By Georgina Clatworthy

Wedding favors are a traditional and integral part of any modern wedding, but when it comes to finding the right favors for your wedding you will find a huge choice on the market.  The dilemma is do you choose themed wedding favors if you are having a very specific wedding theme? 

Many wedding themes can be easily catered for when it comes to wedding favors.  Floral themes for instance can be easily matched with themed wedding favors such as flower shaped chocolates, scented candles or packets of seeds.  But if you are having a themed wedding such as the 1920’s or medieval for instance, it can be rather more difficult to find themed favors to suit your wedding.

There are some options open to you and I would suggest that you do give favors in some form or another rather then forgo them at all because you cannot find any to match your wedding theme. 

Option 1: Make your Own

If you’re the creative type then making your own wedding favors may have already crossed your mind.  Handmade favors go down well with wedding guests who often appreciate the effort you have gone to (even if your handiwork is not so great!).  Give you theme some consideration and note down any elements which could be used within your favors.  For instance, a medieval themed wedding could have velvet pouches and gold chocolate coins or make your own custom cookies in a fleur de lys shape.

Option 2: Choose Ready Made Favors Which Aren’t Themed

Go for the simple option and choose things like candies, chocolates, mints or nuts.  Ok so they don’t match your wedding theme but if you combine them with option 3 below your guests won’t notice!  Other choices include candles such as votives or tea lights, mini photograph frames and things like cupcakes or cookies (which could be customized to suit your theme).

Option 3: Coordinate the Packaging Not the Favors

This is the easiest solution because it allows you to choose any type of wedding favors you wish and then simply package them in coordinated boxes or bags to match your theme.  This way they will not look out of place on your tables when set out with everything else.

Option 4: Go Custom

If you have a big enough budget then you could have custom made favors to match your theme.  There are several companies/crafts people who will do this for you and favor choices include things like custom cookies, chocolates, cupcakes, paper crafts etc.  You could also have custom packaging made to match.

By Georgina Clatworthy

Wedding favors have become one of those wedding day details that can leave you frustrated when it comes down to choosing perfect little gifts for your guests and balancing the budget at the same time.  Favors originated in the 13^th century when wealthy brides would give their female guests luxurious little gifts of sugar cubes in jeweled boxes made from precious metals.  The concept quickly caught on and as favors spread to the masses, then cheap wedding favors became more widely available.

Favors weren’t always a staple part of any wedding celebration and only really enjoyed a resurgence after the end of the Second World War.  Even then though favors where still a cheap gift, based rather more on symbolism than a display of gratitude.  Modern wedding favors though seem to have come full circle with an industry that now turns over millions of dollars each year and an ever increasing choice of little gifts for wedding guests.

The traditional almonds have been replaced with chocolates, candies and more expensive items such as miniature photograph frames, crystal ornaments and coaster sets.  But finding cheap wedding favors is not as hard as it may seem and it is perfectly possible to achieve beautiful favors for under $1 each.  Here are my tips on how to achieve them:

Think Wholesale: if you have a lot of guests, and I mean in excess of 100 then wholesalers are your best option for favors which are cheap on the budget.  I don’t mean purchasing favors from online stores at the bulk prices, but instead going directly to their suppliers and buying from them.  If you can meet the minimum order quantities you will save yourself many dollars in terms of what you usually pay in retail stores.  Even if you don’t have sufficient guests to meet the minimums required, consider purchasing the minimum anyway and selling the excess on through EBay or the like – you could even make back what you spent with the result: Free Favors!

Sweet Options: Candies, chocolates, mints and nuts are all very cheap and can be bought in large quantities making them perfect for inexpensive wedding favors.  Simple packaging such as clear bags tied with ribbon will only cost a few cents each or consider having a candy bar at the reception where your guests can help themselves to their wedding favors.

Supermarket Sweep: supermarkets and dollar stores are a mecca for cheap options for wedding favors.  Candles and tea lights can be bought for a fraction of the cost of specialist favor stores or look for edibles, tea, coffee, mini soaps or small decorative objects.  Enquire with the store manager about purchasing the quantities you need as you maybe able to score an extra discount for quantity!

Make your Own: handmade wedding favors are very special and even if you are not that creative you can still create something your guests will treasure.  From scented sachets to handmade chocolates you will find plenty of kits online to help you get started.  Other ideas include small bags of flower seeds, seedlings you have grown yourself, homemade cookies or even cupcakes and decorative objects such as painted wooden shapes or carved pebbles.

By Georgina Clatworthy

If you have decided to invite children to your wedding it is a good idea to make some special favors for them which will help to entertain and keep them occupied during the ‘boring’ parts of the wedding day!  Children wedding favors don’t need to be anything too extravagant or even complicated, it is simply putting together little bags of surprises which will keep them busy.

