How to Make Quick and Easy Wedding Favors

Regardless of how much time is left before your wedding, you probably feel pressed for time and money. I think these are universal feelings for most brides.

At night, when your mind is reeling, and you can't sleep, the caterer and florist are closed there is something you can do toward completing your wedding plans. Put your idle hands to work making wedding favors for your guests. Handmade, personalized favors make a special token for your wedding guests.

If you don't have the time or interest to do these yourself, allow someone who is begging to be involved in your wedding to create the wedding favors for you. There always seems to be someone hanging around wanting to help who has no real job. Put them to work. These crafts are easy enough for anyone to make, yet creative and beautiful enough to satisfy even the most rigid standards.

Personalized Candy Bars

Personalized Candy Bars have become popular at weddings, wedding showers, baby showers, and even birthdays. There are companies online that will sell you personalized candy bars for $2.50 each. Depending on your guest list, that can take a bite out of your budget.

There are also programs, usually inexpensive, that will provide you with templates for making personalized candy bars. This favors, however, can be made without a template. You can use Word, Paint, Corel, or any other writing and drawing tool on your computer to make the candy wrappers yourself.

Buy the candy bar of your choice. Take off the wrapper and measure it. Also measure the centering of the writing on the label. For example, if you use a Hershey's bar, which is the most popular for this favor, measure the letter size and the distance from the sides to the center of the label. To do this, you will need to have the label laid out flat.

Once you have this information, you can create a text box in Paint or Word, and label it with the bride and grooms name, their last name. You can find clipart online, if you want to add wedding bells, hearts, or doves. Make sure that the colors you use on your candy bar compliment the colors of your wedding.

If measuring and creating the label is something you can't or won't do, here is an inexpensive label making program. For just a few dollars you can own the program and use it for your wedding and future parties and celebrations.

Bubbles

Everyone loves bubbles. With the realization that rice was harmful to birds, bubbles quickly became one of the two popular alternatives to throwing rice. The other is bird seed.

Just like your candy bar, small bubble bottles can be labeled. Small bubbles can be purchased online from Oriental Trading Company, or in your local Walmart, Hobby Lobby, or Michaels. There is more you can do with bubbles than simply labeling them.

Create bubbles that compliment your wedding by gluing flower blossoms to the lid of the bubbles. All it takes to decorate the bottles this way is a dot of hot glue, and a silk flower that matches the color scheme or flower scheme of your wedding and/or reception.

Your guests will enjoy blowing bubbles when you and the groom make your get-away and also enjoy taking home the token gift. I haven't seen this done very often, and I have been to dozens of weddings my husband officiated. This creative touch will give your wedding a distinctive and unique touch.

Sachet Favor Bag

Sachets are easy to make, but for the money, they can be purchased by the dozen at your local craft store, or discount department store. The sachet should have a drawstring, but I recommend picking up some sheer, organza ribbon to tie off your sachet for a classy look.

Bath salts are a quick and easy favor to fill your sachet. A gallon of bath salts is very inexpensive, or you can make your own. All it takes to make basic bath salts is a little bit of Epson salt, a dash of food coloring, and the oil essence of the fragrance you wish to create. In a big mixing bowl put two cups of Epson Salts, a drop or two of food coloring, and start with a teaspoon of oil.

Stir the mixture right away, to see what color your food coloring is going to produce. You may have to play with the food coloring in order to reach your desired color. You will also want to add the oil sparsely until you reach the desired fullness of fragrance.

Place bath salts in each sachet, and tie off with sheer ribbon. Remember, you can purchase bath salts, or you can use bath oil beads or small soaps, instead. Place them in the sachet and tie it off. Add printed wedding information on heavy card stock, no larger than an inch large. Include the couple's name and wedding date.

Candles

Candles can be used as wedding favors in a variety of ways. Votive candles can be wrapped in sheer, organza fabric, and tied of with a thin satin ribbon. It is also appropriate to include a small card giving the couple's name and wedding date. You may want to include a quote or short verse about love on the card. One creative way to present the card is by printing it, then cutting it into a heart shape. Use a dye cut, if you have access to one, or use a stencil to sketch s perfect heart shape.

A votive candle can also be given in a small votive candle holder. These can also be purchased very inexpensively by the dozen. Find clear printer labels, and print the wedding information on the labels. Then label your own votive. Look for thin, sheer stickers. They usually come on heavy paper that will run through your printer. Use a font that has an etched or calligraphy font for the best effect. Print in silver, black, or any color that will compliment your wedding colors.

Larger candles are trendy and vogue. They can also be used for wedding favors. You can purchase solid color candles for a dollar or less, and decorate them yourself. The easiest way to decorate candles is to use studs, like you use on clothing. Studs can be pressed into the candle; don't require hot glue, which will melt your candle; and come in a variety of shades, shapes, and colors. You can use solids, rhinestones, or gemstones.

Look around at pre-decorated candles and find a design you like. Copy it on your plain candles. You can also use studs to create the letters of your new last name. Wrap a one inch wide satin ribbon around the candle using a complementary or contrasting color, only if it doesn't mar your candle design.

Gift Boxes

Shop your local craft shop for decorative boxes that suite your wedding theme or color. If this is your wedding favor, pick a box around 4 square inches. Fill each box with candy, like Hershey's kisses, mints, or Jelly Belly jelly beans. Tie off your box with a wide satin ribbon.

Decorative boxes make lovely additions to your reception table at each place setting. They can also be used to build a tower centerpiece. Turn the bowed side of the ribbon toward the outside, except on top, where the bow will serve as the capstone for the centerpiece. The tower can be wide, thin, square, rectangular, or circular, depending on the set up and design of your reception.

If you want to try something different with gift box favors, find plastic or colorful boxes shaped like Chinese take-out or other unique shapes and designs.

Flowers

If you have already been to the florist, you probably don't want to look at any more flowers for a long time. Good news. This wedding favor is quick and easy, and doesn't involve live flowers. You can leave your florist out of this project.

Place a stemmed satin flower or rose at each place setting, or in a basket near the door. Create a small hang tag, as in the previous projects, giving the wedding information. Buying flowers individually is more expensive than buying a bundle of satin flowers and cutting them off at the bottom with wire cutters. One or two leaves are enough for the flower to look nice lying on the table. If there are stray leaves and branches clip them off with wire cutters, too.

Your wedding favors can have a lot of heart, with a little expense. Think about these project suggestions. Then, allow your own imagination and creativity to personalize them with your style.