Affordable Wedding Favor Ideas

Traditionally, wedding guests are given gifts either at the end of the ceremony or at the reception. Originally, these gifts – known as bonbonnieres – were five sugared almonds wrapped in tulle and tied with a decorative ribbon. The almonds represented good luck and other good wishes for the guest.

Today, the tradition continues but couples are choosing different types of wedding favors as a replacement for those five almonds. While the cost of these favors can add up quickly if you're having a big wedding, the good news is that you can have affordable wedding favors which are still a nice gift for your guests.

One of the most common wedding favors is food. You can go to your local bake shop or confectionery store and purchase molds in a wedding theme – bells, hearts, rings, etc. - then make some candy for your guests. Usually, you can even make the candy in different colors so they match your wedding colors. Another idea is to buy cookie cutters shaped like hearts, then create your own cookies. Of course, you won't want to make them too far in advance. Most bakery stores also sell small decorative sacks which can hold the food items safely, then you can attach some ribbon or pieces of lace to keep the sack shut.

Another idea is to visit a craft area (or go online) to find a place that will make candles or soap in specialized shapes for you. The candles or soaps can be shaped like wedding bells or can be relevant to your wedding theme. Wrap a couple in a piece of tulle and tie it up with a ribbon that matches your wedding colors.

Some of the best wedding favors are practical and come in pairs. For example, you could give each wedding guest a wine/cocktail glass and a recipe for a romantic mixed drink. You'll find plenty of drink recipes with a simple search of the Internet. If you don't want to endorse alcohol drinking, then you could purchase coffee mugs and a small bag of freshly ground coffee for each guest. Drinks aren't the only option here either. You can purchase some small flower pots and packets of flower seeds then give those as wedding favors instead.

If you want to do something really unique, especially if you already have an Asian theme running through your wedding, you could purchase customized fortune cookies. One particular company will print up messages you write then include them in real, edible fortune cookies. The cookies themselves can even be drizzled with chocolate and sprinkles if you want. To pass out the cookies, you can purchase small gift boxes designed to look like Chinese food boxes which are available at many stationery stores.

No matter what type of wedding favors you give to your guests, you'll need to have tags on the gifts. While you can have these printed with the rest of your wedding stationery, you can also create your own. Purchase high quality stationery paper that matches the rest of your theme, then use your own printer to add the message you want – usually your names and the date of the wedding – to the paper. Afterward, you can cut out the messages, use a hole puncher to add a hole to the tag, and thread ribbon or string through the hole. The rest of the ribbon or string can be used to tie the tag onto the gift.

Remember when you're choosing wedding favors it's not how much you spend that matters. What will impress your guests the most is a wedding favor that shows your creativity and that shows you thought of them.

Wedding Stationery Themes

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Your Wedding Stationery Gone Really Wild! | Who says that wedding stationary has to be traditional? The most important part of planning a wedding is to put your personal touches into every last detail. If you want to leave a lasting impression, you should consider being wildly creative with your ideas! Dream Themes - Most unique ...