Showing posts with label wedding favor ideas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wedding favor ideas. Show all posts

The Wedding Souvenir You Never Knew You Needed

There are two things a party always has, it seems: people and drinks. You don’t always have decorations or gifts or even food, but there is always something to drink and always someone there to drink it. 

At weddings, it is customary to give your guests favors. If this is something you plan on doing, then you know for certain you will need people, drinks, and gifts for those people. Favors are the trickiest factor in that equation and can be a difficult choice for a bride and groom. Food is common because it is easy and it is cheap. But do you know if any of your guests have allergies? Are they vegan? What about their plus 1? And what happens to the personalized wrappers after the food is eaten? They get thrown away and the favor you put so much time and energy into is soon forgotten.

Longer-lasting favors are difficult, too, though. It’s hard to find something that everyone will like. Plants and seeds are popular favors, but not everyone likes gardening, and some of the people who do (like me) can’t keep a plant alive no matter what. Matches are a classic favor too, but just like the food, eventually they’ll be used up and the container will be thrown away. Not to mention favors like these can be expensive. Beyond these, the long-term favors get expensive. If there’s room in your budget, you can definitely figure out a very thoughtful, useful, and memorable favor.

For those who have a smaller budget or just want to be frugal and/or practical, there are other options! My family started using these personalized cups at all of our events a few years ago—birthdays, anniversary parties, graduation parties, and so on. We get compliments on them every time. With all the different styles and options to personalize text, font, and images/designs, your cups will be unique and useful – a beautiful combination. Not to mention there is a whole range of styles to choose from, so whether your wedding reception involves a bonfire in your backyard (maybe you need a classic solo cup!) or an upscale soiree at The Biltmore Estate (pilsner glass, anyone?), you’ll find a cup to match.


Source: Solo Cups, Plastic Pilsner Glasses

You can design your cups basically however you want them. If you order in smaller quantities, you can get multile designs so your guests can pick their favorite. These frosted plastic cups are especially cute for summer weddings. If you’re serving hot drinks, you can get Styrofoam cups, too.

Source: Frosted Plastic Cups

If you love the personalized cups but for whatever reason, they’re not practical for general use at your wedding, consider using these champagne flutes just for the toasts!

These small, clear cups are perfect for a signature food item - such as an hors d'oeuvre or a dessert!  They come in different sizes, so you can even pick your serving size. Plus, they double as a carrying container, so if you put a dessert in them, your guests can take a second cup home (if there’s any left over!)

If you think a cup doesn’t feel like enough of a favor, you can add goodie bags of candies or chocolates inside them, or baggies of plant seeds, or another small favor you’d had on your mind. You could make a miniature gift basket in them. For the adults, a small liquor bottle and a piece of chocolate. For the kids, a bottle of bubbles and a glow stick. 







Whether you just can’t decide on a souvenir for your guests, are sticking to a strict budget, or love to be frugal, these cups are the perfect addition to your wedding. Give your guests a gift they can use to celebrate your wedding for years to come. You, too, can save any leftover cups for a toast on your anniversary.



Cheers!





Elizabeth graduated from The University of Findlay with a Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Writing. She now resides in Portland, Oregon where she is employed in the real estate business and is particularly enjoying the local cuisine. As a writer, Elizabeth believes in a quote from one of her favorite TV shows: "We have only two jobs on this Earth. The first: to learn. The second: to cope." A deep desire to learn struck Elizabeth when she was young, and now she hopes to help you cope by sharing information, and helping you apply the knowledge. Weddings and event planning can be overwhelming; sometimes it's okay to take a little advice from a stranger on the internet.

DIY Conversation Starters Your Guests Will Love

Can I just say that I am simply in awe of the fabulous DIY wedding ideas that brides are coming up with these days.  Brides unite and keep the ideas coming because there is definitely power in numbers.  You will be well on your way to a fabulous wedding if these trends keep up the way they are (and believe me...they will only get better).  That being said, I had to share some of these ultra-creative guest ideas with our readers.  These 3 creative DIY wedding additions are sure to keep your guests entertained all night long and are the perfect conversation starters.

1) Pop Quiz...
Guest questionnaires about the bride and groom
Questionnaires about the bride and groom are a great way to include your guests in your wedding day and give them a way to interact with your other guests.  Include questions about you and your fiance in the form of a pop quiz, word search, crossword, table number, etc.  One couple took their "school themed wedding" to a whole new level by giving guests a pop quiz with a list of multiple choice questions (shown above left).  After the wedding, the couple mailed the graded test scores with their thank you cards.  Images courtesy of Martha Stewart Weddings and lasvegas-weddingfavors.com.

2) Photo booth guest books...
Photo booth wedding guest books
Vamp up the traditional wedding guest book by creating a photo booth scrapbook.  To pull this off, designate a friend or family member to take pictures of guests as they enter your reception and another to print the photos.  You can also have a photo booth set up with props for guests to take their own fun photo strips.  Guests can then insert their photos into your scrapbook and write special wedding wishes and words of wisdom to the bride and groom next to their photos.  Afterwards, as a special thank you, include copies of the photos in with your thank you cards.  Images courtesy of indiebride and Martha Stewart Weddings.

3) Personal Place Cards...
Personal place cards courtesy of Greg Lumley
Make your guests feel special and keep them entertained all night long by turning your place cards into personal name tags.  For each guest, create a place card/name tag using a photo that truly captures their personality.  Using some sort of image editing software (like Adobe Photoshop), insert each guest's name onto their personal photo place card.  Take your place cards to a local print shop and have them laminated.  Add a paper clip to each place card and now your guests will have a name card they can display all night long.  This ultra-creative idea will have your guests laughing and interacting with each other because they will all be curious about each persons "meaning".  While this idea will take some time and planning it is well worth the effort and will make your guests feel truly special.  This adorable idea is courtesy of the fabulous photographer Greg Lumley and his now wife Tiffany.  To learn more about their inspiration and to see more photos, visit greglumley.com.

Happy Planning!

Allie
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