Children can find many elements of a wedding boring and in particular during the reception and wedding breakfast they will need to be sitting at a table for some time during which time they are expected to be quiet and well behaved.  Most children will be, but it can be difficult to ask them to do this for long periods of time, so giving them wedding favors which include some games, toys or activities will help to keep them busy whilst you get on with the speeches and toasts.

Here are some suggestions about making children wedding favors and what to put in them:

• Coloring books and crayons or pencils
• Activity books such as word searches, dot2dot, puzzles etc for older children
• Mini water games which they can play on their own
• Bubbles (for after the wedding breakfast)
• Plain paper pads and coloring pencils
• Disposable cameras for some fun photographs!
• Sweets, chocolates etc

Check out online party stores for some great items to put in kids favors.  These stores will be packed with things for children’s party bags which you can use for your wedding.  You may want to include gender specific things like jewelry for girls, small toy cars for boys, mini dress up dolls etc.  Coloring books and activity sets are the best choice for keeping children quiet and busy, you could also set them a coloring competition, providing them with some wedding themed pictures to color in and award prizes for the best ones (maybe an idea to have prizes for everyone, with some different for the winner).

Don’t put too many candies or chocolates in to your favors, you really don’t want lots of children high on sugar running riot!  Stick to one or two sweet treats and perhaps have cupcakes made for the children in place of wedding cake.  Finally, be careful about your choice of toys – avoid anything noisy or which has the potential to make noise, modeling balloons for instance could be a bad idea!

By Georgina Clatworthy

If you have chosen a theme for your wedding, then finding all those finishing touches to match can be one of the hardest parts of successfully pulling off your theme.  Theme wedding favors are one area where brides can struggle to find something unique and special to give to their guests and which coordinates with their theme.

Favor stores are packed with a wide choice of wedding favors, and whilst there is usually a good choice of themed favors available, these usually coordinate with the most popular themes, such as fairytale or butterflies.  So if you are having a very different wedding theme, how do you go about finding theme wedding favors for your wedding?

Before you begin looking you need to determine what it is you are looking for.  Going shopping and hoping something will spring out at you could see you wasting a lot of time and effort, not to mention shoe leather!  Jot down the main elements of your theme, such as symbols, designs, colors, materials and motifs which are all present.  Next think about favor style items which could be found in these shapes or designs.  For instance:

If your theme is based on luxury, then you could jot down the following:

• Colors: metallics – gold, silver, bronze; rich colors – black, purple, red, emerald
• Materials: crystal, glass, mirror, metals, velvets, silks, satins
• Designs: damask, rococo; gothic
• Symbols/motifs: fleur d lys; damask elements; crowns, chandeliers, candelabras

From this you can think about possible types of wedding favors to shop for:

• Candles/tea lights in glass/crystal holders or shaped holders such as crowns
• Small velvet or damask fabric bags with metallic colored candies inside
• Metal photograph frames
• Scented sachets made in luxurious fabrics
• Fleur d lys shaped mini soaps/chocolates/cookies

Aside from looking at specialist favor stores, check out gifts stores and interior accessory stores for unusual items which could work as favors.  Don’t forget your packaging either.  For the above theme you could choose fabric bags such as silk, satin or velvet; clear plastic boxes which have a ‘crystal’ effect to them; damask printed or embossed card boxes; small silver or gold colored plates for chocolates and if your budget will afford them, small boxes encrusted with crystals or mirrored glass!

If all else fails and you really cannot find any themed wedding favors for your wedding, then you will need to fall back on more traditional favors such as candies, chocolates and candles in your chosen wedding colors.  You can make them more individual by packaging them in some of the ideas given above and as a final option you could have custom cookies made in a shape which will coordinate, for instance fleur d lys.

By Georgina Clatworthy

Giving unique wedding favors to your guests is just one way of ensuring your guests will remember your day in years to come.  The wedding favors industry is big business and brides have so much more choice now than the traditional almonds and chocolates of the past.  But finding something unique and special to you can be difficult, particularly as most vendors stock the same ranges when it comes to favors.

The best way to ensure you have unique favors is to make them yourself.  Whether you are the creative type or not, making your own wedding favors is not difficult and it injects that all important personal touch into your day.  Remember that aside from being a gift of thanks to your guests, favors are often used as a finishing touch on your reception tables and place settings, so making them unique will also add to the look of your reception.  Here are a few ideas for making unique wedding favors:

Visit local craft suppliers and find some blank wooden shapes, such as hearts or ovals.  These small wooden ‘blanks’ as they are usually called come in packs making them a cost effective buy for wedding favors.  Paint them up in colors to coordinate or match your wedding colors and then add a message such as your names and wedding date or use them as name cards on place settings, adding a thank you message to the back.  If you are confident in your handwriting then you could handwrite the message or use a stencil or rub on lettering.  Also look out for blanks with pre-drilled holes through which you could thread ribbon or string so they can be hung up.

