Paisley's "Do-It-Yourself" Wedding Kit

Paisley's Do-It-Yourself
Wedding Kit - Guest Favours

Yet another item that must be considered within your budget is something that you can't do without. Wedding favours (or bombonniers) are small tokens of your appreciation and gratitude to each guest who attends your wedding. Depending on your type of wedding, your personal style, and your budget, wedding favours vary in cost and size and "ooooh" factor. The best type of wedding favour is one that will remind the guest of the couple and their special day for years to come.

Some examples:
Picture frames (with or without pictures of the wedding couple - get creative)
Small porcelain boxes filled with candy-coated almonds
Tiny bubble-making jars (the guests blow bubbles at you as you leave instead of throwing rice or confetti)
Paper, sheet plastic, or netting containers of goodies tied with gorgeous ribbons or accents
Themed favours (country and western: glass cowboy boots, religious: Precious Moments figurines)
Go for the cheese... T-shirts with 'I survived the Smith-Jones wedding' printed on them, chocolate cigars printed with "It's a wedding!" and your names (instead of "It's a girl!")
Engraved items, such as spoons, keychains, pens, small plates or even ashtrays
A craft or other hand-made object created by a loved one, or you... such as small wreaths, cross-stitch (start 'em early!), hand-painted or wooden crafts
Tiny teacups with spoons wrapped up in netting
Something which describes or represents the love you have for each other... whether it's made of glass, stone, paper, or is organic (like flowers) these favours are great ideas and are sure to bring a smile to each guest's face.

At my wedding, we chose wine glasses as our guest favours, since we would have to supply them anyway for the reception (and our hometown is "Glass Town"). These twisted-stem glasses were each hand-engraved with our first names and our wedding date, and then filled with a purple netting bag of M&M's (our first names both start with M's - some argued it was because we're a little "nuts") which was tied with curling ribbon.

Commonly, each wedding favour is tagged with a small rectagular card which indicates that yes, this is indeed what the guest is to take home as a reminder of such a wonderful day. You can get these cards from the stationary place where you got your invitations (and printed with your names) or at a discount store (without your names). As always, I'd like to stress that these tags don't need to be so boring... get creative! Buy the "plain" tags in a funky, contrasting, or matching color and then sign your names after the salutation with a gold or silver pen. Or put stickers on them. Entwine ribbons, fabric flowers, or anything you like through the tags and/or the favour itself. Heck, you could even print them from your computer if you have the time, the talent, and the know-how.

If you are using those wonderful disposable cameras on each table at the reception (haven't heard about this? ask me) then consider having your Master of Ceremonies make an announcement that yes, the cameras are there for their use... but please leave them on the tables before they leave. At my cousin's wedding, two people actually walked off with some cameras, so it's better to be safe than to assume that guests already know to leave them. As well, have the EmCee point out the wedding favours are there to be enjoyed and kept after the wedding, plus any special meanings behind your chosen favour which might not be too obvious.

These are but a few of millions of suggestions which might be perfect for your wedding. Get as creative or extravagant as you want, but make sure that what you choose is a lasting gift with a touch that is expressly your own.

Do you have a suggestion for a unique wedding favour to add to the ones I've created here? Get in touch and I'll add it. Let me know if you have any questions or found these pages helpful!