Top Five Ways to Save on Wedding Favors

One thing everyone’s going to be secretly exciting for during your wedding? The fun wedding favors, of course! This expense may be daunting (especially if you’re budgeting), but it doesn’t have to be. We’ve got some great tips to help you save some money and still give away some awesome favors.

Start Big

An easy way to have favors set up is to buy one thing in bulk and to separate it into individual gifts. You can do candy, trinkets, anything really. You may be able to save money by buying one big thing in bulk rather than buying pre-packaged. It may take some time, but it’s a labor of love.

Double Up

If you’re doing assigned seating, create a name tag or placeholder that is also a great wedding favor. Use customizable bracelets or make your own trinkets with names on them. Guests will be able to find their seats and love that they get a favor to play with immediately when they sit down.

Reuse What you Can

If you decked out your ceremony hall with flowers, bring them to the reception and cut them down to take home. It’s a beautiful favor that gives your flowers new life with one of your guests. It may be a bit chaotic, but if you have the right team to cut and re-prepare the flowers for distribution it’s a great favor. It will be a reminder of what a good time your guests had at the wedding and fill their house with fresh scents and love.

Ask for Freebies

If you have your heart set on one specific product, email the company and ask for samples, freebies, or a discount. It’s always worth a shot! Explain that you love the product and want to be able to share the product with your wedding guests. Most companies are able to assist, sponsor, or at least offer discounts in special circumstances like weddings and events. Don’t be offended if you don’t get anything off the bat, just keep trying. Remember, any bit helps when you’re on a budget.

Have your Cake (and Eat it Too)

Over order the sweets and send your guests home with some extra dessert! You may be able to strike up a deal with your bakers. See if you can do cookies or brownies or anything at all with your baker as favors. You can sell them on the added publicity as well. Bakers may be able to work with your budget and sweeten the deal for you.

 

Top Five Fall Wedding Favor Ideas

Fall has always been my favorite season. I love the feel and smell of the clean and crisp air, drinking hot chocolate, and the long days of wearing anything cozy. Simply put, you can’t help but fall in love with fall. It is also the best time for weddings. The weather is ideal for an indoor or outdoor event. Plus, the treats that come along with it is even better. As much as I love summer season there’s something about the season and weddings during Autumn. Here are top five wedding favors to spice up and bring that fall aroma to your big day. The best part? They are easily doable on your own. So get ready and plan a DIY party with your bridesmaids. These are thoughtful, sweet and adorable gestures that everyone at your wedding will love!

Gourmet Candy Apple 

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(Courtesy of Forevercandid Photography for stylemepretty.com)

I’m a big sweet tooth and candy apple treats are my weakness. I love any type of fruits to begin with but mixing apples with caramel, chocolate or glaze cinnamon? It’s the right kind of mixture of healthy and indulging at the same time. Talk about deliciousness!

Coffee Candles

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(Courtesy of artsideascrafts.com)

These are quintessential for any fall-themed wedding favors, especially if the candle wax is caramel or mocha scented. It will be like waking up in a coffee shop. I’m ready for my daily scent of cup-of-joe, please!

“Watch Our Love Grow” seeds

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(Courtesy of Henk & Arjanne wordpress.com)

Here comes fall, then spring. Your guest will not only be able to witness your perfect day, but they will also grow with your love over time. They’ll have a little plant that will continue to grow as a proof of your love. So adorable.

Sending you S’more love

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(Courtesy of Kellie Williamson pinterest.com)

This is a thoughtful way to say thank you to everyone. The best part? You can definitely do-it-yourself. Just grab some marshmallows, Hershey’s chocolate, and graham crackers and put them all in a clear plastic bag. Have a custom tag “S’more love” or whatever your hear desires and put it around a raffia or baker’s twine.  Simple, thoughtful and a sweet treat!

Sweet-Tea bags

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(Courtesy of Cami Bradley Photography)

When the weather starts to feel cooler and you need a little something warm, a tea will do. These are perfect to give to your guest because it will keep them extra cozy during the fall season. Plus, it is coming from you so it’s a sweet idea! It’s super easy to make it too. Interested in using this as your wedding favor? Here is a step-by-step DIY. Voila!

The basic materials you’ll be needing are:

  •  Muslin fabric–always look for natural & unbleached or pastel colors
  • Baker’s twine
  •  Loose leaf tea (Lupicia Tea Shoppe in LA is my favorite!)
  •  Scissors
  • Hole punch
  • Tags
  • Little brown bag

Step-by-step procedure:

  • Cut the muslin into squares
  • Fill the middle of the square with 1-2 tablespoons of loose leaf
  • Fold one side of the fabric over the loose leaf tea.
  • Fold the other side of the fabric over (like a taco!)
  • Bring the two ends up together, and tap or move the tea around with your fingers so it’s at the bottom of your tea bag.
  • Cut the baker’s twine to any desired length, and proceed to tie a knot around your pouch down toward the loose leaf tea.
  • Finish by adding the tag around the end of the twine.

