Craft Guides for Make-it-Yourself Wedding Favors

Making your own wedding favors adds a personal touch to your wedding and can save a lot of money. It also allows you to create wedding favors that reflect your unique style and personality.

The key successful do-it-yourself wedding favors is getting them done early. You can always store your wedding favors until the wedding. You will avoid a lot of stress as the big day approaches if you plan and prepare ahead of time. Days in advance of your wedding you will not want the added pressure of preparing wedding favors. In fact, you'll probably end up buying something more expensive and less personal if you wait. Plan early and enjoy time with family and close friends making your own wedding favors.

There are several easy and inexpensive ways to make-your-own wedding favors in this article, including sachets; votive candles; decorative bubbles; bath salts; personalized tin or plastic case mints of pink M&M's, or pastel almonds; other unique gifts to hold mints or candy; and a personalized candy bar.

Each craft is listed separately, along with the supplies you need for that craft. Once you have identified the wedding favor you wish to create, the only limit to decorating and accessorizing them is your own imagination.

You can use your wedding colors in a myriad of unique ways to personalize your wedding favors, creating a take home gift your guests will not soon forget.

Do-it-Yourself Wedding Favors: Sachets

Home crafted wedding sachets are a traditional wedding favorite. They'll never go out of style. Wedding sachets are easy to make and can be filled with store bought potpourri, homemade potpourri, bath salts, or bird seed.

Supplies needed:

6", 8", or 12" of Tulle depending on how large you will make a sachet.

Scissors

¼" cloth ribbon to match your wedding colors

Bead the tie off the end of the ribbon

Fill your Make-It-Yourself Sachet with:

Potpourri

Bath Salts

Bird Seed

Tulle is a sheer netting material. It usually comes in rolls. I purchased a 6" role of "Modern Romance" tulle that was 6" wide and 25 yards long. The cost was $2.99. This amount makes approximately 150 sachets.

I purchased tulle in white, although it is available in an array of colors. More dense tulle and exotic colors usually cost around $4.99. I keep white tulle on hand, and as the need arises I dye it with Ritz dye, which I also keep on hand. If you don't won't to brew a dye and wait for the tulle to dry, spend a couple more dollars on the color you want to match your wedding.

Cut tulle into a 4", 6", or 12" diameter circle. 4" or 6" is usually sufficient. Remember, this is a token thank you to your wedding guests, not a goody bag.

The circular piece of tulle can be filled with prepackaged potpourri which costs anywhere from $1 to $8 a bag depending on the aroma.

DIY potpourri is easy to make with dried flowers. If you haven't saved any dried flowers over the years contact your local florist or grocery and collect dead, dying, or dried flower buds. These, along with a few leaves and buds make a perfect potpourri. Add a drop of essential oil or a few drops of your favorite perfume to a large basket of dried flowers and toss it gently, like a salad.

Bird seed is a popular item with which to fill sachets. It can be used to toss on the bride and groom as they leave the chapel or reception. Do not, under any circumstances bag and throw rice. Rice swells in the stomachs of birds and can be harmful and even fatal.

Bath salts are a great unique item with which to fill your do-it-yourself wedding sachet. You may have to use a double layer of tulle, or find a skein of thicker tulle through which bath salts will not pass. You can pick up a one pound bag of bath salts at discount department stores for $2 -$4. This will fill at least 24 sachets.

Once your homemade wedding favor has been selected and arranged in the middle of the sachet, simply draw up the sides and tie your cloth ribbon around the sachet. Add beads for accent and to keep your knot from slipping. Tie the ribbon into a beautiful bow.

A make-it-yourself sachet favor is that simple. Any of these will make a lovely wedding gift placed in a white basket on a table by the door of the reception hall.

Do-It-Yourself Wedding Favors: Personalized Votive Candles

Supplies Needed:

Votive candles that compliment your wedding colors

Stickers, glue backed sparkles, or floral pieces

Votive candles are a beautiful keepsake and can be personalized in a number of ways. They can also be used as part of a place setting.

Votives can be purchased in bulk, often for less than $.50 to $.25 each.

Simple stickers can be used to accent votives in complimentary colors. This allows votives to be used for traditional or non-traditional weddings. Elvis fans can find Elvis stickers. Gothic weddings can find gothic themed stickers. Make-it-yourself votives decorated with stickers can match any them.

Stickers on top of the candle add extra pizzazz, but be careful not to place stickers too close to the flame.

Votive candles can also be decorated with inexpensive floral pieces. A small bundle of flowers cost between $1 and $1.50. Each piece of the bundle can be cut into individual flowers and petals to decorate your votives. As always, select colors that compliment your wedding.

Cut the flower pieces within about ¼" of the flower or leaf. Firmly press the floral wire into the votive. Any flower that suits you and matches your wedding can be used as a do-it-yourself votive favor and decoration.

