Stories from Your Wedding Friend - The Wedding Planner's Blog
Traditional or a modern alternative, or even no favours at all, this is all about what guests think are worth having and what options are out there.
I hear many wedding suppliers talk about how many wedding favours get left behind after the meal and it got me thinking. I know a lot of couples spend a fair amount of time pondering their wedding favours, so I've put together some thoughts and options based on what I've seen, what I've been told and what I think.
Actually, this depends on how far back you want to go and where you're from. The UK and Italy have traditions of giving out little pouches of sugar coated almonds. The amazing Bomboniere by Maria (see linkg below) offers beautifully presented wedding favours, in bags, boxes, all sorts of ways. She's blogged on what the 7 sugared almonds represent, and they are very interesting. Personally, I'm nut averse (allergic to some and avoid the rest just to be safe!) but you can't deny they look amazing. Other countries have traditions that vary from other types of 'tokens' to just a little note; a gift from the couple to say thank you for being there, which is a nice way of looking at it.
Modern times and other influences have led to thinking outside the box. Of course, there's always the option to swap the almonds for other sweet treats: chocolates, mint imperials, Love Hearts, you name it, use your favourite sweet. You can buy plain boxes or chiffon bags, to decorate and fill yourselves from many places including ebay, The Range, Hobbycraft etc and I've seen this done very effectively many times. Not everyone eats sweets or chocolate so these sometimes get left, but there are always other people who love this option best and will take up the leftovers!
I've attended a wedding where the couple gave guests scratch cards for a local hospice, which obviously raised funds and awareness for a local charity that held a lot of meaning for them both, and it was fun to see who won what on our table. Some charities like Cancer Research UK have been offering personalised thank you cards with their logo pin for years and it's another nice way to use your wedding budget as a way to remember and give back. If there's a charity particularly close to your heart who don't offer a pin (or other 'gift') you can always create a little something yourself to let your guests know you've given something on their behalf. Personally, if I was to do my wedding over again this is the way I think I'd go but it's not for everyone. Some guests think it puts a bit of a downer on the event and others secretly admit to being a bit disappointed, but it's your choice.
One of my weddings had an amazingly crafty bride who made her own candle wedding favours. She now offers all sorts of fragrant options that can be used as beautiful hand-made wedding favours, check out the Locks & Roars link below. If you're looking for something a little elegant but also fun, then the fabulous Origami by Russell offers origami good luck cranes and fortune cookies, which are so cute, and the fortune can be tailored to your particular style or taste (he even does Christmas cracker joke style fortunes!). I love this idea as it's very different and the paper used can be in your specific colour scheme or theme. Your baker may also offer bespoke iced cookies, possibly even personalised with the name of the guest so you can use them as table place settings, and if they're well wrapped your guests can chose to save them for later.
The options are endless and really don't have to be restricted to the traditional, any edible items or tokens of thanks will hit the spot with the majority of your guests. The thing is it's soo difficult to please 100% of your guests with whatever you chose, but it's the thought that counts. The act of saying 'thanks for coming' to your guests is really all you're after. If you need any help creating DIY wedding favours to surprise your guests with or just someone to bounce ideas off, get in touch X