Wedding favors

[ZTAMich]

We went the candy route. Yummy maple sugar candies in the shape of maple leaves. Fall wedding clearly We put 3 in a little favor box, closed with a ribbon and a leaf shaped tag with our monogram. I have a bazillion extras too!!

[33girl]

Originally Posted by ZTAMich

We went the candy route. Yummy maple sugar candies in the shape of maple leaves. Fall wedding clearly We put 3 in a little favor box, closed with a ribbon and a leaf shaped tag with our monogram. I have a bazillion extras too!!

I was going to suggest teeny things of maple syrup but I keep forgetting how prohibitively expensive it's gotten.

What the heck with all this "bell" stuff? That's what silverware and glasses are for.

Definitely have the favor be something edible.

[JennRN]

We were lame I guess-we just did match books with our names and date on it. We had sparklers at our wedding for when we left, so it correlated. Plus, I was trying to plan my wedding, graduate nursing school, and move across the country at the same time-so what favers we were going to have got the least amount of thought.

[ZTAMich]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I was going to suggest teeny things of maple syrup but I keep forgetting how prohibitively expensive it's gotten.

Yeah candies were the next best thing!

A lot of couples are having candy buffets at the end of the reception too with different kinds of candies to pick and choose from. So fun!

[PhoenixAzul]

Originally Posted by 33girl

What the heck with all this "bell" stuff? That's what silverware and glasses are for.
.

yeah, for real! However, I think this might be one of those "Pittsburgh" things. I've threatened to go for chopsticks and plastic cups to keep people from driving us nuts. All it takes is one wise guy.

[sageofages]

Originally Posted by 33girl

What the heck with all this "bell" stuff? That's what silverware and glasses are for.

Originally Posted by PhoenixAzul

yeah, for real! However, I think this might be one of those "Pittsburgh" things. I've threatened to go for chopsticks and plastic cups to keep people from driving us nuts. All it takes is one wise guy.

uh.....we are in Iowa so hardly "Pittsburgh" thought out here.

My daughter had a outdoor wedding/reception at a local lilac aboretum. She wanted a small ceremony and cake/punch reception immediately following.

The bells were painted cream and lilac with calla lillies and lilac clusters attached with lavender ribbon. They worked because the plates were a clear plastic and didn't clink .

[PhoenixAzul]

Originally Posted by sageofages

uh.....we are in Iowa so hardly "Pittsburgh" thought out here.

My daughter had a outdoor wedding/reception at a local lilac aboretum. She wanted a small ceremony and cake/punch reception immediately following.

The bells were painted cream and lilac with calla lillies and lilac clusters attached with lavender ribbon. They worked because the plates were a clear plastic and didn't clink .

no no! I meant that at every Pittsburgh wedding I've ever been too (and I've been to a *lot* as a photographer), everyone always bangs the drink glasses with the silverware to get the bride and groom to kiss, rather than ring bells. Pittsburgh's full of weird wedding traditions, such as the cookie table. Although I must confess that the cookie table is one of the things I'm looking forward to most at my own wedding.

[SthrnZeta]

Fiance and I are tossing around the idea of a small jar of preserved peaches since we're getting married in GA but have also thought of silver wine stoppers. Little chocolates are a good idea too though.... and my mom wants to make these lamps she saw on Martha Stewart: picture a wine glass with a tea light in it and a vellum shade. They would serve as centerpieces/favors. Not sure I like the idea that much though... and am I the only one who thinks mirrors underneath candles looks kind of tacky...?

[Kappamd]

Originally Posted by SthrnZeta

and am I the only one who thinks mirrors underneath candles looks kind of tacky...?

No. I don't know what it is about candles and mirrors, but I think "cheap" everytime.

[SthrnZeta]

Originally Posted by Kappamd

No. I don't know what it is about candles and mirrors, but I think "cheap" everytime.

THANK YOU! I don't mind a few votives here and there but absolutely NOT on top of mirrors. Yeah, I'm trying to be as inexpensive as possible but I want to also avoid anything looking cheap or tacky and I know it can be done for not much money.

