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Archive for the ‘Gifts & Favors’ Category

The ladies in your life who are closest to you are the ones you’ll want as your bridesmaids. To thank them for being part of your bridal party, give them special and meaningful bridesmaid gifts. Here are some suggestions.

• Jewelry is always appreciated. You don’t have to break the bank to give each of your girls a lovely piece. Decide on what you want to give be it bracelet, ring, necklace or earrings. Then, get everyone the same thing, or a slight variation, and buy them all at the same time. You can purchase lots of lovely crystal or beaded bracelets that will fit everyone. And when you have them all shipped together, you’ll save not only on shipping but on your time running around searching for the perfect gift. Overstock.com and Ebay both offer unique jewelry pieces that are affordable and fun.
• Pampering products. Give a spa in a bag. Get nice toiletry cases and fill them with all sorts of soothing products. If the girls are staying at a hotel, they’ll be thrilled to have the extra products. Alternately, you could consider giving fluffy monogram robes.
• Gift certificates to a spa are also nice as well. They can go at a time that’s convenient for them and remember you when they’re getting pampered.
• Gift certificates to restaurants, stores, and movies are all great ideas. You can even give them gift certificates for online stores so they can shop from home.
• Monogrammed candles are lovely. They come in all types of containers and colors. You can pick a monogram for each of the girls to make the gift truly personal.
• Purses, cosmetic cases and personalized totes all make great gifts. Either have them personalized or give a tote that fits with each girl’s personality. Fill it with travel sizes of all kinds of products.
• A monogrammed self-inking stamper is a unique gift. You can order them online with each girls name and address for a lovely surprise.
• Edible gifts are all the rage right now. You can get everything from giant caramel apples covered in chocolate and candies to lollipops in the shape of bridal gowns. There’s no end to the creative and tasty treats you can find. Select something that you can’t find just anywhere like high end gourmet chocolates or online-only creations.
• Tickets to a concert or other local venue are appreciated. Try to get tickets that are good for a wide array of dates so that each girl can choose the day she’d like to go. Theatre tickets are often good for the whole run of the show (several weeks). Or offer to take them all together when you return from your honeymoon.
• Your bridesmaids will be on their feet all evening. Why not give them personalized flip flops with their names or ballet slippers in a nice pouch. They can slip into more comfy shoes when it comes time to dance. Everyone will be thanking you.

It’s up to you just how much you want to spend. If your budget is tight, you can always make something (like a batch of your best chocolate chip cookies) and wrap it in fancy packaging. Remember, it’s a token of your thanks and is not intended to be a stressful expense for you and your groom. Think simple but elegant.

Related Articles:

1. Wedding Party Gifts
2. Monogrammed Bridal Party Gifts
3. Bridesmaid Gifts on a Budget

Just because you want inexpensive wedding favors doesn’t mean they have to look cheap. With these great ideas, no one will know how little you paid for each favor. Most can be found or made for under $2. Raid the dollar store and get some good ideas too. You’ll be surprised with you find there!

Bags of Kisses

Tie some Hershey’s kisses in silver or gold netting and finish with a pretty ribbon. If you’re getting married around Halloween, you can find all sorts of bulk bags and discounts too. Craft stores will have cellophane and netting along with an array of inexpensive ribbon.

Glass Coasters

You can find coasters with every design imaginable. Find glass coasters that fit your theme and then tie in a pretty ribbon around them, and you’re done.

Shaped Favor Boxes

For pennies each you can buy favor boxes shaped in everything from handbags to brides and grooms and more. You’ll have to assemble them yourself as they will arrive flat (thereby saving on cost). But if you enlist friends and make a night of it, you can have fun putting them together and filling them with chocolates or candies.

Handmade Bookmarks

If you’re on a budget, you can use watercolor paper or card stock to make elegant bookmark favors. Use fashion scissors that cut designs into the paper to do the edges. Punch a hole and tie a nice ribbon or tassel on each one. Then you can write something on each one, rubber stamp a design or stamp your monogram or the words “thank you.”

Magnets

You can find nice magnets at discount stores that go along with your theme. For a beach wedding you might have a starfish or sail boat. For a winter wedding you might have a snowman. Once you find the magnet you like, adhere it to card stock and double it up as a place card or tie a ribbon around it as is. They’ll look charming at each place setting.

Key Rings

Order key rings in bulk in a shape that matches your theme and color scheme. You can find them at discount stores, dollar stores and online in just about every shape and size. Choose the best quality you can afford.

Photos

You can do a lot with photos using your home printer. You can personalize mugs, mouse pads and more. Or, you can take pictures of memorable places in the town you’re getting married in and create cards or stationery.

Think creatively and you will find your printer is your new best friend. For a fraction of hiring someone to print photo gifts you can do it yourself with transfer and iron on paper.

Soaps

Soaps are a really nice item to offer as a favor. Many pressed soaps are so lovely that they look much more expensive than they are. Find them in a shape and design that matches your theme. Or, if you really want to get crafty and save money, make your own soap wedding favors. You can find soap-making supplies at discount stores. They have unique molds that will allow you to hand pour your soaps. You can do the same with candles if you like. And you can even add a scent or rose petals to make them even more unique.

Related Articles:

• Cheap Wedding Tips - Frugal Ideas
• Cheap Wedding Bouquet Ideas
• Cheap Wedding Tips - Invitations

Before you decide if making your own wedding favors is the right choice for you, consider some of the finer points of the task.

