I hadnt decided on the vessel yet, but i was definitely thinking Candy bar. I'm debating on maybe a stemless wine glass type vessel with either a related design or our names with a note to let guests know to fill it with candy on their way out.
I don't think favors are a big deal, I haven't been completely blown away by any. One cute one was the charitable donation- the couple asked for pictures of pets- and they made a big collage of all of the pets with a little sign explaining that they made a donation to the SPCA in our honor.
I'm still playing with the idea of favors because we are just taking all of our guests (20 max) out to dinner at a restaurant following the ceremony at a local park. So while I want to do favors I haven't figured out how to distribute/present them nicely given that we aren't going to have a traditional reception setup that could be decorated prior to arrival, etc...
I love to cook so if we do favors my plan is to make a small jar of jam and possibly a small jar of honey from a local farm along with a couple of homemade buttermilk biscuits for each of the guests. Most of our guests will be from out of town so I thought it could do double duty of yummy treat and easy breakfast in their hotel rooms if it lasted that long.
as a wedding officiate and live dove release provider I attend dozens of weddings every year from the most lavish to the most modest and I assure you that the guest favors are the very least aspects of any wedding I've attended. However, having said that, the most favorable favors are those that have a practical purpose or are extremely personal. The photo booth is always a huge hit as everyone at the reception from the youngest members to the older folks have a great time, its a fantastic way to fill in the dead space while everyone is waiting on the after ceremony photos to be taken and the neat part is the bride has a wonderful keepsake because generally she'll receive a copy of every photo taken and all of her guests get a copy of their personal photo as well. And no, I don't rent photo booths! Edible treats are fantastic as are useful items like flip flops at a beach wedding, a home brew of some sort, or a neat little souvenir such as a picture frame with a photo of the bride and groom. Skip elaborate programs- you venue will be littered with the cast-offs: disposable cameras - no on ever gets them developed: fragile little dried flowers, sea shells etc.-they get broken in the luggage. Better yet spend the money on an open bar, a better DJ, an extra appetizer. And while all those extras like chair bows, glitter, smoke machine, etc, look nice in theory, no one remembers them but a fantastic signature drink, bountiful amounts of great food, terrific music that everyone can enjoy, and a fully developed décor that delivers a lot of bang for the buck even if it id concentrated in only as few areas.
The favours I most remember, and liked best were charity donations - the couple had carefully chosen a number of charities, and tailored the charity to the guest; so people they knew from sailing got RNLI donations, people who had been to school/university with them got ones from a book and reading charity, and the ones they worked with (they're both in healthcare) got cancer research ones. It was lovely to ask others what they got; and stated conversations, as everyone wanted to know the connections. I'm thinking if doing something similar myself, but have to work out what to best give who!
How exactly is this a favor to the guest? If you want to donate to a charity, that's great! But a couple should do it privately, not as a public show of how awesome they are.
My fiancé and I are thinking about providing Koozies for our guests as a favor. If anyone would give a friendly response regarding this idea, then that would be fantastic.
My fiancé and I are thinking about providing Koozies for our guests as a favor. If anyone would give a friendly response regarding this idea, then that would be fantastic.
H and I went to a wedding where they gave out Koozies. Guess what we did with them? They went straight into our junk drawer until about a week ago when I had to clean it out because it was ridiculously messy. Then those same Koozies went into the trash.
Guests really prefer edible/drinkable favors. When you give them trinkets or anything similar then your guests have to find a use for them or find a place to put them or else then end in the trash along with the money you spent on them.
Finally, it is not a good idea to tell others how to respond to your posts. We are all adults and we will respond how we want without the need for guidance.
My fiancé and I are thinking about providing Koozies for our guests as a favor. If anyone would give a friendly response regarding this idea, then that would be fantastic.
I would take it home and put it in the trash. We don't use koozies, and we try our best to keep to keep clutter reduced to a minimum in our house. I love edible favors though!
@faubrin where did you get the CD covers? I have seen some cute ones and if we do favors at all that's probably what we'll do since our wedding has kind of taken on a life of its own and is turning sort of music themed.
Otherwise, yeah I don't see the point in favors. Either it's a trinket they don't want or it's food or drink (which you just spent a shitton on making sure everybody got awesome food and booze, right?).
I'm really glad that I found this thread. We have a bit of a tight budget, so I'm trying to find out what is really ok to cut. Now I feel like I can cut the favors if we really need to cut something else!
Re: How much do favors really matter?
I love to cook so if we do favors my plan is to make a small jar of jam and possibly a small jar of honey from a local farm along with a couple of homemade buttermilk biscuits for each of the guests. Most of our guests will be from out of town so I thought it could do double duty of yummy treat and easy breakfast in their hotel rooms if it lasted that long.
as a wedding officiate and live dove release provider I attend dozens of weddings every year from the most lavish to the most modest and I assure you that the guest favors are the very least aspects of any wedding I've attended. However, having said that, the most favorable favors are those that have a practical purpose or are extremely personal. The photo booth is always a huge hit as everyone at the reception from the youngest members to the older folks have a great time, its a fantastic way to fill in the dead space while everyone is waiting on the after ceremony photos to be taken and the neat part is the bride has a wonderful keepsake because generally she'll receive a copy of every photo taken and all of her guests get a copy of their personal photo as well. And no, I don't rent photo booths! Edible treats are fantastic as are useful items like flip flops at a beach wedding, a home brew of some sort, or a neat little souvenir such as a picture frame with a photo of the bride and groom. Skip elaborate programs- you venue will be littered with the cast-offs: disposable cameras - no on ever gets them developed: fragile little dried flowers, sea shells etc.-they get broken in the luggage. Better yet spend the money on an open bar, a better DJ, an extra appetizer. And while all those extras like chair bows, glitter, smoke machine, etc, look nice in theory, no one remembers them but a fantastic signature drink, bountiful amounts of great food, terrific music that everyone can enjoy, and a fully developed décor that delivers a lot of bang for the buck even if it id concentrated in only as few areas.