Archive

Chicks Getting Hitched: Tokens of your affection

While you may think a magnet or a shot glass plastered with your and your beloved’s faces and your anniversary date is pretty much the cutest thing ever, wedding favors of that genre are likely to end up in your guests’ junk drawers (or trash cans). If you’re going to go to the trouble and expense to provide a party favor at your wedding, why not make it something your friends and family might actually use and possibly cherish? Here are a few ideas for fun and meaningful wedding favors your guests will truly appreciate.

Love in bloom

One of the most popular wedding favors lately is a packet of seeds guests can plant in your honor. Homegrown basil and thyme taste much better than those always-stale candy-coated almonds that make frequent appearances at showers and weddings. You can have the seed packets monogrammed with your initials if you wish, or include a small pot and a mini heart-shaped garden hoe to help your guests get their herb gardens started.

The morning after

If there’s one thing most wedding guests are looking for the morning after a night of drinking and dancing, it’s a good cup of coffee. Send your nearest and dearest home with small bags of gourmet coffee, and they will most definitely thank you in the morning. If you want to personalize the gifts, go ahead and slap a photo of you and your girl on the bags. I personally like these adorable “Perfect Blend” and “Romantic Roast” labels.

Centerpiece turned party favor

Instead of using one plain glass vase for centerpiece flowers, invest in a bunch of unique decorative bud vases that can do double duty as wedding favors. Pick a single color and one type of flower for a streamlined look, or mix it up with colorful vases and a variety of blooms for a more whimsical effect. Be sure to let guests know the vases are theirs to keep when the party is over.

Personalized playlist

For a meaningful and affordable wedding favor, make an old-school mix CD. Choose (non-cheesy) love songs, music by you and your wife’s favorite artists, or a selection of songs you plan to play at the reception. Personalize CD covers with a snapshot of you and your beloved on one of your first dates or choose an image that fits the theme of the music.

Mug shots

Here’s the thing: Even though it’s your wedding, guests probably would rather have photos of themselves. So, instead of photos of you and your lady in heart-shaped frames (a “gift” only your mothers will love), set up an old-fashioned black and white photo booth. As the night goes on, the moments captured in the photo booth are bound to keep getting better. Choose a machine that prints duplicates so your guests can take home a copy and leave one for you. Your friends and family will leave with a photo they will actually display and you’ll have all kinds of fun candid shots from the evening that you otherwise might have missed.

Hometown flavors

If you want to give partygoers an edible treat, skip the generic cookies and candy and opt for local goodies your guests can’t get just anywhere. East Coast brides might give guests saltwater taffy, for example, and Chicago wedding guests would be thrilled to get a bag of popcorn from the city’s famous Garrett Popcorn Shops.

Give a little love

It’s a wedding, it’s about love — everyone gets that. No need to knock guests over the head with aforementioned heart-shaped frames, but I think favors that nod a bit more subtly to the “L word” can be kind of cute. These love bird salt-and-pepper shakers, for instance, are not only romantic, they are practical too.

Message on a bottle

If you absolutely must have a party favor with your photo on it, put it on something your guests will actually use. If you can afford it, personalized bottles of wine are a wedding favor you can be sure won’t end up in the junk drawer. Or, for a more formal wedding, send guests homes with a split of champagne. If hundreds of bottles of wine aren’t in your budget, consider a small bottle of olive oil with a customized label commemorating your big day.

What’s the best favor you’ve ever received at a wedding?

Lesbian Apparel and Accessories Gay All Day sweatshirt -- AE exclusive

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button