In some cases, brides opt for plain votives in small votive holders that have been etched or labeled with their name. The easiest way to accomplish this is to purchase printer sheets that print oval stickers. Choose a color to record the name of the bride and groom, the date, and any other greeting to your wedding guests. They may then take the candle and holder home as a remembrance of your wedding day.

Do -it-yourself Wedding Favors: Bubbles

In the 90's blowing bubbles at the exiting couple replaced tossing bird seed at the departing couple. Bubbles are in vogue for three reasons; they are inexpensive, fun, and romantic.

Supplies needed:

A box of unmarked miniature generic bubbles (Available as low as 24 for $5.99)

Banded bows (optional - approx $3-$5/dozen)

Tulle and fabric ribbon cut in 4" diameter circles (optional)

Ribbon and "Love" charms ($1.99/dozen)

Pieces of flowers from small bundles of miniature flowers ($.50 to $1.50/each)

Floral wire

Bubbles are one of the easiest and most fun favors you can make for your wedding. Purchase a box of bubbles. For the best price, don't buy bubbles labeled for weddings. Get the cheapest box, which is probably brightly colored. The bubble bottles inside are exactly the same, milky white bubble bottles with a snap on lid. Bubbles are less expensive at Party City than Michaels or Hobby Lobby.

Decorating your bubbles is a matter of taste.

The easiest way to decorate your bubble wedding favors is to slide a banded bow over the top of the bubbles, let it rest just below the lid. It looks fabulous.

You may choose to use tulle and gather the bubbles in a sachet type manner, tying them off with a ¼" ribbon. This is a great idea if you plan to give both bubble and a potpourri or bath salt sachet.

Do-it-Yourself wedding bubbles may also be decorated with curly ribbon and the bloom of a miniature flower mentioned above.

Another very cute way to decorate your own wedding bubbles is to tie wedding charms, using florist wire, around the bubbles. I used small hearts engraved with the term "Love." There are also doves, bells, and rings, among other terms of endearment.

Do-it-Yourself Wedding Favors: Candies and Mints

Personalized candy mints or tins are one of the new trends in wedding favors. There are several ways to make wedding tins.

Supplies needed:

Pastel M&M's, Pastel Almonds, Mints designed for weddings

(bells and doves), Mentos, or after dinner mints

Empty tins, or plain tins prefilled with mints

Small, clear plastic containers

Small 3" diameter white milk pails

2" planters painted white

Sticker printer paper

Bundle of miniature flowers

Make your own wedding favor tins by filling tins, miniature milk pails, miniature flower pots, or small clear plastic holders with mints. As with every other craft, you can cut corners by gathering up your mints or treats in a 3" to 6" diameter of tulle and tying it off with a cloth ribbon.

If you choose to make your own label for a candy tin, measure the diameter, or the length and width of your candy tin. Create a label, on your computer, for the container of your choice using your measured dimensions. Apply the label to the container to complete your do it yourself personalized candy or mints.

You can also fill a small white planter or milk pail with treats, almonds, or pastel M&M's. If you do this add a stickered decal to the planter or milk pail, or stick one or two of stems of the miniature flowers in the middle of the treats in the pail or basket. Attach a wedding message to the flower stem.

Do-It-Yourself Wedding Favors: Personalized Candy Bar

A personalized candy bar is also an impressive way to treat your guests to a unique favor and thank them for coming to your wedding celebration.

Supplies needed:

Candy bar with a silver or gold wrapper inside and removable exterior wrapper

4" x 3" personally designed candy bar wrapper. (Dimensions may vary with the candy bar you

choose.)

Using the dimensions of your candy bar's external wrapper, create a template to make your own candy bar cover. Include the bride and groom's name, the date, and a special greeting. On the back you include a "Thank you for attending the (insert name) Wedding Celebration." You may also choose to add "Ingredients: Love, faithfulness, patience, hope forgiveness, kindness."

Glue the homemade wrapper around the silver or gold foil wrapped candy bar. Place in a basket, or at each place setting to enhance table decorations

Do-It-Yourself Wedding Favors: Bookmarks

Another easy do-it-yourself wedding favors is a bookmark.

Supplies needed:

Extra large paper clips

Bows from miniature arrangements

Cloth Ribbon 1/4"

Love and wedding charms

Glue

Glue a miniature flower on the top of the bookmark, or another small flower with a ribbon or bow. You will instantly create a bookmark wedding favor. It doesn't get any easier than that for do-it-yourself wedding favors, unless, it's the second bookmark. Take a length of 1/4" shiny cloth string. Glue a miniature flower at the top and hot glue a charm to the bottom for another instant do-it-yourself wedding favor.

The great thing about the bookmarks is that they not only remind your family and friends of your special day, they are also useful.