Budget Tips on Favors

• Favors are an essential, not something to be skipped for a budget-saver, since it’s a gracious offering to give a little something to guests who have traveled to attend your wedding and given you several gifts by now. Not providing a favor of some kind is a big mistake. Guests do notice.

• A big trend is donating to your favorite charity, but then still giving guests a little something related to the charity (which you can often get for $1 to $5 each), such as the Lance Armstrong Foundation yellow bracelet or the breast cancer pink ribbon.

• For less than $2 each, you can bag up little packets of your favorite candies – like M&Ms or Hershey Kisses that you have bought in bulk at a warehouse store. Get baggies and ribbon from the craft store for just a few cents each. As a personalization factor, include a note that you both enjoyed M&Ms as your first shared snack on your first movie date.

• Get single-stem flowers (like daisies, roses, tulips) from a floral wholesaler or at a bulk warehouse store, and wrap each one yourself in clear or colored cellophane from the craft store, for a pretty take-home at under $3 each.

• Provide DIY edibles, such as brownies or cookies that you have made yourself, bagged and ribbon-tied along with your recipe printed on a card if it’s a favorite family recipe or your own creation.

• Give out wallet-sized cards printed with your favorite quote or inspirational saying as something that guests will use again and again in the future. Visit www.brainyquotes.com for ideas on the perfect saying, and use thicker card stock for your home computer print-out. If you have access to a friend’s laminating machine, even better.

• Check at a nursery or even a grocery store for mini-potted flowers, which you can often find for $2 each.

• Give out mini potted herbs, such as rosemary, sage, lavender and others that you can also get from the nursery, floral wholesaler or grocery store for $2 each. Get colored foil papers from the craft store and wrap the pots yourselves.

• Don’t bother ordering boxes or labels with your photo, names or monogram on them. You can print up your own personalized cards on your home computer.

• Don’t forget that dollar stores have some great stuff! More couples are reporting that they found candles and votives at the dollar store along with fun kids’ items for the kids’ favors.

• Check the craft store or bulk warehouse store for cases of votive candles and candleholders.

• Use the theme of your wedding, such as giving out a single ornament to each guest at your winter wedding (shop during the post-holiday sales the year before your wedding!), or pretty seashells or starfish from the craft store ($5 for a bag of 20) for your summer or beach wedding.

• Use store coupons! Some craft store chains are known for their 40% off coupons in the Sunday paper, so call all of your friends and family to get their coupons, too. You can then buy those cases of candles, baggies, ribbons, labels and other accents for almost half the price!

• If you’ll have a destination wedding or a big-city wedding, check with the city department of tourism to see if you can get discounted location-theme items like keychains, visors, glasses, golf balls, and more. Visit www.towd.com to find the tourism department at your location and see what they have for group sales…even freebies!

By Sharon Naylor

Author of 1000 Best Wedding Bargains

Ten Unique and Personalized Wedding Favors

If coming up with creative wedding planning ideas has made you ready to pull your hair out, relax. From personalized wedding favors and decorations to the menu choices, there are many directions you can take your wedding. Your wedding favors especially, though a charming, memorable keepsake from your big day, shouldn't trip you up when you're this close to the finish line. If you haven't quite decided which direction to take your favors, try drawing inspiration from your wedding planning ideas, including your theme, colors, or seasonal influences. If you're hosting an autumn wedding, place delicate, golden leaf bookmarks by each guest's place card. For a fun, festive Las Vegas wedding, embellish the table with poker chip key chains or a fresh pack of cards printed with a design of your choosing on the back.

Because wedding favors are a thoughtful way to help guests remember the loving couple long after the big day, choosing unique and/or personalized wedding favors that are usable or decorative guarantees that your friends and family will derive a longer shelf-life from them. Brides are getting much more creative, however, and are opting not to stick to the usual tried-and-true wedding planning ideas. Instead of hum-drum wedding favors, couples are giving guests items they can use again and again.

Customizable Mementos
There's no doubt about it – people like items that they can make their own, and personalized wedding favors are always sure to be a big success. Nowadays, you can customize your wedding from top to bottom – from ribbons, boxes, and bows to signs, tags, and labels; in fact, just about any of your creative wedding planning ideas are possible. So, why not make your favors just as special?

Personality Boxes: One of the best wedding planning ideas in a bride's arsenal! Wrapped with an elegant bow and often containing useful trinkets like bottle openers, coasters, demitasse spoons, letter openers, and measuring spoons, there's always something for a guest to love! Customize your wedding even more by purchasing an assortment of these personalized wedding favors, letting guests choose which favor they'd like to take home. Personality boxes are a lovely, personalized way to say thank you for coming.

Photo Place Cards & Albums: In vibrant colors, patterns, and fabrics, photo place cards and photo albums are an attractive addition to any reception table. Whether you choose to customize these personalized wedding favors with photos of you and the intended or leave them blank for guests to supply their own memorable pictures, photo place cards and albums help guests remember your happy day.

