Worthwhile – and Economical – Wedding Favors
Give your guests the gift of something they will really use
Wedding favors are meant to be small, sentimental tokens of your appreciation, thanking your guests for attending your celebration and bidding them a fond farewell, says Maria McBride, Wedding Style Director for “Brides” magazine. Although any gesture is a nice one, in these days of both personalization and waste-not-want-not, useful or in-theme favors make an even sweeter statement. Here are a few affordable ways to return the favor in a truly meaningful way.
In-Theme Edibles
Tasty treats can usually be done at a reasonable price point and it’s highly unlikely that they will sit around collecting dust. Set aside the old standbys like monogrammed sugar cookies, and aim for a nibble that’s in keeping with the spirit of your own celebration by linking it to the location, such as a locally grown apple for a wedding in Washington, an organic orange for a gala in Florida, a few perfect dates for a soiree in Southern California, a sample of Kona coffee for a party in Hawaii or a TSA-approved jar of real maple syrup for an event in Vermont. These gifts make sense, remind guests of the good time they just had and, in the case of fresh fruit, could even tide them over on their trip back home.
Another option is to have a bunch of girlfriends over for a baking party. Make up a huge batch of mini-cookies, donut holes, caramel popcorn, truffles, granola, trail mix or even soft pretzels, and then package them up in mini-mason jars wrapped with gingham, little muslin bags or pretty paper bags imprinted with your initials or fun rubber stamps, suggests McBride. The fact that you took the time to produce something homemade in the hectic days right before your wedding will not be lost on your guests.
Gifts that Keep on Giving
If the majority of your guests live nearby, check out local nurseries or Web sites like GreenWorldProject.net for deals on tree seedlings or small flowering bushes. Plant them in small galvanized buckets and hand out one per couple or family, says McBride. If most of your guests live out of town, consider handing out seed packets instead – you can pick your favorite flower, something local or the varietal that you used in your centerpieces. Daisy-Days.com makes it even easier with a wide assortment of customizable favors that feature wildflower seeds embedded in bio-degradable paper, for just over a dollar a piece.
If you’re a DIY bride and your wedding is on the smaller side, another creative idea is personalized pottery. Take a bunch of friends to a paint-your-own shop and decorate a pile of mugs, enough for each guest. You can use these mugs as water goblets during your reception and then let your guests take them home. The cost may seem a little prohibitive at first, but they will eliminate the need for rentals.
The Gift of Love
In lieu of favors, more and more couples are opting to skip the “stuff” entirely and instead make a collective donation to a favorite charity. You could select an organization based on a cause that is personally important to you, a current need in society or in memory of a loved one. Examples include the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, Humane Society, Heifer Project International, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Sierra Club and Habitat for Humanity. Many of these groups already have programs set up to handle favor-related donations.
One popular option with a remarkably wedding-appropriate name is the American Heart Association. According to Courtney Eitel, Regional Director of Communications for Central New Jersey at the AHA, the organization’s wedding favor program gets about 200 requests each year, from all over the country. In exchange for the donation, the AHA provides couples with small, explanatory tent cards that can be placed at each table setting, or, if the couple prefers, a few 8x10 posters that can be framed and placed on a guest book table. Couples may personalize these cards and posters with their names and wedding date, a poem, artwork or to honor a loved one.
Interested couples can find all the details they need as well as contact information for wedding favor program coordinator Donna Tordik, at AmericanHeart.org.
“We recognize that although there are a lot of wedding favor options out there, you are choosing to make a life-saving donation,” says Eitel. “We work with you to ensure your guests truly feel special.”
 |
