Filed under: wedding favor
Wedding favors are such a tricky thing. Nobody wants to waste money on favors that nobody wants and nobody wants to take home useless or ugly favors either. Not trying to be rude, just honest. My daughter will be getting married (in 2008 though) and we are tossing around ideas for favors. Of course, we want to go with something that will be well received by the vast majority of guests. Wht do you all think? What is the best wedding favor you have ever received or heard of?
From my 30 years on this planet I have discovered that the only favor anyone ever likes is an edible one. It doesnt matter what kind of event or what kind of edible, as long as you can eat it people will take it.
to save money when i got married we kept most of the favors to the wedding party and close relatives. we gave them wallet size pics in frames. i have also gotten cute coozies. good luck!
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My husband's favorite gift was a bbq tool set.
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I attended a wedding where the bride's grandma was known for making homemade candy. So she made a little candy for everyone, and that was the favor. The bride explained it, and started crying as she talked about her grandma. It was really cute. And everyone likes something that's edible!
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My finance's brother had these heart shaped frosted cookies in these cute boxes at his wedding… they were great and really cute.
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My cousin had little sachets of wild flower seeds tied with a ribbon and tag that something about growing the flowers would remind you of their growing love and flowers like people grow better with love and care etc etc
They were very cute and probably not horribly expensive. I had mine for a few years but lost it (with countless other things) when I moved.
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I was at a wedding and we got bookmarks. Lots of people read, and if they do just toss them, they're a minor expense. I liked the idea so much, I did the same for my wedding.
I wrote a cute little verse and a thank-you for our guests, and designed them myself. I printed them at Kinko's on thick paper that matched my colors, and I cut them myself at home. I used a decorative scissors on the top and bottom to give it more flair. All in all, I spent about 2 hours and $13 on 150 favors.
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At my cousins wedding they handed out these little bags of gold coins for good luck, that wasn't romantic. Then my other cousin handed out these purple bags of potpourri, that wasn't good either. Usually at weddings people want something that is edible as gifts, because there's something to do with them. There's nothing to do with little bags of potpourri. Good luck hon!
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As a wedding planner, I honestly don't feel favors are necessary anymore. As you said, they have become so useless and almost tacky.
I really think the best favor is no favor at all. You have given your guests a lovely night out and a beautiful evening and favors have a terrible track record of cheapening a classy event. Unless you find something the fits with your wedding theme, don't have favors. No one will ever notice or think twice.
Just think about it.
(I know this answer will be unpopular, I'm fine with myself.)
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a gift card to my fave shop. that's what i got as a fave but it was also a big wedding that cost money if you know what i mean.. but for you try handing out the center pieces off the tables if you paid for them… have numbers under the seats for each guest and by the nights end draw numbs and let them take home a center piece. if that don't work try handing out small gift bags with sample sizes of things you and your husband like.. like bath stuff for the ladies and fishing or golf stuff for the guys what ever your hubby's into or give things out that will give people an idea of the honeymoon spot.. good luck hope this helps
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I've never received a wedding favor. I didn't even know people still did those! Of course, just about every wedding I've been to in the past few years has practically been a shot gun wedding, so maybe my experience isn't the best.
I have heard of a few ideas though that I think would be in good taste and pretty simple. If you are on a budget, you could do little bags of candies. Everybody likes candy (or knows someone who does so they will put it to good use) and you can make nice, pretty little sacks for them out of some toule and ribbon for very cheap. Its something you could get really creative with if you have the time and energy and make something to suit any budget and still be very nice and thoughtful.
I have also heard of companies that will specially make candy bars or other candies with the date of the wedding printed into the chocolate and on the wrapper, things like those. They usually advertise in bridal magazines.
Another good idea is nice pens, perhaps personalized with the wedding date or bride and grooms names or something. Even if the guests hate the looks of the pen, everybody uses pens. I never let a pen go when I acquire one, even if its beat up and gross. If you have the money, get some really nice ones and people will really like them.
Hope these suggestions help!
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I have been to a couple of Weddings and I think my most favorite favor was a CD burned by the couple with their first dance song and other songs that they liked. You don't have to go through a company to do this, they purchased the Cd's and the labels and made them on their home computer. I also received a candle, a frame with my name and table number and the same couple that gave the Cd's also gave a small bottle of wine with their name and wedding date. I have seen some good favors on The Knot web page, it may be worth looking to see if their is anything worth using.
Good luck.
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I gave away laminated book marks, Hersheys chocolate kisses in the silver foil and mini bottles of cider wrapped in tissue and cute ribbon in my colors. I have been to alot weddings and the worst Ifavor ever got was Jordan almonds.The best one was chocolate. So I decided to give chocolate as well cause personally I love chocolate and it tastes great.
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newlywed.
The newly weds would do a walk about once the bar is open, after supper, and hand out small finger size pieces of wedding(fruit)cake., wrapped in saran, and tied with small thin ribbon . The belief is that if a single person sleeps with it under her pillow, she will dream of the man she will marry. Carry them in a decorated wicker basket type carrier with a handle.
