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How to Plan your Wedding Favors. Wedding Favor Ideas. How to do Wedding Favors. Wedding Planning Advice

As a guest, your friends are doing you a favor by attending. Yes, really. By offering this small token in return you are saying Thank You for coming and bestowing your good fortune to others by spreading the love. Back in 16th century England it was common for couples to give love knots constructed from lace and ribbon to each of their guests as a favor and to represent their bond of love. [Source] Favors have obviously evolved quite a bit since then.

Jordan Almonds, which I’m sure you’ve heard of are one of the most traditional favors beginning back in Italy. It was common practice for couples to gift 5 almonds to each guest with each symbolizing, fertility, health, wealth, happiness and longevity. [Source] I think the symbolism is quite beautiful and might make you rethink offering favors if you thought they were just another expense in your budget.

How to Coordinate Wedding Favors

Perhaps, you’re not into Jordan Almonds, keepsakes with your names and special day on them or simply on a tight budget. Providing favors or miniature gifts to each guest certainly isn’t required of you as a host. However, I think that saying Thank You for coming is…Let’s discuss a few ways that Saying Thank You {favors} might exist in your wedding… and I don’t mean embossing your date on matchbooks…

Some of the Green-Eyed Girl “Money Saving Mantras” actually directly apply to favor planning. Let’s Review our most prominent money saving tips:

1. “Make every purchase fill multiple needs”

2. “Make choices that are sustainable after your wedding”

3. “Go Green and Save GREEN”

Here is what I mean… I will take you through each method for favors consideration and at the end, you can decide if they make the cut. Or, you might already have a plan for favors and you didn’t even know it!

“Make every purchase fill multiple needs”

This one is my favorite, which is probably why it is #1. Go through your Project Blocks. Is there any place where you have a ‘need’ to fill? Let’s think outside the box… Jump to cocktail hour: Guests have to eat right? Make your appetizers your favors by personalizing an edible cookie. Two needs, filled. You need centerpieces, right? Make your centerpiece an edible arrangement of candy that they can also fill a to-go bag from. Want a signature drink? Present it as you favor in a mason jar they can keep with a chalk patch on it. Make your purchase overlap two {or more} Projects to save money and double dip on expenses.

“Make choices that are sustainable after your wedding”

Is there anything you could provide {or already are!} that makes your guests have a more successful wedding experience? Sunglasses for the ceremony? Flip Flops for dancing? Hand fans you were making for programs? These are totally favors.
Plus, guests will actually USE them after your wedding. Here is the kicker… sorry brides but I have to say it… leave your wedding info OFF the favors. People will more likely use them and not just toss them. Sorry again, but your extended guest list probably isn’t as excited about remembering your wedding date as you are. Plus, you’ll likely save money on it without the personalization. There is an exception…

Matchbooks. Especially if you’re doing a firework sparkler exit, matchbooks are an acceptable personalized favor. With these, guests can light their sparkler at the wedding, take them home and use them until they’re gone, then toss them.

“Go Green and Save GREEN”

It may be too late for some to start with this idea but, if you have the time, consider making or growing your own favors. Guests often want something a little more personal from the couple so why not even if you’re ordering the most delectable cupcakes from the best bakery bake a few cookies yourself and wrap them as a favor. Small ingredient purchases can produce big results. There is also very little waste or refuse produced. Nothing is thrown away. Or, my personal favorite, {and what we did at our wedding} plant something in the spring and grow enough of them to hand out to guests, one per household, not person. We grew fir tree saplings at a local nursery and handed them out with tags that read, “Like their love, I too shall grow”. Super easy, super cheap and the earth received another tree!

There are things you DO actually need to provide, just consider tweaking them a bit so they can also be, “here’s a small token of our gratitude that you get to take home” without any added expense. Project Block 5 should probably more accurately be called, “Guest Thank You” instead. It can also ‘live’ anywhere on your wedding layout. Perhaps P5’s are on each ceremony chair {Inside of P4} or they are on each place setting {inside of P21}. On your worksheets just be sure to include “P5” as an ingredient on whichever Project Block location they land in.

For more ideas on Favors visit the Pinterest Board

Previous Assignment: Project Block 4D: Ceremony Music

Next Assignment: Project Block 6: Couple’s Transition

Post Image Credit(s) Roman Studios~Green-Eyed Girl Event Team

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