St. Patrick's Day Wedding Favors You Can Make

"St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time -- a day to begin transforming winter's dreams into summer's magic."--Adrienne Cook.

St. Patrick's Day holds special meaning for my family because my parents chose March 17^th as their wedding date. Although our family does have Irish roots somewhere down the line, we don't celebrate that heritage, but the date certainly made it easy to remember their anniversary!

Whether you have Irish heritage or not, you may want to add a little Irish charm to your St. Patrick's day wedding celebration with these simple party favor ideas you can create yourself. So get those bridesmaids and moms together, and have a ladies' day while you enjoy making these wedding favors. Don't forget the Bailey's Irish Cream, or at least brew some good Irish tea, to put you in the St. Patrick's Day mood!

Everyone knows that leprechauns have a pot of gold hidden at the end of the rainbow! While no one claims to have found one yet, you can favor your guests with their own pot of gold. Get some small cauldrons or buckets from the craft or dollar store. Fill them with gold-foil chocolate coins, and cover the pot with clear cellophane to keep the coins from spilling out. Add a favor tag with the couples' names, wedding date, and a traditional Irish blessing, such as:

"May your heart be light and happy,
May your smile be big and wide,
And may your pockets always have
a coin or two inside."

Create a cute good-luck wedding favor by spraying a small clay flowerpot in St. Patrick's Day green, or decorate the outside with shamrock stickers. Paint a gold trim around the top edge of the flowerpot to dress it up, if you like. Put a lump of florists' clay in the bottom. Get some small wooden shamrocks from the craft store, paint them green, and glue them to one end of small-diameter dowel rods. Write the couples' names and wedding date on one of the shamrocks, and stick three or four of them in each pot. Cover the florist's clay with Spanish moss. Attach a favor card with this Irish blessing:

"May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks,
May your heart be as light as a song,
May each day bring you bright, happy hours
That stay with you all the year long."

Edible treats are a popular and inexpensive choice for wedding favors. Create these yummy treats and place one at each table setting for your guests to enjoy later while they reflect on your beautiful wedding ceremony.

Use a shamrock-shaped cookie cutter to make sugar cookies and decorate them with green icing or sprinkles.

Bake mini-loaves traditional of Irish Soda Bread to send home with your guests.

Mold chocolate lollipops in traditional Irish shapes or lucky symbols such as leprechauns, shamrocks, or horseshoes.

Wrap each edible gift individually in clear cellophane tied with a green ribbon, and don't forget the favor card! Here are some more traditional Irish blessings to share with your guests:

May you live as long as you want,
and never want as long as you live."
and may we friends gathered below never fall out."

"May the roof above us never fall in,

"May you be blessed with
warmth in your home,
love in your heart,
peace in your soul
and joy in your life."