Voilà! Simple and inexpensive wedding favor ideas that everyone will love. They are all such sweet treats and no guest at your wedding will leave without sharing a smile.

Top Five Fool Proof Wedding Favors

As a wedding guest, I am always curious as to see what the bride and groom have planned for their wedding favors. Will it be one more useless trinket holder for me to find some empty patch of bookshelf to store it away and gather dust? When planning your wedding favors, it can be tricky to discern what will be appreciated by your guests as cherished mementos from your wedding, and what favors will be added to their stockpile of knick knacks or even just tossed in the trashcan. Favors should be unique, thoughtful, and fit within your theme and budget; and, if it isn’t edible, it should be useful. As a general rule of thumb, think twice before you engrave your initials, names, and wedding date on every favor. No one really wants a picture frame or a wine glass with your initials emblazoned across the front (sorry). Also, it’s a good idea to stay away from favors that are strongly scented, such as candles and soaps—people can be sensitive to certain smells or just plain picky about the aroma of their home. Lastly, keep favors gender neutral; I’ve seen many a man go home with compacts and lip balms, only to mutter to themselves, “I guess I will give this to my girlfriend/wife/neighbor/coworker…”

To help kick start your brainstorming juices, we’ve made of list of our top five fool proof wedding favor ideas!

Seasonal Wedding Favors

To ensure that your wedding favors are useful to your guests, keep in mind the time of year that you are having your wedding. Sunglasses are a fun and fashionable favor for summer weddings, while chapstick or ornaments are great for the winter months. I have recently fallen in love with wildflower papers—these papers will plant beautiful spring flowers, giving your guests a colorful reminder of your wedding.

 

Source: http://www.botanicalpaperworks.com/

Source: http://www.botanicalpaperworks.com/

 

Food, Nom Nom

If I have to see another tiny pail filled with pastel almonds I will scream. Just because your wedding favor is food doesn’t mean that it can’t also be thoughtful or creative. Gifting your guests something that is local or unique to your town or heritage is always appreciated, such as local honey, preserves, hot sauce, or olive oil. Do you have a favorite family dessert or dish? Package the dry ingredients and attach the recipe. Bonus points for you if you include a vegan or gluten-free option!

Source: inspiringpretty.com

Source: inspiringpretty.com

 

 

Giftable Decorations

If you are struggling to find ways to decorate the tables at your reception, allow your wedding favors to do the job. Succulents in teacups and small flowerpots, as well as vintage picture frames, can serve as table place markers. Personalized miniature flower vases can hold flower arrangements for your table, while also working as a gift for your guests to enjoy at home.

Source: http://www.frolic-blog.com/

Source: http://www.frolic-blog.com/

Wedding Appropriate

Wedding favors that can be used while at the reception are always fun because of their instant gratification factor. A tub filled with flip flops in a variety of sizes are welcome to any guest who wants to kick off their uncomfortable formal shoes and boogie on the dance floor. Classy hangover kits are humorous, and more often that not, incredibly appreciated the morning after! Journals, luggage tags, and reusable nylon bags are great for destination weddings, but can continue to be used and enjoyed at home.

Helping Others

A surefire way to make sure your wedding favor is useful and appreciated is to make a charity donation on behalf of your guest. A simple card with a personal note explaining to your guests that a donation has been made, along with a description of the charity and its work, is a gift that is more meaningful and long lasting than treats or bottle openers or tiny boxes.

Source: http://blog.myjeanm.com/

Source: http://blog.myjeanm.com/

Weddings and Cotton Candy: Dolly’s Sweet Dreams Cotton Candy

Our Wedding Wednesday just wouldn’t be complete without an ultimate indulgence into some sweet goodness. After some days of looking through some of the most crazy mad bridal gowns and weddings, I am taking a break to enjoy a little something I like to call, a sweet nostalgia. I cannot describe the happiness that invades me. Candy buffets, ice cream bars, or cake? No, not today. Today, it is all about pure sugar spun in the most perfect and colorful way. Cotton candy is one of my all-time favorites from childhood. When I see a cotton candy machine, everything stops.  All I feel is the sweet taste of sugar melting in my mouth, the little whiffs of pure happiness, and the fluffiness that makes my nose tickle with delight. MMM…oh so good.

Dolly’s Sweet Dreams Cotton Candy brings the fun of carnivals and county fairs to your wedding reception in the sweetest way possible. If cotton candy is not enough, (which by the way, I would be pretty happy with that), there are more carnival favorites to enjoy: popcorn, shave ice, and carmel apples. Want your guests to have some fun treats now, and also enjoy when they get home? Cotton candy makes for the sweetest wedding favors. Light as air, and full of savory fun, the puff of perfection goes great for any wedding event. Perfect for those outdoor and whimsical weddings!

Dolly’s Sweet Dreams Cotton Candy have been enjoyed by A-List celebrities and dedicated to personalized, service with a smile!

I know there is the little kid in you that would kill to have one of these fluffy and sweet treats!

Gretchen Rossi of Real Housewives of OC

Sweetest Adventure Custom Favors

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Couture Cups matching invite

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