Choosing Wedding Favors

Mar 22, 2010 Wedding Planning Institute

Jus as such things as invitations and programs set the tone of a wedding the favors can set the memory of the wedding in the guests’ minds. There are always the run-of-the-mill favors that we’ve seen time and again: CDs of the couple’s favorite tunes; miniature boxes of colored M&Ms; bags made of netting filled with Jordan almonds. Those are great ideas, and they always look cute on the reception tables, too. But as a certified wedding and event planner it’s always nice to have a few tricks up your sleeve, and presenting a few possible unique favor ideas to your bridal couple is sure to go over well. Here are a few really cute ones we’ve run across recently.

Photo courtesy of iDIY

Photo courtesy of iDIY

1. When it comes to food trends these days we’re all about going local. Is your couple marrying on a farm? Consider offering guests small packets of seeds, tied with a pretty bow so that they can remember the wedding’s beautiful setting. If the wedding is taking place at an apple orchard a jar of homemade apple butter would be adorable, tied with string, with a wooden spoon attached. (And if the labels are hand-written? That’s all the better.)

2. Beach weddings will never go out of style because there are very few things more romantic. Choosing favors for wedding guests, however, can be difficult because if there is anything a brides doesn’t want to be it’s cheesy. Candles and picture frames and dried starfish or sand dollars are all nice options, but we can think of something a bit more romantic. These corked glass vials, filled with a small thank-you note from the couple, would be a cute touch to any beach wedding. Tied with a string and a note that says, of course, sealed with a kiss, they would be sure to be a hit!

3. There are many brides these days who are choosing to Go Green with their weddings. Favors don’t always fit in with this mentality, but there are ways to show a couple’s love for the environment and their guests. Anything that grows (along the same lines as the seed packets above) is a good idea: bulbs, flowers native to the area, tree seedlings from the Arbor Foundation (our personal favorite). For the couple who wants to avoid the physical gift but still honor their guests there are tree-planting programs where saplings are planted in honor of anyone a couple wants to name. If there is good food and good drink to go around guests may be more than happy to accept a favor in their honor instead of a trinket to take home!

Photo courtesy of Smitten Sticks!

Photo courtesy of Smitten Sticks!

4. We also absolutely love the idea of these smitten sticks. Can you even imagine how crazy the kids at the reception would go for these? Throw in a photo booth, and guests will be in love with the idea. And we can imagine them taking home these adorable sticks to make even more silly photos. The memories for the bridal couple would be great, and the guests would have a great time with them!

It’s obvious that favors are a great way to add fun and whimsy to a wedding and that they are a wonderful way to showcase a bridal couple’s style. As certified wedding and event planners coming up with fun ideas is one of the best parts of the job! These are a few great ideas to pack away in your folder, but the sky is truly the limit when it comes to wedding favors. Try to think outside of the box and let the sky be the limit when it comes to the creative parts of wedding planning. If your bride has an idea in her head of what she’d like to try - run with it! Make her day special and fun with unique favor ideas!

Tags: , , ,

Did you enjoy this article? If so, please subscribe to my blog!

7 Responses to “Choosing Wedding Favors”

  1. Jessica Hendrick Says:

    I really like your idea for a beach wedding favor. I had a beach wedding and wanted to give my guests gift baskets but was worried about how much space they had to get things home. We ended up going with a fishing trip for everyone. Your idea saves space and money and is very personal.

  2. Jenni Robertson Says:

    These are all adorable ideas! I love that so many brides are going green with their weddings. Packets of seeds and even donations to help the environment are all favors that anyone would be proud of. I love that brides are making these small touches to help the environment but also their budget. Wedding favors don’t have to be extravagant, just a small token to show the guests that you care. :)

  3. Michelle Soto Says:

    I really love the idea of green weddings! Bride’s do not have to make their whole wedding green, but incorporating just a few elements can help you save the environment. Some examples are minimizing the amount of driving for your guests or using organic or locally grown produce and flowers. Little things like these make your wedding personal and will make an impression on your guests.

  4. Holly Says:

    I really liked all of the favor ideas! My Fiance and myself chose to donate a few hundred dollars to the MSPCA in lieu of all of our guests. To know that we’ve helped many animals was a great feeling!

  5. Melanie Mansfield Misovic Says:

    As a student at the Wedding Planning Institute, I really enjoyed these unique ideas. I especially love the idea of the environmentally friendly favors. At a recent event, we arranged live evergreen seedings in a beautiful basket and used them as the centerpiece! It was an amazing display inspired by nature. Each seedling was wrapped in an ivory organza, lined with tissue, and finished with ribbon to match the event colors. A tag was attached to each seedling with a thank you to the guests. The guests were thrilled with the unique and thoughtful gifts and the honored couple loved the idea that so many trees were being planted in memory of their occaision.

  6. Sarah Boettcher Says:

    I LOVE this smileysticks!!!! So original!

  7. Jaclyn Bautista Says:

    I really like the all ideas listed - it’s great when a favor goes along with the theme of the wedding. I’m noticing more and more weddings involve favors where the guests will take part in receiving their favor, such as photo booths and candy bars. I think it helps guests remember this signature part of your event and makes it fun for all.

    I think it’s great when couples can incorporate how they met or how they got engaged into a favor because it can also tell a story about the couple. For instance, if the couple met in a photography class while still in school- they can incorporate the photo booth into their wedding and make a small note stating why they chose to have one.

Leave a Reply