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out of all the things we received, the best favor was when she said "I DO"……thats the only thing that counted to me….
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I guess I've never gotten a favor I found useful. Usually it's bubbles with their names on it or something. I got a scroll one time with a tie around it, it had a poem and the bride and groom's names and date of wedding. it was a cute thing to keep but only if you know the people very well. For my wedding, which was outside in the summer (about 90 something degrees outside), i gave personalized bottled water. I figured it would help keep everyone cool and if they wanted to keep it, it had our names and date on it. our theme was daisies so it had a little daisy bouquet and a saying that went with our wedding. from what i heard most people enjoyed it and it was definitely useful
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From my 30 years on this planet I have discovered that the only favor anyone ever likes is an edible one. It doesnt matter what kind of event or what kind of edible, as long as you can eat it people will take it.
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I guess it depends on what time of year you doing it…and itf you had a theme. Like Im having a spring wedding and Sunflower themed…and my favors will be a small pot with soil (with our names and date written on them)…and a small bag of sunflower seeds with a poem attached.
I think if you can comw up with alot of creative ideas along with your theme that people could actually enjoy and want to use.
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I think the best choice would be personalized candy bar wrappers. Just about EVERYONE I know likes chocolate…and those who don't can take them home to someone who does!
Here's an example: http://www.sensationalwrappers.com/Bridal%20Page_12.htm
Search here: http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0oGkk66nstFseIAe26l87UF?ei=UTF-8&fr=slv7-msgr&fr2=sfp&p=custom+candy+wrappers
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I have a couple.
Porcelain ring box that was filled with mints- had that thing forever till I broke it
Small bottle of wine with a heart cork stopper- nice but $$$$
Bottle of Honey- very sweet with their logo on it and lasted me a year!!
I am personally doing candles. Which I have shown people and they love them. Perfect Pears in a bag.
Ones I HATE
CD- come on who likes the same music… and I don't need a copy of the chicken dance.
Cookies or candy- I just had all that food and cake…
Mints- are ok, nothing special
Tea bag- sorry just cheap looking….
Coffee mugs from the dollar store….. ANYTHING from the dollar store…. just looks though less and sloppy.
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I'm not sure that wedding favors are still necessary and I don't believe that anyone will notice if you don't have them. But if you insist, I agree with most everyone that something edible is probably the best idea. Most cookie chops can put a screen print picture of the couple on the cookie. that is a cute idea. Or you can get candy bar wrappers personalized and give out candy bars. Or if you would prefer to do something more simple, little sachets of m&m's are great and if you go to the m&m's website you can order them in the wedding colors!
Good luck and congrats to your daughter!
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These are the favors for my wedding:
http://www.romanticflowers.com/lucky_bamboo_favors.html
Two stalks of lucky bamboo in a clear glass vase w/ glass pebbles in the bottom to anchor the bamboo. We're not doing the "lucky pair" thing, just our monogram and wedding date label, that way guests can peel it off if they don't want it on the vase later. I think the best favors I have received are personalized candy bars, mini bottles of champagne, and one bride gave out these gorgeous silver swans that were sugar servers,,,but those were mega-bucks I'm sure!
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I have learned in my research that something edible is the best thing. No one really wants something that they don't know what to do with. You can use a family cookie recipe or fudge. Or… go to your local candy store and have some made. You can get boxes for the treats personalized or go to Michaels and get the stuff for cheap and make your own.
I also like the bookmark idea.
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I think the best favor I ever received at a wedding was chocolate.
Last year I went to a wedding where we had at our place settings specially made chocolate covered caramels and the bride and grooms initial were on each one (new last name initial). They were in a tiny box. We were only given one but it was classic, simple and elegant. (not to mention delicious), when the young kids at the table across weren't looking, I took their uneaten ones!! Good Luck!!
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The best favor I ever received was a "wedding" cd from the bride and groom. It had a picture of the two of them on the outside and another one on the inside. They picked songs that meant alot to the two of them along with the song played in the wedding and their first dance song. That was five years ago and all of us who attended the wedding still listen to it.
They got a kit that allows you to print CD covers (they put a pic on the front and the songs listed on the back) and one that lets you make the CD labels that stick on the actual CD. I think each kit was about $20-$25. Then just buy blank CDs and pick 8 to 10 songs to download and burn onto the CDs.
All of our friends do it now and we have a collection of several CDs that remind us of the beautiful weddings of each of our friends. Good luck.
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I can't say I have received anything more memorable than mints in pretty boxes. We have only a very small number of guests, less than 20, so we are giving people a bottle of champagne, it's from Berry Brothers who are a lovely wine company in London, their champagne tastes like crisp apples, it's delicious, and we are getting the small bottles, so everyone can have a bottle to take away with them. Any that are left after the reception we will take home with us and drink!!!
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