Creative Wedding Favors & Ideas

I have been in the wedding business for a long time and just want to share some unique ideas I have come across for wedding favors.

Cameras

Probably most of us have been to a wedding and have seen this idea. Make sure you put a couple of disposable cameras on every table to allow your guests to take candid shots of the events unfolding. Many memorable snapshots are captured by the people actually living your wedding. It makes a magical time for the couple once they get time to develop the film. Have somebody take pictures of the receiving line with each invitee or invitees getting a snapshot with the Bride and Groom. A majority of the guests don’t have the opportunity to get in the “Family Pictures”. When you send off your thank you cards, enclose a copy of the two of you with your unique guests.

Dancing

Provide a basket of assorted sized flip flops for the women to get out of their high heels and get down to dancing. They will thank you later for the gesture. Have your guests buy a shot to dance with the bride.

The Gift Table

One of the neatest things I have ever seen at the gift table was a silver serving tray with an engraving pen. As the guests leave their wedding presents they engrave their signatures in the tray. It leaves the couple with an ever lasting memento.

Gift Baskets

Provide your out of town guests with a gift basket to make them feel more comfortable while on the road for your wedding. Travel guides from the area, wines, liquors, cheeses and such can make them feel more comfortable in their hotel room.

Center Pieces

A list of notable center pieces I have seen over the years:

-A mini Christmas Tree… You can get them through your local nursery and your guests take them home and plant them. This could work for any kind of plant or tree with the theme or time of year of your wedding.

-Personalized playing cards.

-A gift of flavored olive oil and balsamic vinegar. This is a very nice gift and your friends and family get to remember your event for weeks/ months to come. Crate and Barrel or the Crushed Olive are good websites for this gift.

-A nice set of candles for each guest.

-A live fish bowl. Believe it or not, I have seen this as a center piece. It does require alot of preparation and work, but it was a big hit. This is not recommended for a wedding with many out of towners, but the logistics are not that bad. Tetras or goldfish work best. Make sure you get a 10 gallon aquarium set up at the location. After a few hours, transfer the fish back to the aquarium and let your guests choose if they want to take their little friends with them. Ask the pet shop to provide “fish bags” for the health of the animal during travel.

-A homemade BBQ sauce or such. Anything that the couple is known to produce can be meaningful for their guests. Your local print shop can provide labels for the jars.