Now that I've wrapped up our Wedding Favors series, and you've had a chance to look at some different favor options, I have to know:

So now you have some ideas as to which product to pick for your wedding favor, but we haven’t really talked about personalizing them.  Personalizing your wedding, or more specifically your wedding details, is really just putting your stamp or mark on everything.  (If you want to order a custom rubber stamp to literally stamp your wedding details, here's the link to Stampworx 2000.  This company has been featured in a myriad of publications, including Martha Stewart Weddings.)

You can personalize all of your wedding details with your monogram, your names, your wedding date or anything else that represents both of you.  Some families have a family crest, or maybe there’s an icon or symbol you have selected to use on each element.

Since we’ve been talking specifically about wedding favors, here are some ideas on how and where to personalize them:

• Favor tags
• Favor packaging
• Cookies or chocolates shaped in the letter of your last name or the symbol you have selected
• Print your names and/or wedding date on the favor not just the packaging

Click this link to see dozens of personalized wedding favors.

I always recommend using your location as inspiration for your guest room gifts, but your location can also inspire your wedding favor. 

If you’re getting married on or near a beach, there are a myriad of favors that you can find online.  Starfish candles or magnets, miniature-sized beach pails filled with candy, a bag of shells and of course wine stoppers topped with a shell or starfish are just a few of the many products available.

Getting married at a country club?  Handout personalized golf balls or golf tees.  If you (or your fiancé) is a dentist they sell tooth-themed (cavi-)tees at the Dental Museum in Baltimore.

If you’re getting married in a specific location, look for local foods and elements for inspiration.  Getting married in France?  Give each couple a champagne bottle for two.  Having a Las Vegas wedding?  A deck of personalized playing cards or chocolate poker chips are sure to be a huge hit.

If you’re not sure what the city or town is known for just ask your vendors.  You can also turn to the local Chamber of Commerce for ideas.   

 

The white chocolate shells featured here are from ChocolateFantasies.com. The company sells a variety of shell shapes and colors, including: dark and milk chocolate, marbled (as seen here with white chocolate), pink and mint green. Package them in favor bags or boxes or adorn your wedding cake or dessert plate with them.

Between the program, seating card and wedding favors, (not to mention menu cards, table numbers and place cards), you could spend a lot of your budget and time on personalized touches.

While no element is mandatory – except maybe seating cards, but I’ve been to weddings where a waiter stands at the door and tells you which table to go to – there are ways to cut costs while still having all of the details you want.  How?  By combining the pieces. There are a variety of ways to combine the different elements, and here are some ideas:

• Program and seating card
• Menu card and place card
• Menu card and table number
• Program and menu – I’ve seen couples print the menu in the back of the program

And pretty much everything can be combined with your wedding favor: 

• Program: You can print your program on a fan or print information regarding a charitable donation on one of the pages
• Seating card: Print or write seating information on the packaging of the favor
• The same idea works for place cards
• Centerpiece: You can create a centerpiece that comes apart and each person takes an element with them
• Entertainment:  In addition to music, couples are renting photo booths and creating craft tables to entertain their guests and also give them a keepsake from the wedding
• Dessert: Instead of serving a dessert course with your wedding cake, treat guests to cupcakes, mini-pies, cookies or candy.  Arrange for boxed items to be available for guests as they leave or set-up a bar for guests to make their own goody bag.

 

 

 

 

Many brides and grooms select a wedding theme to help them coordinate all the details of their wedding.  You don’t have to have a theme, but if you find that all of the elements you’re selecting for your wedding don’t really compliment each other, a theme will help you coordinate all of them.  A favor is a simple way to bring your theme into the details of your wedding.

 

When deciding on a favor that has the look and feel of your theme, think about the other elements you have already selected.  Could you incorporate your wedding flowers into your favor?  How about your wedding’s color palette? 

 

Remember to keep your budget in mind when selecting your favors, and think about what your guests will like as much as you do.  A fan may be appropriate for a summer, garden or Asian-themed wedding.  If it fits the theme, and the weather is hot, guests can use them to cool off.  Another idea is a wine stopper, which would fit a vineyard wedding theme, and is definitely something guests can use at home.

 

The images above are themed wedding favors I found while searching beau-coup.com.

 

 

Coming tomorrow:  Combining wedding details

My grandmother’s friend went to a wedding a few months ago for her nephew, and gave grandma the favor for me to see.  The bride’s parents were Mexican and the groom was Jewish.  They decided to make their wedding a marriage of cultures. The music, the food, the drinks—everything had the couple’s mark on it. 

 

The favor was a set of two CDs - the first had 20 Mexican songs, and the second, 20 American standards.  I’m sure after leaving the wedding many guests put the CDs on in their cars to listen to the songs the couple selected.  It was the first thing I did when Grammy gave them to me.  I downloaded them on to my computer, and now they’re on my iPod.

 

Creating a CD as a favor can be a lot of fun, but also stressful.  First both of you have to agree to the songs you pick.  And while this couple decided to give out two discs, one is perfectly fine.  A lot of couple’s choose romantic love songs, but you can choose anything you want.

 

If you hired a klezmer or other ethnic band for your wedding, you can make a CD of their songs.  If the two of you have a favorite singer or band, make a CD of just their songs, or pick songs that reflect your theme.