[nittanyalum]

I am with MC and others who have said not to spend too much time or especially money on favors. They fall under the same category of waste as the "save the date!" magnets in my book. Getting gifts for your bridal party/groomsmen is one thing (although from some of the other threads it sounds like those are getting ridiculously huge & expensive as well), but there's no need to give every person who comes to your reception a gift too. They've already eaten the food you've paid for, drank your bar dry and devoured the wedding cake you took hours to decide on and that it took days to make. Do they really need 3 candy-covered almonds wrapped up in tulle? (yes, got that one time)

Your wedding is about YOU and it's ok if YOU are the main recipient of gifts and spoils. You will spend hours writing thank you notes, that is usually enough for people.

I blame (as always) the wedding "industry" and the onslaught of online resources that found yet another "niche" to get advertisers and products to shill to overstressed brides with overstretched budgets that do not need ONE more thing to plan or buy or spend time making by hand to save $$ but still make a "showing".

/rant

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by nittanyalum

Do they really need 3 candy-covered almonds wrapped up in tulle? (yes, got that one time)

These are Jordan Almonds and the Italians refer to it as Confetti. It is a long standing Italian tradition (my great grandparents even did it in the late 1800s). You are NOT supposed to eat those! You are supposed to put them under your pillow that night and you will dream about who you are going to marry.

ETA: I wish people would just go back to matchbooks. I always had matches back then. Now, you need a match and there are none to be found anywhere. You used to get them at every restaurant, hotel, etc. for free. They are practically an endangered species now.

[nittanyalum]

Originally Posted by AGDee

These are Jordan Almonds and the Italians refer to it as Confetti. It is a long standing Italian tradition (my great grandparents even did it in the late 1800s). You are NOT supposed to eat those! You are supposed to put them under your pillow that night and you will dream about who you are going to marry.

Oh, really? I've never heard of that! Well then they should have included a cute little note about that tied to the lovely ribbon around the tulle because I don't think anyone knew that tradition (plus, what if you're already married? do you dream about your spouse?). People were ripping in to them and snacking at the table, I gave mine to the couple next to us because I'm not a fan of Jordan Almonds (I knew they had a name ). Plus, neither the bride nor the groom were Italian, so I'm not sure what they were thinking with that favor then, either...

[Cheerio]

Originally Posted by AGDee

These are Jordan Almonds and the Italians refer to it as Confetti. It is a long standing Italian tradition (my great grandparents even did it in the late 1800s). You are NOT supposed to eat those! You are supposed to put them under your pillow that night and you will dream about who you are going to marry.

ETA: I wish people would just go back to matchbooks. I always had matches back then. Now, you need a match and there are none to be found anywhere. You used to get them at every restaurant, hotel, etc. for free. They are practically an endangered species now.

Matchbooks are rare indeed! and formerly very popular as 1970's wedding favors when people would smoke where they pleased. I admit trying to eat Jordan Almonds and declaring them inedible (whilst not understanding their true tradition until now).

As a teenager, I liked the tiny napkins embossed with bride/groom names and event date. It's how I now recall anniversaries/name spellings, and I keep them in scrapbooks as an alternate to the original invites belonging to/thrown out by my parents.

At 80's weddings, each table's floral centerpiece was a 'favor' for the person seated on the chair with the hidden "winner" tag under the seat.

In the 90's, my December-bride cousin used small, inexpensive nutcracker ornaments as part of her centerpieces. She painted the outer bottom with bride/groom name and event date. They wisely put four ornaments to a ten-person table, knowing some people would not want them (but I am reminded of their anniversary every year when I put ornaments on my tree!)

[Army Wife'79]

Agreed, I think the whole industry is a "racket". Back when I was young a wedding was in a church and afterwards everyone went to the "fellowship hall" and had cake, punch, nuts and mints. Times have really changed. I've seen it go from just cake to finger sandwiches with crusts removed to full sit down dinners of filet and lobster.