- Blog
- Bios
- Boards
- Classifieds
- DIY
- Gallery
- Vendor Reviews
- Shop Weddingbee
Weddingbee boards
I tend to keep programs/invites. And of course, pictures!
dagen3.jpg (4.9 KB, 356 downloads) 3 years old dagen5.jpg (4.9 KB, 229 downloads) 3 years old dagen2.jpg (5.1 KB, 192 downloads) 3 years old dagen4.jpg (37.3 KB, 175 downloads) 3 years old
The weddings I've been to lately have all given out food as a favor - truffles, cookies, candy, honey, spices. Most brides don't give out knick-knacks anymore b/c we know they'll just get tossed at the door. Maybe try your own spice blend - it will at least last longer than chocolate!
We gave out maple syrup in cute little glass bottles and tea in cute little tins. That way it was an edible/"disposable" favor and we didn't get offended if people threw out the containers, but those people that WANTED to have something to keep had a cute little glass bottle and a cute little tin to keep. Just our attempt at compromise. :-)
Hahaha...that's funny, we got a picture frame and a candle as a favor at one wedding. Of course they were really upscale and the candle was made by a local artist but it was funny to see those used as examples. At every other wedding couples gave out candy or no favor at all. And really, you don't even have to have one.
I agree with GreeTeaGuinness on a plant. Depending on when you're . There's a few websites where you can buy pine tree sapplings as favors (giving a gift and helping the environment). I tossed the idea around my family for both and everyone liked them. FI and I ultimately decided to give money to a charity that's near and dear to both of us in the names of our guests and have a few cards on the tables stating thanking the guests for coming and with info on the charity (a smaller size so they can take it with them and look up more info if they wanted).
But I've been to many weddings where I did not receive a favor and never even noticed.
I agree with AlyOMTU regarding the donation or the tree saplings. We are choosing a charity in honor of our guests. I don't know many people who could complain about not recieving a heart shaped letter opener over a charitable contribution.
Dress2.JPG (6.4 KB, 184 downloads) 3 years old Dress1.JPG (11.3 KB, 165 downloads) 3 years old
AmandaRyan, I get the pressure to have "something to keep forever", but honestly I've never seen the point of wedding favors! We are doing a retro photo booth, and guests can take home their film strip if they want. This is a little pricey, but I love it. I couldn't see spending the money and effort on a little box of almonds or some other trinket. A side note, I cleaned out my bachelor father's freezer recently, and wanna know what I found? My aunt's wedding favor from 1997 -- an engraved chocolate bar. Guess some people do keep the edible favors forever!!
IMG_3560.JPG (87.4 KB, 333 downloads) 3 years old IMG_3554.JPG (98.2 KB, 322 downloads) 3 years old IMG_3551.JPG (93.3 KB, 273 downloads) 3 years old IMG_3546.JPG (99.7 KB, 258 downloads) 3 years old
The only favor I've ever kept was a simple green ceramic magnet in the shape of a leaf. I've thrown everything else away.
Headband.jpg (34 KB, 115 downloads) 3 years old 
We gave out mugs and personalized teabags and also had a cupcake centerpiece so at the end of the event, ppl put cupcakes in their mugs. Hers'a pic:
I painstakingly made ornaments and salt favors http://www.weddingbee.com/2007/06/13/favor-cost-breakdown/
and from what I hear, most people took them home and kept/used them.
It used to be that the bride and groom getting married was the favor, but during the 1970's the trinket trend emerged. Wedding magazines and etiquette guides did their best to discourage it, but they ended up having to go with the trend.
We had individual silver ornament boxes filled with Andes mints and Frangos since it was the same ornament box he used to propose to me with. If I didn't have that, I wasn't going to do anything since our caricature artist was entertainment enough.
Thanks everyone. We're already doing donations to alzheimer's society - this would be something in addition to the donation.
Personally I'm against favors for your same reason!