 

After you’ve selected the music, think about how you want to package the disc or discs.  I highly recommend making a label for the CD so your guests know what it is.  Remember, today CDs are used for video and computer file storage as well as music.

 

The three CD labels featured above are from MyOwnLabels.com.  They make everything from  stickered labels for CDs, boxes and bags to labels for wine and water bottles to favor tags and coasters.

 

There are dozens of templates to choose from, or you can customize your own labels.

 

Coming tomorrow:  Favors that match your theme

Finding the right wedding favor is not as easy as you may think.  You want something that your guests will appreciate, something affordable and most importantly, something that will fit the look and feel (theme) of your wedding.  You can choose a favor that can be personalized or one just for fun.  At some recent weddings I’ve attended, I’ve received small picture frames, cookies, charitable donations and CDs as favors. 

 

One of my most favorite wedding favor sites is beau-coup.com.  They have a great selection of favors in dozens of categories, including: edible, theme and seasonal.  They also carry a variety of creative packaging ideas.

 

Since wedding favors are such an integral part of putting your personal stamp on your wedding, I thought I’d feature a variety of wedding favors this week.

 

Here’s one of my favorites: Personalized Cake Cookies

 

I’m a huge fan of edible favors.  It’s the perfect ending to your wedding – a sweet treat for guests to enjoy on the way home.  These cake-shaped cookies are available in 9 colors/flower combinations.  You can also print your names, wedding date or monogram on them.

 

Either package them in glassine bags with a pretty ribbon, or set them out with pretty cocktail napkins and let guests take them as they walk out the door.  You can also use them as seating or place cards. 

 

Available in two sizes, with a minimum order of 24 in either size.  Priced at $3.95 or $5.95.

 

 

 

Coming tomorrow:  Musical favors

Are you familiar with the online wedding shop, Estilo Weddings?

 

They carry a variety of wedding accessories, including: favors, paper accessories, fashion accessories, ceremony accessories and a great line of products for showers.  One of my favorite features is their Get Inspired section, featuring ideas for four different wedding styles: Classic, Modern, Global and Organic.

 

 

I came across the site because I was looking for a store that sold fancy cupcake liners and they have a variety of styles.  Some even coordinate with themes – beach, garden or butterfly, stars and palm trees.

 

I just loved these liners and thought they would be great for a shower, or a wedding if you were serving cupcakes instead of a wedding cake.  The liners are sold in packs of 12 for $12 or packs of 50 for $46.

I’m sure you’ve seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding. It was on cable the other night, and I just think it’s hysterical. I’m sure almost all brides can relate to the family dynamic. While you are probably not going to order a dress that you think makes you look like a “snow beast” there is an important planning lesson you can learn from the movie.

Adding cultural and religious traditions to your wedding ceremony and reception can add to the beauty of your wedding day. Talk to your parents and grandparents about what they did at their wedding, or cultural customs that they are aware of that you can add to your plans. Your wedding officiant can also help you discover beautiful traditions you may have never even heard of.

There are traditions for both the ceremony — prayers, readings, vows — and reception — cultural music, dances, special foods. I found a list of traditions for over a dozen different cultures on one of my favorite wedding favor websites, Beaucoup. But Google your own cultural or religious background with the word “wedding” and I’m sure you’ll find hundreds of sites with great ideas.

If you come across any traditions or customs post them here and share them with fellow brides-to-be!

Sorry for the delayed post, but Dave and I went to Boston for a long weekend.

While in Beantown we decided to enjoy the local fare and shops that we don't have access to in New York, and it got me thinking about weddings in cities known for specific foods and interests.

Whether you're getting married at home or a destination, you may be planning to create a guestroom gift for out of town guests. When building you goody bag, include items that are from the area, giving your family and friends a taste of the location and a look at some of the reasons this place is special to the two of you.

So for a wedding in New England or Boston, you may want to include something to do with the Red Sox or an item relating to lobsters or lighthouses.

A guestroom gift for a wedding in Chicago may include Wrigley gum, in San Francisco – Ghirardelli chocolates, Starbucks or Seattle’s Best coffee in Seattle.

I’m sure that you can find many classic items related to your wedding location. If you’re not sure, Google the city’s name and read up on its history or ask the local chamber of Commerce for ideas.

At the Fancy Food show a few weeks ago I stopped by a booth selling breathe mints. But the interesting thing about these mints, were the cases they were in. Each one had a mirror so that you can discreetly check to see if you have food between your teeth as well as put your lipstick on evenly.

The cases come in different designs so you can pick one that matches your personality, or your friends.

Add a few to your wedding day emergency kit, guestroom gift, or pass them out to your bridesmaids as a token item that they can use at the wedding and beyond. They'd also make a cute shower favor.

Speaking of bridesmaids, what gifts are you giving your girls?

I love receiving an edible favor or food in a guest room gift. At my own wedding, I gave guests chocolate stars as they checked in to the hotel (our theme was a crescent moon and stars) and along with a charitable donation, they were treated to Good Humor ice cream as they left the wedding.

If you're looking to give your family and friends something to snack on before or after the wedding, visit the Harvard Sweet Boutique online. Owner and baker Susan George bakes the most delicious desserts including, brownies, bars, cookies and toffee. And she ships nationwide.

I'm partial to the Miniature Collection, where guests receive mini versions of some of her most popular cookies.