Saturday, October 6, 2012
Thinking About The Gifts For The Bridal Party And Parents Of The Bride And Groom
If you have ever planned a wedding, you know that wedding planning could be a massive nightmare without the help of family and friends. These close people who offer you advice when choosing your wedding gown, help you assemble your wedding favors, and lend a sympathetic ear when the stress gets to be too much are by your side your support group. Show your loved ones how much their help has meant to you by presenting them with a thoughtful gift as a token of your appreciation.
Here are some unique (and affordable) gift ideas for everyone from your parents and in-laws to your bridal party:
His or Her Parents
No matter how involved they have been, make your future in-laws feel special by giving them something memorable and unique to them. If your in-laws are wine connoisseurs, give them a bottle from their favorite vineyard along with a handwritten card. If you know that your future dad is into outdoorsy activities, you could give him an engraved swiss army knife. Likewise your future mother in-law might appreciate a scrapbook filled with pictures of a special event. Get creative and if all else fails, ask your future spouse what they like to do and you might get some good ideas on a great gift.Your Own Parents
Your parents have probably been just as stressed with wedding planning as you've been. Aside from that, they might have to get used to the fact that they will probably have less time to see you on an individual basis. With that in mind, give your parents a night (or two) to spend with you doing something you all love without any wedding talk, whether it's playing a rousing game of scrabble or taking in a baseball game. Write them a heartfelt letter telling them how much you care about them and how much their help has meant to you and present it along with a picture of you and your parents at the end of your familial date. It's a great way to remind your family that you will always be around, even if you'll be officially married shortly.Your Flower Girl or Ring Bearer
Since little girls and little boys have the tendency to lose things, give them their own personalized candy jars with some jelly beans or chocolate inside. If you know their favorite color, you could even get the candy in all pink or blue. When the candy is finished, the kids can then use the containers for their small toys.Your Bridesmaids
As the saying goes, "Diamonds are a girl's best friend." In this case, present your best girls with an affordable, yet worthy substitute. Swarovski crystal bracelets would make great bridesmaid gifts because most "girls" love jewelry and they are versatile enough to be worn for both the wedding and any other special occasion.The great thing about choosing Swarovski crystals as bridal party gifts is that they come in a variety of colors, so you can pick the best color for each girl and truly make them unique.Along another line, you could also get your girls something that fits into their lifestyles. For example, if they like yoga, get them some personalized yoga mats or bags. For the bookworm, get her a first edition copy of her favorite book, or a novel you think she might enjoy, along with a personalized bookmark.Your Groomsmen or Best Man
When choosing groomsmen gifts, be sure to keep their lifestyles in mind. Engraved cufflinks are perfect for the young professional and are probably something that he would never buy for himself. Your fiance's college buddy would probably love to have some personalized pilsner glasses and for the beer aficionado you could subscribe him to a beer of the month club or something similar.Your Maid or Matron of Honor
Your maid or matron of honor has probably seen you through some of the toughest times in life, as well as throughout the planning process. When choosing her gift, make sure it's something extra special and that conveys just how much her help has meant to you.If you're a crafty bride-to-be, assemble a scrapbook filled with pictures, letters, and tickets from your good times together. You might consider planning a weekend for you both to indulge in some best girl time, such as a trip to the spa or even something adventurous like some snowboarding lessons. If you're on a tight budget, get her a little keepsake that references a great shared memory and give it to her after some bonding time over movies and wine.
Whatever you pick for your bridal party, remember that it's the thought that counts. You don't have to buy designer products to truly show everyone how much they ha
What Else Can We Do With Wedding Favors?
After attending numerous weddings, your placement spots are probably filled to the brim with all the wedding favors and other wedding souvenirs you've collected of the years!
When cleaning out, you may be consider throwing out some of these mementos, but many times, your old wedding favors gifts can be converted or reused as something totally different. With some creativity and some fresh wedding ideas, you can find several new uses for them.
Wondering What to Do with All Those Wedding Favors?
Bring new life to your wedding memorabilia with these useful wedding favor ideas:
- Put your wedding place cards into a scrapbook along with pictures of your friends' past weddings.
- Turn your old place cards into labels for other belongings or as a bookmark for your organizer or latest read.
