Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Choosing Perfect Wedding Favors

Every bride hopes that their choice of wedding favors will give their guests a charming moment of their wedding day. These little gifts are meant as a token of appreciation for each guest for joining the bride & groom on their special day.

The tradition of giving wedding favors stretches back many centuries, when wealthy European aristocrats would give each of their wedding guests a small decorative box filled with sugared almonds or sugar cubes. Sugar was considered a delicacy in those times as it was an expensive commodity only afforded by the rich.

Today sugar cubes have been replaced with ever more elaborate & creative objects, from the edible to the useful. The choice of wedding favors on the market can give brides a headache when it comes to finding the perfect favor.

If you are struggling with your choice of wedding favor here are some of the more common favors chosen by brides:

If you want favors which are simple & hassle free to buy then choose small decorative objects. These can range from paperweights, candle holders & mini picture frames.

For practical wedding favors look for bottle stoppers, mini kitchen utensils, coasters & bookmarks. Often these come ready packaged in pretty wrappings & boxes, ready for you to add a thank you tag. A practical favor will give your guest something useful whilst giving them a reminder of your wedding every time they use it!

For something more whimsical look at fun favors like party poppers, bubbles, bells & even lottery tickets. Whilst many maybe short lived, they will give your guests some fun & laughter during the wedding reception.

Edible wedding favors can never fail to impress. Cookies & chocolates are by far the most popular choices, but other options include personalized bags of candy, mini cakes & savory items such as hot sauce. Coffee & tea favors are stylish choices & look lovely teamed with silver infusers & mini cups & saucers.

Going green is another trend hitting weddings & green wedding favors are both delightful & environmentally friendly. Choices range from items made with recycled materials, fair trade goods such as coffee, tea & chocolate & even tree seedlings which you guests can take home & plant in their gardens.

You will also find wedding favors that will tie in with the season of your wedding. For example snowflake candle holders or leaf shaped bottle stoppers.

Whatever your budget you will find wedding favors to fit. They don’t need to be expensive items, they just need to get across your message of thanks to your guests. The wedding favor is only a small part of your day & whatever your choice it would be nice to think that each your guest comes across it at home, they will smile at the memory of your wedding day.

If it is really important to you that your guests treasure their wedding favors long after the event, then you will need to put some careful thought into your choices. Things to consider will be the nature of the wedding – formal or casual, small & intimate or large & traditional; & what your guests would appreciate. Don’t try to buy individual gifts for each guest, unless you are having a very small wedding with only a few guests who are very close to you. You will just drive yourself mad trying to guess what would suit them best.

My advice would be choosing something useful, decorative or practical. For instance a pretty paperweight is both useful & decorative, likewise a stylish photo frame. If you can’t find or even decide on a useful favor then go for something edible. These are quick & easy to put together & never fail to delight. Don’t forget to choose something for any children who might be invited. They are unlikely to appreciate a paperweight, but would be delighted with a cookie!

Mae Andrea is the article writer of 1weddingsource.com, today’s leading wedding social networking planning site. 1WeddingSource is a nationwide wedding directory of wedding vendors connecting brides from almost every major center in America.

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