But I have kept wine stoppers..and a small pix frame from a close friends wedding. Oh and a CD made by the couple! Some good songs on that one. I think all the other weddings I've been to were chocolate or something edible. Nothing else stands out in my mind...
Donations are always nice too!
I kept coasters. The couple gave out a set of 4 glass coasters with the word love on them.
I've only kept mugs and photobooth pictures, as well as their invitation and program.
I'm going to be doing mini lucky bamboo plants for my wedding because I too wanted something people can keep. Plus, they are like cactus, very hard to kill. Do you live in LA because I can give you contact info on the vendor I found? The vendor is in downtown LA and I got the best deal! Two 6" bamboo and one 4" bamboo per favor in a jar FULLY ASSEMBLED! for only $2!!!!
i also keep the cds and actually listen to them! i plan to do donations and if budget allows, the photobooth - such a great idea!
My cousin recently got married and they didn't have favors at all. Not even a photo booth or something else that you could take with you. I kept the fan/program, but only because I read at their ceremony.
When some friends of mine got married on New Year's Eve (which was a miserable date because I couldn't bring a guest), their favors were white Christmas ornaments with their names written with a red paint pen. I kept the darn thing, but it was so terribly ugly that I finally pitched a few years ago. They were not like the cute ornaments Mrs. Corn made, those I never would have thrown out.
I hate them as a favor personally (mostly because the design was tacky), but I also still have a pack of matches from a friend's wedding a few years ago. They do come in handy, but I prefer the strike on the box type with a monogram. Very preppy.
010109_002.jpg (46.7 KB, 84 downloads) 3 years old
I don't think i kept any favors, just pictures. for typical vietnamese weddings, when guests arrive, the bride&groom greet them at the door and take pictures with their guests, each guest/group that take a picture gets a numbered ticket corresponding to the order of the pictures for when the pictures get distributed (I haven't seen it done elsewhere). The photog/helper prints these pictures out and put into a "Thank You" card and distribute the pictures to the guests during dinner. Everyone gets to take the picture home after (keep people entertained for a portion of the night while looking at pics)! My mom kept a full album of weddings we've been to through the years.
I will do the same at my wedding (each picture is inserted in a thank you card, saves us on having to send them later), and in addition, my fiance is a huge supporter of nonprofit organizations and regularly make contributions to my mom's charity. It will be a surprise for my mom and in honor of our guests. And so that our other guests don't leave feeling empty handed, we will also have a small favor box filled with five jordan almonds for each of our guests (that costs no more than $0.30/each to put together). We will try to incorporate this as part of our table decorations, so we would be saving a little on decorations too!
Thanks everyone!
I think the CD's are a great idea but our group is so all over the place, that I don't think many people would actually listen to it again. We've tried to choose 'timeless' songs for our dances but they're not songs that I can see any of our friends listening to.
Stressgirl615 - I'm in Canada so LA's a little bit far for me. Plus, I don't want to do anything 'living'. My FH's aunt is a florist so I don't want to take anything away from the floral arrangements she'll be doing.
I think the ornaments are a great idea. My parents have a 'magazine' tree (one that looks like it's out of a magazine - where all the ornaments match) and I MUCH prefer our hodge-pudge tree over theres. But we're getting married in August...plus FH is a gringe who hates Christmas (don't worry, I'm slowly breaking him into loving it! 
)
Lanny, I love the idea of giving each couple a picture right there! I just don't know how we would work that. Our photographer doesn't have the equipment to print pictures right there and I wouldn't want to put a 'guest' in charge of manning a photo station.
Keep the good ideas coming!!
I had the same dilemna while choosing a favor. I feel in love with these bookmarks: http://www.createafavor.com/p-03190.html - we engraved them with L1 - Todd & Jilian L2 - April 28, 2007
My wedding was small. And I did things like not have programs - which allowed me to spend a little extra money in other places. Favors were one of them. I loved these and felt it was something people would actually use! I use mine :)
Be careful! Our caterers started breaking down tables before everyone left - so some people's favors were swept up in the table cloths - along with their name cards. This really pissed me off and I know a couple people who were upset the didn't get to keep theirs. Thank goodness someone had grabbed ours!
