Favors with a Purpose

This post is coming from my opinion both as a planner and a guest. When you are choosing what to do for your guests as favors keep in mind what they will be doing with the gift after they leave your reception.

I was recently at a wedding where the couple gave a cute favor but I have no idea what I'm going to do with it and to be honest it will probably end up getting thrown away. This makes me feel really bad because I know that the couple put a lot of time and money into making these favors. It just seems like such a waste.

Consider these questions when choosing what you will be giving to your guests:

1. Is your gift something useful to your guests? Something they will appreciate?

2. Is it something yummy that they will enjoy?

3. Are you giving a favor that is going to get tossed into a drawer or worse as soon as the guests gets home?

If you don't like the idea of giving a treat or a keepsake, think about donating to your favorite charity. You can make the guests aware of that donation by placing a note at the bottom of your menu cards or on a small card at each place setting.


Of all the favors I have seen over the years, the one that tops my list would be the wine bottles that doubled as escort cards for the guests. These wine bottles were placed outside the reception room and each had a tag around the neck of the bottle. The tags listed the name of the guests (one per couple or individual) and what table they were seated at. There were bottles of Jones soda for anyone under age. The guests loved these gifts and I heard many positive comments throughout the night.



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