Bring a New Scent to Candles and Soaps
Many of the candle wedding favors are too small to use as a centerpiece for your home decor, but if you hide them strategically around your room or bathroom, they can give your living areas a subtle fragrance. You can also put scented candles or personalized soaps that you have yet to use into your dresser drawer to leave your clothes smelling sweet.
Another option is to actually use the items as they were meant to. Create a DIY home spa and light some of your scented candles for a relaxing atmosphere.
Unscented candles can also be grouped together to create a centerpiece for dinner parties and smaller candles can be placed in tea light holders for a whole new look.
Let Them Hang Around!
Keychains and charms can be reused in several ways. You can remove the personalized tag and use them by themselves. You can also customize them to become a bracelet or necklace pendant. You can also add them to your phone as a phone charm or a cute way to decorate your bicycle basket or car rearview mirror.
Be resourceful—these things could worth more if you turn them into something new. You can also help your friends shop for unique wedding favors that are bound to be used for their purpose and don't forget to take advantage of all the wedding favor promotions such as free shipping to be had!
Presenting Your Wedding Favors With Style
Wedding favors, bridal shower favors and wedding gifts for men can be just as much a part of the table decorations and overall look of the reception as flowers, settings, and linen. It is your way of saying thank you to each person attending your wedding or shower, so the presentation as well as the gift itself should reflect your intentions. Some thoughtful touches and creativity can speak volumes.
- Use pretty favors packaging. Beautiful wrapping (gift boxes,ribbon, custom labels, etc.), and taking the time to make wedding favors look clean, and tasteful will show the effort no matter how simple the gift is inside.
- Personalize it. Giving wedding favors is a gesture of thanks, and mostly it is the thought that counts. Make wedding favors more personal by engraving, using personalized ribbon, or printing your names and wedding date, or a unique message. Hand printing gives it an added personal touch, but if you do not have the best handwriting, many people hire professional calligraphers to pen a message on their wedding favors, or favors packaging. Laser engraving also is a classy yet inexpensive option, such as personalized wedding favor chopstick sets.
- Let your wedding favors also be functional. Attach a tag with the guests' names, and their table numbers to the wedding favors, and set them out on a table near the entrance to double as escort cards.
- Tie a hang tag to the wedding favors with your new monogram, or the date of the wedding. Tags can be any shape, size, or color, and are another great way to get creative. Make them yourself for that personal touch.
- A popular idea is to have breakaway centerpieces, where the centerpiece is made up of several elements that come apart, each part able to be taken home by guests as wedding favors. Breakaway centerpieces are often an arrangement of flowers in several smaller vases. You can do this with packaged wedding favors, stacking the boxes in the middle and inviting guests to each take a favor before heading home.
- Save space on the table for the food, and instead, hang wedding favors from the chair. This is a creative way to present your wedding favors, and also dress up the reception chairs.Use a bag with handles to package the wedding favors, or find a way to attach ribbon to the wedding favors in order to hang it on a chair.
- Have a wedding favors tree. This idea works really well with Christmas weddings. Give mini classic silver place frames as wedding favors, or something lightweight, like a bookmark, or a charm. If a Christmas tree is out of season, get a potted tree. Make your own wedding favors with glassine bags filled with candy. Punch holes in the bags and string them up with twine around the branches of a tree. Wedding guests can untie the bags at the end of the evening for a sweet memento.
- Pile wedding favors in baskets set by the door with a note reminding guests to take one before parting.
- Give the kids something helpful to do at the wedding reception. Ask them to walk around with baskets of wedding favors and pass one out to each wedding guest. Make sure they make it to each table and do not leave anyone out.
- Candles make classy wedding favors and are a brilliant approach to lighting for the wedding reception. They are romantic, decorative, and cost effective. With the a huge selection of sizes, styles, colors, designs, and scents, you can fit candles in with just about any wedding decoration theme.Match candles, or candle holders to your wedding reception colors. Create a monochromatic look with different shades of your favorite color. Or choose colors that boldly contrast each other.
- If you're having a floral centerpiece, opt for tea lights so they don't compete with the flowers.
- You can also use candles instead of flowers for the centerpiece. Try a cluster of chunky candles in varying heights.
- Votives and votive holders also make great wedding guest favors. Get them personalized, or just choose a stylish votive holder that your wedding guests would care to bring home and reuse.