Create your own wine glass charms or key rings or even bookmarks with beads and metal blanks from jewelry and craft stores.  Purchase metal discs and stamp your initial and wedding date on them with letter punches.  These can then be used as keyrings or added to your charms or bookmarks with additional beads.

Visit your local garden center or builders merchants and ask for a bag of river washed pebbles.  These pebbles will have been rounded by the water creating a smooth surface on which you could paint or use rub on letters to create a message.  If you or someone you know has the skill, you could carve or cut your message into them.  Choose medium sized pebbles which are roughly the same size and with a reasonable sized surface area for your message.

Finally, if creating your own unique favors is too difficult, then why not create your own packaging instead?  You will find plenty of templates free to download on the internet for boxes and bags.  Simply print onto stiff card or plastic and use them to cut your own packaging from your choice of card or paper.  Add in other decorations such as ribbons and pretty handmade tags with your guests names and a thank you message.

By Georgina Clatworthy

If you are having a spring wedding then you are probably at the stage where you are thinking about your favors.  Spring wedding favors give you a world of choice no matter what style of wedding you are having and best of all you will find something to suit any budget.

When it comes to choosing wedding favors there are some things you need to bear in mind – your wedding theme, wedding style, colors, budget and your own style and taste.  This may seem an overwhelming list of requirements but you will find that in reality it is quite easy to match potential spring themed favors to your wedding.  Here are a few ideas for you to consider:

Spring is the time of year when new life is born.  The plants and trees suddenly begin to burst into life, birds are singing and flowers begin to bloom.  Consider packets of flower seeds or seedlings which you have grown yourself at home.  Bulbs are another option, although you need to check when they can be planted, bulbs which need to be in the ground by October are probably not the best choice as a spring time favor.

Easter presents some great options for spring themed weddings, although you may want to steer away from fluffy bunny rabbits and little chicks! Chocolate eggs are abundant in the shops and give you a great alternative to traditional favor chocolates.  If your wedding falls after the Easter period then look out for the hundreds of reduced price Easter goodies in the shops!  Small wicker baskets or mini hats filled with mini eggs or candies make a nice wedding favors treat. 

For an edible favor think about things like custom cookies in spring themed shapes, cup cakes decorated with sugar flowers or frosted blossom petals and even mini tins of tea leaves and heart shaped metal infusers.  Chocolates and candies are always popular and aside from the Easter theme mentioned above you can find them in an array of shapes, flavors and colors to match your spring wedding theme.  Have a go at making your own at home as well, with a kit which can be bought on the internet for just a few dollars.

Other spring wedding favors could include scented sachets in the shape of birds, check out websites like Etsy for ready made versions or tutorials to make your own.  Put together some spring time recipes in mini booklets or single recipes in laminated, wipe clean sheets.  Accompany them with a suitable mini kitchen utensil such as a wooden spoon, chrome measuring cups or mini whisks.  A book of spring themed poems is another option and you may be able to find mini versions in book stores or make your own. 

Finally check out the wealth of ready made wedding favors online and in store.  Candles, mini soaps, coasters, photograph frames and condiment sets can all be found to match a spring theme and dressed up to coordinate with your color scheme.

By Georgina Clatworthy

When you do the sums wedding favors can actually add up to a significant portion of your wedding budget, especially if you are having a large wedding.  If you have splurged too much on other elements of your wedding day then you will probably be looking to save money wherever possible by the time purchasing your favors comes around.

The good thing about wedding favors is that they can be very versatile and it is wholly possible to get double the use from them and therefore save yourself some money in the process.  Here are a few suggestions on how to make your wedding favors work for you:

Use them as place cards – seems an obvious one really and one many brides may have already thought of.  But it can be surprising how many brides do not think to put their guests names on the favors, and then spend a fortune on name cards and even tiny frames to put them in.  Get creative and make some fabulous tags complete with your guests names to adorn your place settings.

Another great version of this is to use custom cookies as wedding favors and name tags.  You can have made in shape or size you like as long there is sufficient room to ice a name on them.  Tag or plaque shaped cookies look amazing iced up with guests names across them.

