
If you and your intended met at the beach, or are famous among your circle of friends for always being at the beach, what could be a more suitable wedding favor than sailboat themed tea light holders, sea shell spreaders, or clam shaped bath fizzes? Perhaps you and your future spouse are writers, what could be more perfect wedding favors than personalized pens?
In some cases, wedding favors come in the form of an edible treat. It’s a special truffle, a personalized container of coffee printed with your name and wedding date printed on the bag, or it’s a specially decorated cookie, or a small jar of honey with your name and date on it, or, or, or.... Just one note when dealing with edible wedding favors; remember that food allergies can really spoil a celebration. Most people know what they are allergic to, so find a way to announce (a printed card placed in a conspicuous spot on the table works great) the type of edible wedding favors so no one discovers the truth the hard way.
Of course, the list of options in wedding favors is as endless as your imagination. If you can dream a wedding favor up and fit it into your budget chances are good that you can find someone to provide that perfect wedding favor for your wedding celebration.
Be sure to have special favors for the children that will be at your wedding reception. This may come in the form of a coloring book and small pack of crayons. These wedding favors might work to keep peace at your reception in the same way they do at restaurants. Another potentially excellent child’s wedding favor might be a hand held game or small puzzle.
If your budget is tight but you still want to give a wedding favor as a token of your love and appreciation, consider buying fewer wedding favors than anticipated guests and putting them in a basket on a table for people to pick up on their way out. This way, those that don’t care to take a wedding favor can leave the wedding favor behind gracefully without any danger of anyone’s feelings being hurt. Another option, which will cut your cost nearly in half is to provide one wedding favor per couple (it is still in good form to provide one wedding favor each for people who come by themselves). A third option is to make wedding favors yourself. This can be a fun project for the bridesmaids (but not the night before the wedding) to do with the bride. For example, a few bags of candy coated chocolates, a length of tulle, and some ribbon will produce fun little treats that you can give as a wedding favor. It really doesn’t matter what you do, ultimately it’s the gesture that makes the difference not the wedding favor itself.
Finally, wedding favors can serve as the finishing touches of your decorating scheme that ties everything else together. For example, your wedding is in the spring, you’ve got flowers everywhere, what could be better than a wedding favor of a small vase with a flower for each person (or couple)? Or maybe spring colored tiny pails with pastel candies in them would be the wedding favor for you. It really doesn’t matter. Use wedding favors to show your appreciation and love to those who took the time to come to celebrate your wedding while at the same time making your wedding favors work for you!