Luggage Tags: What a great favor for couples always on the go! With unique shapes and colors, personalized luggage tags remind guests of the wanderlust couple in a fun way. These personalized wedding favors are also great for a destination event, thanking guests for traveling so far and helping them get home in style.

Sticky Notes & Pads: Customize your sticky notes and pads with your wedding colors and the names of the happy couple or a quote that sums up your feelings about the wedding day. Your guests will think of you each time they jot down a quick note on one of these personalized wedding favors.

Around the House
Usability is a key element for wedding favors. But wrapped up in sheer organza and elegant designs, 'around the house' objects become lovely complements to your wedding reception. With a range of new, unique, and/or personalized wedding favors on the market, such as pizza cutters, honey pots, timers, ice cream scoops, piggy banks, and olive oil dispensers, brides are finding creative ways to thank their guests.

Wine Bottle Stoppers: For wine lovers, there's no better gift than wine bottle stoppers. With sophisticated designs, such as snowflakes, hearts, seashells, leaves, and stars, and durable, quality materials, such as crystal and sterling silver, wine bottle stoppers can be coordinated with all of your other wedding planning ideas to match your theme perfectly.

Coasters: From picture-ready slots to sweet sayings or elegantly etched images, coasters are not only useful but beautiful as well. In glass, ceramic, or cork, uniquely designed and/or personalized wedding favors like coasters capture your wedding day and let your guests reminisce.

Candles: Whether scented or not, candles have always been favorite wedding favors for guests and brides alike. Available in any conceivable color, design, or shape, candles will certainly be used and enjoyed by your guests.

Tea Light Holders: Along with candles, tea light holders get a lot of use. And best of all, you can choose the design you like when formulating your wedding planning ideas! For weddings at sea, silvery sailboats are an excellent choice; for tropical destination weddings, your guests will reminisce over your frosted glass palm trees. Small, elegant, and useful are the hallmarks of a tea light holder, a staple for unique and/or personalized wedding favors.

Bookmarks: Help them keep their stopping point in style with bookmark favors. Match the designs and materials to your wedding planning ideas and/or themes and colors for a stylish addition to your reception.

Soaps: Encased in satin or organza, your soap favors are a chic way to thank your guests for their attendance. With lovely designs, your guests may even be reluctant to use them.


Cherie Johnson
Creative Bride

From Your Heart To Their Lips: The Top 10 Food Favors for Weddings

Take the guesswork out of finding the perfect wedding favor! Here are our Top 10 Picks for fabulous edible favors for your wedding or bridal shower.

Choosing the right wedding favor can be a challenge. There a so many choices, it can make your head spin! From placecard holders to pampering items, there seems to be a gift for every occasion and theme. But how do you know which ones your guests will truly enjoy? Choose a gift with good taste! Food gifts remain the most popular gift choice for wedding favors. Take a look at these mouth-watering wedding favors that top our list!

Chocolate
Anything chocolate is #1 with brides and guests alike. Traditional favorites include personalized chocolate bars and squares, but the latest trends also rank themed chocolates (shaped like wedding bells, starfish, cakes, etc.) and even chocolate puzzles high on the list.

Shaped Cookies
The possibilities are endless with these delicious shortbread cookies. Available in a variety of themes, including hearts, cakes, bells and bride-and-groom, these sweet treats can accommodate most wedding themes, from beach to golf.

Mints
Whether in tins, rolls, pillow packs or “matchbooks,” refreshing mints are always a popular choice. They’re kosher and usually don’t tempt anyone to break their diet. Personalizing them with wedding information makes them a favor to savor.

Coffee & Tea
Beverages are among the top 10 because they’re affordable, practical and lend themselves easily to a variety of themes. Not only popular fall-themed favors, coffee and tea are delightful any time of the year for the couple that’s a perfect blend.

Wedding Oreos
Go ahead. Indulge! The decadent enjoyment that comes with these double-dipped Oreos will give your taste buds a treat. Available in white and chocolate wedding themes, they’re a great way to dress up an old favorite.

Jordan Almonds
This classic wedding favor still makes the list because of its sweet, crunchy, nutty goodness. They’re also a great do-it-yourself wedding favor. You can purchase them bulk and package them yourselves in a variety of elegant wedding favor boxes. “Wedding gown” favor bags filled with candy make a cute bridal shower favor.

Fortune Cookies
Including a message of appreciation inside the fortune cookie makes this a unique wedding favor. Not just for Asian weddings, they can be used to spread good fortune among your guests.

Mini Cakes
Don’t cut the cake! These personal-sized mini wedding cakes let guests have their cake and eat it too—without standing in line to get it!

Covered Strawberries
These tuxedo strawberries add an unexpected elegance to your wedding. Delicious berries are “dressed” in a tuxedo and wedding gown made of chocolate. These “bride and groom” chocolate covered strawberries are a match made in heaven.

Biscotti
Chocolate-dipped and personalized, these biscotti wedding favors are a crunchy delight. Guests can enjoy them at the reception or with a hot cup of coffee at home. Either way, the uniqueness of this favor is sure to stand out.

By: Karen Sullen
MyWeddingFavors.com