Center pieces can be very expensive to put together so use your wedding favors instead.  Design your favors in neat little boxes and pile them up in the center of the tables.  You can add personalized tags if you wish and you can display them on decorative dishes, stands or plates if your budget will allow it.  This is a fantastic way to save a lot of money and you won’t have the problem of what to do with the centerpieces after the wedding!

Combine your favors with your wedding cake in the form of cup cakes or mini cakes.  When you combine the average cost per slice of wedding cake with the average cost per favor you will probably find a figure around $10 – $14.  Small cakes can cost as little as $5 each and when you add in an extra $1 for a Perspex box you will still be saving around $4 – $8 on each guest.

You can display the cakes on a large stand as you would a traditional wedding cake or package them in clear plastic boxes and place them on each table setting.  You can then have a smaller single cake for the cake cutting ceremony later on.

By Georgina Clatworthy

With many couples choosing to get married in the warmer spring and summer months it is no surprise that a garden is a popular wedding venue and forms the basis for many wedding themes.  So when it comes to finding garden wedding favors you should have plenty of inspiration to help you.

Here are my top ten garden inspired wedding favors to help you along!

1. Flower seeds – these have a popular choice for wedding favors for some time now.  Choose seeds that match flowers you have used for your wedding or that match flowers found in your garden venue, particularly if that garden is award winning or contains some special varieties or specimens.  You can package them in paper bags, packet style bags, fabric bags or stylish aluminum tins.  Remember to let your guests know what type of seeds they are and offer up some growing guidelines as well.
2. Garden selection – staying with the seeds theme you could give your guests several varieties of plant, flower, herb or even vegetable seeds.  A nice idea I have seen has different seed type presented in mini tins (lip balm size) which are then nestled inside a larger tin.  There is a pretty custom label on top and a set of instructions on how to grow inside.
3. Potted plants – you can buy many varieties of potted plant from garden centers and even supermarkets.  Popular varieties include miniature roses, gerbera’s and African violets.  If you are green fingered then you could have a go at growing your own, just make sure you plant the seeds early enough for them to have grown to a reasonable size by the time your wedding day arrives!
4. Gardening guides – check out wholesalers and book stores for mini gardening books which can make inspiring favors to your guests.
5. Scented sachets – these are dear little items which many people will put in drawers or hag in closets.  They are fabric bags filled with lavender seeds or pot pourri and make great inexpensive wedding favors.  These are also very easy to make yourself with some fabric scraps and a shaped template.
6. Candles – candles are popular favors for any type of wedding, however citronella candles are particularly suited to a garden wedding.  Citronella will ward off bugs and flies when lit which makes them great for those who like to sit outdoors in the evening sunshine – the time of day when the bugs are most active!  Look out for floral scented candles or those shaped like flowers.  Alternatively tea lights or votives can be presented in stylish garden themed holders.
7. Edibles – treat your guests to some luxurious handmade chocolates shaped roses or other garden themed shapes. An alternative to this is cookies which can be shaped and iced in a variety of themes.  If you prefer candy then look for flower and butterfly shaped candies, which you can mix with other candy shapes and chocolates.  Honey makes a lovely spring wedding favor and is well suited to a garden wedding.  Look for manufacturers that can offer you custom labels on the jars as well to personalize your favors.  Alternatively check out the favor stores for pretty honey pots and matching server sets.
8. Birds nests – these are a lovely favor idea for a spring wedding in particular and will suit a garden theme.  Look for novelty birds nests which you can find at florist stores and wholesalers and add some chocolate eggs to them or fill with candies.
9. Floral decorations – if you wanted to go down the traditional favor route and give boxes of chocolates or almonds, then decorate your favor boxes with silk or paper flower heads.  You could use fresh flowers if you wanted although you will need to add them at the last minute and take steps to make sure they don’t go brown or wilt.
10. Windmills – these are my favorite garden wedding favor idea.  Look for someone who can custom make them for your or find a kit and template to make your own.  Custom made mini windmills can have your names and wedding date printed inside the windmill and can be made to match your wedding colors.  They make pretty additions to any garden when placed in pots or flower beds and are sent spinning with the breeze.

By Georgina Clatworthy

Time was that wedding favors were a straight choice between chocolates and almonds.  These days however, coming up with wedding favor ideas, which have become far more sophisticated and novel, can present brides with no end of dilemmas between perfection, uniqueness and the eternal question of whether or not to personalize!

So I have put together a list of five wedding favors which in my opinion address these dilemmas and should give you some ideas for your favors.  This list is not representative of sales or popularity amongst other brides, but more based on a criteria consisting of how unique it is or can become, is it perfect for just about any type of wedding? The price and its usefulness when your guests get it home.

