If you are like me and look forward to sharing a little trinket with your guests, here are some “favorable” examples:

1. Marianne met her husband because they both purchased all the lemon drops out of their company’s (a trash collection service) vending machines. They began meeting at the vending machine and love bloomed. So for their wedding favors they placed a bag of lemon drops in little dump trucks. The best man mentioned the lemon drops love story in his toast, and everyone had fun having dump-truck races on the dance floor.

Joe and Jill are firefighters and did a very similar favor with mini fire trucks (they filled their trucks with personalized M&M’s). Creating a favor that is symbolic of your life together always adds a special touch to your celebration.

2. Ever since Tiger Woods came on the scene, golf- oriented favors have been very popular. Many Chocolate companies offer solid milk, dark, or white chocolate golf balls that they can package sitting on grass (artificial of course) in a beautiful truffle box or in iridescent cellophane packages. You can order personalized golf tees to place under the bow. Order plenty of golf tees and have the extra displayed in a glass brandy snifter for all the golf fanatics to grab a nice pocketful. The guys love this one!

3. Rosanne’s mom makes the best snicker doodle cookies in the whole world – that is a fact. So for Roseanne’s wedding, her mom made her delicious creations and placed them in clear cellophane bags tied with beautiful French ribbon. The note attached to the bag said “From our Family to yours, thank you for making our day so sweet!”

My family made homemade truffles and fudge for the favors at my wedding. We ordered boxes that said, “The Sweetest things in life are those you share with the ones you love. Thank you for sharing our Day.” All my friends told me that they ate all their treats on the way home. This wouldn’t be so shocking if it had been one or two truffles per guest. The truth is, it was a half-pound box of chocolates for each guest. Oy vey!

Frames can do double duty - hold your place cards and be your wedding favor

4) I love framing place cards in beautiful little frames so they serve two purposes (the favor and the place card). After the wedding I suggest that Newlyweds send a picture (included in the thank you card) from the wedding that will fit into the frames. Ask your photographer to be sure to get a picture of the two of you with every guest so this can be a very personal thank you gift.

Whatever you favor, enjoy!!!

Please share your ideas on great wedding favors.

Here are two on-line favor stores for inspiration:

Beau-coup

My Wedding Favors

Walk into most any department in Wal-Mart and you can find something that may be useful for a bride and groom and generally speaking, you aren’t going to find it cheaper anywhere else. In their jewelry department you will find a few inexpensive engagement rings and wedding bands and a generous selection of accessories and gifts for an entire bridal party. Cubic Zirconia tennis bracelets, simple anklets, heart shaped and “Journey” necklaces with earrings to match, will accessorize bridesmaids well without emptying anyone’s piggy bank.

In the party section you will find several rows of typical wedding supplies for much lower prices than most specialty stores. A good assortment of Favor boxes at 50 for $12 can easily be filled with a sweet treat found in their candy department. Want the kiddies-at-heart to have bubbles? 100 Ring Bubble Wand Favors are only $15. For the computer savvy they have invitation kits at unbelievable prices and for the home bakers they have most anything you would need to make your own wedding cake or cupcake tower.

If you venture into departments not often thought of as wedding related, you will locate some great “finds” for a celebration. Do some price comparison and you may find that it is actually cheaper to buy whole sets of dinnerware than to rent them from a typical party rental company. On a recent visit to a Wal-Mart store, I found glass dinner plates for $1.50 each. The nice thing about purchasing instead of renting is you will have a large collection for all your future celebrations.

Decorating weddings with $5 vases, filling them with homegrown flowers and surrounding the vases with $1 votive candles can make for simple and inexpensive centerpieces. Purchasing a gazebo or an arbor in their garden department will allow you to reuse it in your own backyard after it has been the centerpiece of your ceremony. You can also get multi-use out of other special décor like lanterns, firepits or outdoor furniture that help create a very chic and contemporary styled wedding.

Right now, when the Christmas department is just being set up, it’s a great time to look at white lights to swag on your head and cake tables (underneath tulle or iridescent material). Or purchase Christmas ornaments and pile them in a crystal bowl for an easy centerpiece anytime of the year.

Don’t forget the personal health and hygiene departments to make “Wedding Day Emergency Kits.” Band-Aids, Tums, Aspirins, mouthwash, hairspray, deodorant, nail repair kits, Kleenex and smelling salts are just a few of the items key to a good emergency kit. Add energy bars, nuts and bottled water from the grocery section and stain removers from the laundry supplies and your kit will begin to look like a pro made it.

If your schedule is crazy and feet are sore, do some of your shopping on-line at www.walmart.com. By creatively thinking outside the box – you can come up with a Wal-Mart Wedding that won’t break the bank but can still be a very special celebration with all the trimmings!