Your most celebrated day, your wedding day wouldn't be quite as fun and memorable without all your supportive friends and family who traveled to be with you on your most celebrated day. Expressing your appreciation with wedding favors that are meaningful and will be appreciated by your guests is important. Don't waste your money on gifts your guests will surely and quickly dispose of, or leave on the tables before the end of the night. Giving wedding favors is an age-old tradition that has evolved over the years. Today, couples are using their creativity and presenting favors that are thoughtful, personal and memorable. There are no set rules of etiquette in presenting favors, however we wanted to share with you a few simple guidelines to help you get started.
Are wedding favors mandatory?
While wedding favors may not be as important as the wedding cake, they are a small but creative and wonderful way to thank your guests and give them a lasting memory of your wedding. A couple should definitely think about giving favors if their budget allows it. Favors do not need to be extravagant or expensive…it really is the thought that counts. The small things.
When selecting a wedding favor, aim to be original and choose a favor that is meaningful to you and your family. Or if you have chosen a wedding theme, favors are a great way to complement your theme. Personalized favors are extremely popular because it is a fun way to add your personal stamp to the wedding day. You can also look to the favors you have received attending other weddings to gauge current trends and fashions and get a few ideas, but remember to be unique with yours!
What Should I spend on bridal shower and wedding favors?
Review at your budget, decide out what you can afford and then what you want to potentially give to your guests. Many couples share an inexpensive, yet personal, favor to every guest, while other couples present a more expensive favor to each couple or family. Your creativity is key…check out our Fresh Wedding Favor Ideas series for some ideas. When you decide to give one favor per guest or per couple, be sure to have extra wedding favors on hand. Some guests may want (and take) more than one or you may have unexpected last-minute guests in attendance. Many couples also send favors to friends and family who were not able to attend their wedding.
If you are giving one favor per guest, present each gift at each place setting or as part of the table centerpiece. If you decide to give each couple a favor, label the wedding favors with the couple’s or family's name and place them on a table so that guests can pick them up upon entering the reception.
My budget is pretty tight, and I ant every guest to have a favor. Any suggestions?
Wedding favors can be a single flower that is meaningful to the couple or a handmade paper booklet of how the couple met. The true value of wedding favors is the significance behind the gift and the lasting memory guests will have of the wedding. We suggest browsing our favors sorted by price if you are constrained by a budget. Putting inexpensive custom labels, personalized ribbon or hang tags on almost anything will add the personalized touch to your wedding favors. If personalization isn’t something you want, a small gift wrapped in pretty boxes or accented with beautiful ribbon can often make a big impact. Place card holders can also double as wedding favors. Simple picture frames or place card holders are practical favors that guests can take home and enjoy.
Should kids receive favors too?
Children are usually given the same wedding favor as adults, but many couples have opted to give special favors that children will enjoy. Present a bag of the couple’s favorite candy in a clear cellophane bag with a personalized label that says “Life is like Candy” or something similar, or give personalized cookies, whether creative, classy or elegant, that you know the children will enjoy. Our adorable wedding bubblegum buddies are always a favorite among the little guests.
If you are unable to find wedding favors that are pleasing to both men and women, consider giving each gender different favors.
What's the best way to present my wedding favors?
Wedding favors have become a part of the table decorations and overall theme of the reception just as the flowers, settings and linen. Alway remember, it is your way of saying thank you to each person attending your wedding, so the presentation as well as the gift itself should reflect your intentions. Some thoughtfulness and creativity will speak volumes. For some presentation ideas, visit our article on ideas for presenting and displaying wedding favors.
Choosing favors. Traditional or unique?
This choice is completely personal. Jordan almonds beautifully wrapped in tulle or Italian favor wraps with personalized ribbon are just as classy and meaningful as personalized mint tins. As long as the wedding favors show a couple’s personal style, anything goes!
Ultimate advice on wedding favors etiquette.
Plan ahead! Whether your guest list is an intimate twenty or an super ambitious four hundred, selecting the perfect wedding favors takes time. Give yourself or the charge responsible for the wedding favors plenty of time. Make sure to research the different retail stores, online sites and other options you have. Your perfect dream wedding favors can and will come true if you put your thought into it and plan accordingly. Wedding favors is a wonderful way to share your love and add that special finishing touch to your wedding day. Afterall, it's all in the details and t's the small things that count!
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