1. Custom cookies:  These are topping the popularity stakes at the moment and with good reason.  Edible favors always go down the best, by the time your guests sit down to the reception meal a sugar snack is just what is required to get the blood sugar levels back up again!  Custom cookies can be made in a variety of shapes and size, decorated in any number of ways and above all taste delicious!

Uniqueness rating: 8/10 – because of their popularity

Perfection rating: 10/10 – can be customized to any wedding

Price: 4/10 – can be very expensive unless you can make your own

Usefulness: N/A – it’s a cookie, what do you want to use it for?!

2. Chocolates: Staying with the edible theme, chocolates are definitely the second most popular choice.  From small handmade chocolates to mini bars with personalized wrappers, these go down just as well with guests as cookies do.

Uniqueness rating: 5/10 – chocolates are likely to turn up at most weddings so not that unique

Perfection Rating: 8/10 – can be customized to any wedding style/theme

Price: 10/10 – there are chocolates available to suit any budget

Usefulness: N/A

3. Candles: There is something about candles that makes us want to buy them.  Whether we actually light them is another matter, but from scented to beeswax we love them!

Uniqueness rating: 6/10 – wide choice available but a popular favor nonetheless

Perfection Rating: 7/10 – wide choice of colors, scents, styles and shapes available

Price: 10/10 – again there are choices available for every budget

Usefulness: 9/10 – you never know when the lights might go out!

4. Bottle Stoppers and Openers: These things come in many shapes and sizes so are ideal choices for many weddings.  Purchase them separately or in sets comprising of one of each.

Uniqueness Rating: 7/10 – a fairly modern favor so your guests are unlikely to have been given lots of them before

Perfection Rating: 5/10 – many designs available although perhaps not enough to suit every wedding style/theme

Price: 8/10 – favor stores offer them at around $2 – $3 each so within most budgets

Usefulness: 10/10 – always handy to have in the kitchen drawer

5. Photograph Frames: Not large 4×6 frames but mini versions which many brides will double up as place card holders.  A nice variety of styles and designs available from most favor stores and stationers.

Uniqueness Rating: 4/10 – a common choice for weddings, however the design of the frame can make the difference

Perfection Rating: 6/10 – classic styles through to themed versions make them easily coordinated to many wedding style/themes

Price: 10/10 – available to suit most budgets

Usefulness: 9/10 – depends on the style or design really but decorative whatever you do with them.

By Georgina Clatworthy

With budgets tight for many couples at the moment, many brides are looking for cheap wedding favors and inexpensive wedding favor ideas for their special day.

If you are having a large wedding, with say, more than 200 guests, the cost of your wedding favors can quickly mount up.  Many brides fail to include the cost of packaging, decorations, tags and labels, as well as shipping costs and taxes which may be applicable.

But there are a number of inexpensive wedding favors available to you and with a little creative thinking and some savvy shopping you can come up with perfect favors for your wedding on the cheap!

Firstly you need to set a budget.  You should have included a figure for your wedding favors in your original wedding budget which you did at the start of your planning.  Now is the time to go back to figure and work out if it is still realistic and more importantly if you can still afford it!

Putting together cheap wedding favors for $1 each is not impossible but will require some creative input from yourself and possibly some compromise.

When it comes to shopping for your wedding favors there are a number of places to look.  Start online with the favor stores.  Many compete with each other on price and will hold pretty much the same stock so you should be able to easily compare prices.  Where they can differ is on the offers and discounts they have.  Some will offer discounts on the total price over a certain amount (usually $150) whilst others will offer free shipping over a certain amount and others will run regular discounts or offers throughout the year.

Even if you are certain you would not be able to afford these stores they are great places for wedding favor ideas and can give you lots of inspiration.  Many will also have a section for discount wedding favors or closeout stock which is always worth keeping an eye on as you can get some great bargains here.

Next you should look for wholesalers, not just those who specialize in wedding favors but also those who provide wholesale food items as edible favors are one of the cheapest and most popular favors around.  Food wholesalers can offer you great prices on bulk purchases of candies or chocolates for instance, allowing you to easily create favors with a selection of treats inside for relatively little expense.

Supermarkets are also great places to look for wedding favors.  A packet of gourmet coffee from the supermarket will cost you just a few dollars but you can split it into many favors for a fraction of the cost of the sachets offered by specialist favor stores.

Other wedding favor ideas which can be found in supermarkets include candles such as votives or tea lights, chocolates, candies and plain cupcakes which you could decorate yourself at home.

In terms of packaging you can find good deals on wholesale favor boxes online, check out sites like Ebay for bulk quantities of boxes, voile bags and decorative items like ribbons and embellishments like flowers and stickers.