wedding reception favors.. i need some really unique ideas?

Question

my wedding is oct 7th. everything i planned but i cant figureo ut any favors. everything i think of people tell me is tacky or a dumb idea.

i want something that will be used, is non edible, and costs very little. were on a budget ( obviously) and this is the last thing to buy. anyone just recently had or been to a wedding where the favors where a big hit???

Please share
(only serious answers only please!!)

my wedding colors are lavendar, purple and silver

and most of my guests dont drink or smoke

Answer 1

Vista Print offers a unique veriety of personalized items.
magnets with your picture and date?
calendars?

your starting price is free.
http://www.vistaprint.com/vp/ns/splash/multi_magnet.aspx?mk=Make+Your+Own+Magnets&GP=9%2F21%2F2006+12%3A11%3A12+AM

personalized pens and pencils - wrap a colored bow of organza or net around one....
http://www.pensrus.com/?s=gaw&kw=[personalized+pens]

Answer 2

The never ending favor debate. I have been to a lot of weddings and showers, etc.. and have received many gifts. A favor is just to say thank you and is a "small" token of appreciation. Try not to stress to much on what people are going to think. I would say out of all the gifts i have gotten, I really only have kept and used the candles.

I would do a tin type candle and attach a label on the top or front with your names and the date, along with a simple thank you. These you can make yourself by getting labels and printing them on your computer.

My friend and I had a favor making party, we all got together and had a little wine and put together 200 favors. It was a lot of fun and saved on the cost of having someone else do it.

Here are some favors I have gotten:

salt and pepper shakers
wine charms
picture frames
a pin
wine/champagne
serving utensils
sterling silver cofee scouper
tea and cookie
an ornament
mints

Another good idea is a datebook, since the year will be almost over. Get a datebook for 2007.


Hope this helps. Good luck and congratulations!!

Answer 3

You have to understand why people suggest something edible.
1) You have men there, and they are less likely to use a non-edible favor.
2) People tend to forget favors that aren't edible. If they are edible, they can eat them right at the reception.
3) Decent "non-edible" favors will cost a lot more than edible favors.

Now, with that said, I don't know what you concider "cheap" but here is a suggestion:

I just threw a wedding shower for 40 people. It was at a winery that happened to have wine glasses available for $2 each with the winery logo engraved on them. I bought these for all of my guests. Do the math, that cost $80 for 40 people. Now, don't get me wrong, I think I found a great favor, but if I was hosting a wedding for 150 people I don't know if I would be so anxious to spend $300 on favors.

If you do happen to concider edibles you will find out how cheap they really are. My best friend (the one I threw the shower for) is giving all of her guests Ferro Rocher truffels in little black boxes (Her colors are red, black, gold, and ivory.). They cost $3 for 12 of them. That's $0.40 each, but probably $0.50 when you include the boxes, tissue and ribbon. Still that means for a 150 guest wedding it will cost her about $75. A lot cheaper.

I honestly can't think of many "non-edible" favors other than the glasses, that would translate to an audience of both sexes. I bet you could get cute lotions or soaps, but again, is that male friendly? Probably not. Now, I don't know what your theme is, but if I knew that, maybe I could come up with another idea.

Answer 4

This is going to sound funny but it is the best Idea I've ever seen... Betas. They are pretty fish and you could get them to match your colors if you really wanted to. They put them out on the table and let eveyone take one home. This reception only had like 120 people. Maybe if you are going to have more then try a fish that is cheaper. You could put them in a small bowl and at the end of the night they have a favor that will last a while. I'm sure you could make up a little poem to tie to the bowl. and if you shop in bulk for the fish and the bowls it should be pretty cheap. Get plastic bowls though, if they want a better bowl they can buy one.

Answer 5

There are so many creative, small gifts you can get for 100 guests! Here are just a few ideas: 1. Boxes, jars, or bags with candy specific to you and your fiance or to the wedding (i.e. your favorites candies, or, for my wedding, I did a gold box with gold wrapped candies inside because my colors were gold and cream) 2. Personalized votive candles 3. Personalized mini-wine bottles (the labels are personalized) 4. Personalized notepads 5. Plantable favors (paper tags made out of plantable seeds) 6. Personalized shot glasses (depending on the wedding this can fit the theme, rather than being tacky...) 7. Miniature heart shaped jewelry boxes 8. Small picture frames (can be double as your place cards for the reception) Be creative and know that almost everything can be personalized!

Answer 6

You are not obligated to have favors for your guests at your wedding. If you have bridesmaids and/or a maid of honor, you should get them something. At a recent wedding I saw the bride give her bridesmaids a basket of sample size lotions and shampoos, some little cute note pads and a pretty pen, it was a beach wedding so she added some seashells and key chains with palm trees, filp flops or pink flamingos, oh and I think dolphins on some or them. If you want all of your guests to have something since it is a small wedding, what is your theme? You could have a shell for each person, a pretty dried flower or a polished stone, just a sweet little reminder. Best wishes!

Answer 7

We're getting married only a day apart! Congrats!

The best thing to do is to look at your theme or your personalities. For us, our first date and proposal all was based around a brownie. Therefore, we are making brownies for everyone (think: 1/2 by 1/2 square inch).

If you're having it outside, try paper fans.

We went to one where they had a little jar of spices to be used for dipping bread into when mixed with oil.

Here are some ideas that you can steal from--you don't have to use them, but you can always run to the local crafts store and see what you can make:
http://www.weddingfavorstogo.com/unique-wedding-favors.html

http://www.myweddingfavors.com/

http://www.hansonellis.com/

http://www.favorideas.com/

Or, because it's in October, you could get little pumpkins and have someone put your wedding date and names on it.

Answer 8

I just got married this past saturday. It was one of the best days of my life. We had a great time and it was ten times better then I ever imagined it would be. We had an outdoor wedding reception and my table favors were a great hit. I did glass votives with a candle in each. They had our names and wedding date on them. When it got dark out tent was all lit up with white lights an a lot of people lit there candles. I can't even begin to tell you how beautiful it was. Good luck to you and I hope you have as great a day as we did.

Answer 9

I know this might sound odd, but I was a wedding where there was a disposable camera at each place setting. Every one got to take pictures of the reception and all the fun. I thought it was a wonderful thoughtful thing to do as I had of course forgotten my camera. so it seemed did quite a few other people . Just a thought. You man get a deal if you buy bulk

Answer 10

This are the favors I received at the last weddings I went to:

A tiny photograph frame
A small pewter plate in the shape of a shell
A ceramic plate
A set of salt and pepper shakers (I didn't steal the ones on the table, these two were wrapped)
A chinese fan
A small rose petal rosary
A chinese umbrella
Different kinds of pashminas and shawls
Soap petals
A vial of lavander scent
A sachel with potpurri (didn't like this one)

Hope some of this helps!

Answer 11

I can't think of anything that exactly meets your description.

I went to a wedding recently where the bride and groom gave out cookies that the bride had made and decorated with their monogram. They were homemade and very good. She put them in a little cellophane baggie and used a label that she had made on the computer to seal them.

I think there are also companies who offer these services, but I would prefer fresh cookies because they don't have as many preservatives.