Memorable Wedding Favors & Keepsakes

While there is no rule that you have to gift your guests, many couples like to send loved ones home with a memento of their day. But there are good favors and there are those that just end up collecting dust and are soon dispatched to the nearest thrift store. But with a little foresight you can avoid the shock of encountering two dozen of your thoughtfully-designed James ‘n’ Ellen 4-Ever champagne glasses languishing on a shelf at the local Salvation Army.

Typical favors can be roughly broken down into two categories: those that are meant to be used or consumed and those intended to last. When choosing favors within either category, your first consideration should be their portability for travelers. Airlines now have strict rules about carrying food and liquid items onto planes, so, bottles of custom-label wine or vats of local honey are not likely to make it back to Nebraska with Aunt Patty. Similarly, anything fragile, such as your champagne glasses, will either be left behind or likely to leave a mess of broken glass in the bottom of guests’ suitcases.

Consumable Favors

Favors that are intended to be used and savored are great for many reasons. First, unlike monogrammed tchotchkes, they are likely to be enjoyed by your guests, rather than ending up in the donation box. Second, they offer a great opportunity to take advantage of local vendors and artisans, and to send your guests home with a little bit of the local flavor with which you’ve infused your whole wedding day. Finally, they can be an environmentally-friendly way to supply organic products that will actually be consumed.
Just remember to keep any liquids to small bottles – preferably plastic – for easy packing.

Some ideas:

• artisanal chocolates or other small-scale confections
• local honeys or syrups
• soaps or candles
• jars or packets of spices with a regional recipe included (jambalaya, chili con carne, clam chowder, etc.)
• locally-made bath products, such as lotions or bath salts

Forever-After Mementoes

Some couples prefer to send guests home with a favor that will last forever and be an everlasting reminder of their fabulous wedding day. As the aforementioned champagne glasses illustrate, however, it pays to be realistic about what you expect your guests to keep and display.

A beautiful frame containing a picture of the two of you and engraved with your initials or wedding date will quickly be replaced with someone else’s. (Well, your mother will keep it and possibly your sister, if she really, really loves you). But a beautiful frame engraved with just your wedding logo, or without any personal marking at all, can be filled with whatever pictures your guests wish, and is much more likely to live forever on their bookshelves and serve as a subtle reminder of your day.

Think about your wedding theme. Are you getting married at the beach? In a ballroom? Is it Christmastime? Near Halloween? Go wild with theme favors for a truly memorable memento.

Some ideas:

• a pretty votive candle
• small notepad and pencil with your wedding logo
• paperweight with a thought-provoking quotation
• antique silver spoon or other kitchen implement (they don’t have to match)
• for a beach wedding, an inflatable beach ball or paddle game
• for a Christmastime wedding, holiday cookie cutters tied with red and green ribbon
• for a destination wedding, luggage tags, passport holder or travel diary
• for a fancy hotel ballroom reception, a mini cocktail shaker and/or bar tools

Think both practically and creatively for wedding favors that will make a real and lasting impression. The best advice might be to think about what you would like to receive and be likely to keep. The James ‘n’ Ellen 4-Ever champagne glass…? We thought not.