I also did matchbooks that I scattered on the tables. They were inexpensive and traditional to me :) We have a ton leftover though! I was supposed to also take them to our reception we had later in my hometown - but forgot - opps!
I keep all wedding invitations and programs. As far as favors - the closer I am to the couple the more likely I am to keep the favor. I'm a packrat though!
If you are still iffy on the ornament thing, our wedding was in early September and it didn't seem to be an issue. But also, our ornament wasn't very Christmas-y.
Your description of the 'magazine' tree made me chuckle :)
I never keep any favors and much prefer the edible route, but my FI likes to feel he got something from the wedding, even though he cannot remember any favor he's ever gotten (well, except for the silver frame that somehow ending up cluttering up MY apartment until I gave it away :-). So, we are debating between luggage tags and travel mugs, because at least they are useful.
3n43pa3o912213c1gb91191f354f4e9fa1454.jpeg (5.9 KB, 102 downloads) 3 years old 3k13ob3lc121146137911bc121ca225f813b9.jpeg (6.5 KB, 97 downloads) 3 years old 3nc3k03p411a1371469113048c95f50fc1422.jpeg (6.6 KB, 89 downloads) 3 years old
i dont' really keep any favors - i think i saw a sandalwood fan laying on the floor somewhere but its not like i use it! recently my mom went to a wedding and brought home a candle favor and i was disappointed because i wanted her to bring home something i could eat! so for my favors i will be giving out chocolate truffles that i'll buy in bulk.
however, one unique favor that i got and really like are these measuring spoons for baking. they're shaped as hearts, and on the front it has the words to some love quote. on the back of the spoons are the measurements (1 tsp, 1/2 tsp, etc). very practical and cute!
'magazine tree' made me laugh too! That's a great description! They are pretty - but soooo not me!! The all gold and red trees. Or silver and blue! BLAH!!
I do have a fake white tree in my foyer that has all pink, lime green, and teal ornaments on it - but it's just for fun! It's probably more tacky than 'magazine'.
My favorite thing about putting up the tree is the story that every ornamant tells. There's so many memories on my real tree! The ornament I made in preschool - the little wooden tree my brother made in 8th grade shop class - I have some ornaments that were my grandmothers - I have some of the 'peanuts' ornaments my dad hand painted for his first Christmas with my mom! We just hung out 'first' first Christmas ornament. My mom got us these little bride and groom pez dispenser ornaments! Now that's classic!
I think ornaments are a great idea for favors. Like someone else said though - just make sure it's done well! I have a sand dollar ornament from my best friends' June wedding. The writing on it was done with one of those metallic markers - and kinda bleed into the sand dollar. I think it's something that could have been super nice - but instead looks like a kid wrote on it. Also ornaments are getting so heavy and hard to hang - so make sure it's light!
We're doing our wedding in the carribean so for the "welcome dinner" we're doing little bottles of rum and hot sauce along with a shot glass as favors. Then for the more formal wedding dinner we're doing CDs with the ceremony music and edible favors. I think that these should all be pretty "keepable" and if they don't keep the CD that's no big deal.
You must log in to post.
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| fivemonthsnotice | 17 |
| ticatica | 14 |
| Mrs. Chai | 11 |
| MrsOliveBird | 11 |
| aussiebee | 11 |
| BellaDee | 11 |
| pinkandsparkly | 10 |
| Lyndzo | 10 |
| LammChop | 8 |
| countrygirl62312 | 8 |
Sorry, there are no users yet.
We've had such an easy time planning our wedding - except for the favors! Neither of us are knick-knacky people and we rarely keep the favors we're given at weddings. Sorry
I don't mean to offend anyone, it's just that we don't have any use for a picture frame or candle, etc. So we were planning on doing edible favors...however, our families are against this and they want something they can keep forever.
So for those of you that throw every favor in the garbage after the wedding, is there any that you've kept? If so, what was it?