by Sarah Kikkert

Your wedding will likely be one of a handful of days you will remember for the rest of your life, but how will your guests remember it?  If you don’t have a budget for an over-the-top wedding design to make it memorable aesthetically, turn to the favors to express your personality.  Handing out party favors at wedding receptions is not a new tradition – not by far.  In fact, the custom has been around for literally hundreds of years.

While weddings are traditionally sacred, special ceremonies celebrating the union of two people, at the core of this celebration is one big, fabulous party, in which you and your fiance are the hosts.  Thus, the party favors show your guests the importantce of having them there.  Wedding favors can be almost anything, which makes them perfect for personalization, creativity, and a wedding on any budget.

Don’t let the freedom of your wedding favors’ versatility to go to waste: be creative and follow your taste.  While any bride can be traditional and offer almonds as her party favor, go the extra step and make the gifts something that represents you.  Perhaps it’s an ode to your heritages, or something edible.  Seasonal goodies are fabulous.  Destination weddings, or if the majority of your guests are in the hotel, have the hotel staff drop off morning bags filled with bottles of orange juice, croissants, and donuts at each room instead of giving away a favor the night before.

Use hobbies, favorite places, colors, music, special trinkets, or other personal “favorites” to start brainstorming your perfect favors.  From chocolates to tea bags, and absolutely anything in between, wedding favors are your ways of saying “thank you” to all your guests for supporting you on your beautiful day, and they’ll remember the uniqueness just as long as you will.

You can’t go wrong with boxes of candy, or something ultimately Wisconsin like maple syrup or honey spoons.  Preserves are always a good bet too.  Your heritage can be played out with something more substantial, like Welsh love spoons or German beer steins.  If you’re chocolate lovers, stay true with truffles, or for travel lovers – even using old maps to wrap local artisan soaps can be enough.