• You’ll need time. You can’t rush the assembly of certain do-it-yourself favor packaging. So plan to devote a few nights to the job.
• Enlist help. If you’re doing it all by yourself it’s going to take longer than if you have a group of friends and family to assist.
• Are you crafty? Some of the do-it-yourself favor packages are quite tricky to put together. If you don’t have patience to deal with this kind of craft, think about purchasing your favors ready-made.
• Will the favors look professional when complete? Do a test run with a small batch of the wedding favors you intend to put together. Sometimes the packaging is flimsy and once you’re done bending down flaps, the box looks like it’s been through the wringer. If you don’t like the results, move on to something else.
• Go simple. If you’re already stressed about other details of the wedding, don’t add one more thing to your list. Go with a simple favor that will not require hours of your evenings and weekends to complete. Remember, it’s the thought that counts. No one will know how much time you invested but you.
• Think about cost per piece. If you can get the same thing ready-made for the same price, go for it. Your time is valuable and if the item is going to cost the same once you fill it, why not go with a pre-fab package?
• Do a durability test. Put together one or two of the packages complete with filling and see how well it travels in the back seat of your car. After all, you have to transport your favors to the reception somehow and if they won’t survive the trip, wouldn’t you like to know ahead of time? Walk away from any favor that is going to spill, break, or leak. You just don’t need the headache.
• Go with adorable packages that are easy to assemble. You can find boxes in the shape of brides and grooms that you can fill with candies easily. Use miniature glass bottles that you can fill with mints or gumballs. Just forego any tying of ribbon that could become tedious after the 87^th one.
• Anything that takes just a few seconds to put together is your best bet. Think votive holders where you just need to pop in a candle. Or choose a silk sachet bag that you can fill with chocolates. Favor boxes that require you only to come up with the contents are also a great choice. If it’s a fill and go kind of favor, it’s a good idea.
• Craft stores are a great resource for DIY wedding favors. You can find tins to fill with goodies, bubbles and swans that you can incorporate into the decor, glass containers of every kind that you can fill with things like heart-shaped candies or gumballs. Browse around. You’ll find that the wedding aisle has many bows already formed to save you time. Lots of shortcuts are there on the shelves ready for the taking.

Think about your time and resources before you plan to do your favors yourself. They’re a good, cost-effective idea if you have the patience and drive to complete them.

Related Articles:

Quick and Easy DIY Wedding Favor Ideas

How to Make Your Own Personalized Wedding Favor Tags

Since many wedding couples are already far along in their careers these days, it’s not uncommon for them to want to give to charity. Often, instead of including wedding favors that will be forgotten a few minutes after the wedding, the couples look to do good and donate the money they would have spent on favors to a charity of their choosing.

The way it works is that the bride and groom pick a charity. They often choose one that has some personal meaning or connection for them. Say one person’s grandparent died of pancreatic cancer or another member of the family suffered from brain injury or leukemia. The bride and groom would then contact the charity pertaining to that area, such as one for pancreatic cancer research.

There are many worthy organizations out there, so it is often hard for the bride and groom to whittle it down to just one selection. But often it can come down to a love of pets (donate to an animal shelter) or a favorite pastime (sending underprivileged kids to tennis camp). There’s no wrong way to choose a charity recipient as long as it’s meaningful to the couple.

How the wedding couple handles the donation notices is up to them. Many organizations now provide printed cards for brides and grooms to put at each guest’s place setting (such as WishUponaWedding.org). These cards have information explaining that the bride and groom will donate to the charity in lieu of wedding favors. Usually no monetary amount is placed on the card and the bride and groom just cut one check to the organization in the amount of their choosing. But if it is a substantial amount, it’s okay to write that “$XX has been donated to the pancreatic research foundation in honor of our wedding guests.”

Many times, the brides and grooms will make the place cards themselves. These can be printed out from a computer and then cut and adorned with a ribbon or other embellishment. Some brides will also choose to add an inexpensive bulk candy or after dinner mint as well to the card. But adding too much extra can suck up extra dollars and defeat the whole purpose of giving the favor money to charity.

If money is not an object and the couple has the money, it’s perfectly okay for them to write or type up a note card telling where the donation will go and also include a small favor. It’s the sentiment behind it that matters. But most brides and grooms won’t find themselves in the situation of having too much money to spend on their wedding.

If you only have a few dollars to spend on the donation, make that donation in whatever amount you can and leave any mention of the dollar amount off the favor card. And don’t feel you have to do anything more than print out a little card. That is the whole reason behind choosing a donation in the first place. It will cost you less to do a donation than to buy batches of favors, ribbon, labels, etc. So do it your way and donate. No one will even miss that little favor and they’ll be glad they could be involved with a good cause.

Not sure what a good charity would be? Check out this article on some of the best charities to give to.

It used to be, in the days before active conservationists came on the scene, that rice was the thing to throw at weddings. No one gave it a second thought. It was supposed to signify good luck and prosperity to the happy couple. But instead, it was discovered that birds were eating the grains of rice and their bellies were becoming swelled. Apparently rice isn’t the best food for birds.

So careful brides switched over to bird seed. Wrapped in tulle or little bags, the birdseed can be fun and healthy for the birds at the same time. But it can be a little messy. Who wants to end up with bird seed in their expensive hairdo?

An alternative that finally makes sense is the inclusion of wedding bubbles. At the end of the ceremony, as the bride and groom exit the church, guests can blow bubbles at the departing couple. This solves all the problems!

Neatly packaged bubbles now exist for brides to purchase. They can be done up in ribbons or left as is. They now come in little white bottles in the shape of hearts or in other festive shapes. They include a tiny wand and soap bubble solution. Brides can now order them in bulk online for just pennies each. These cute little containers can be used as wedding favors to give away or just be used at the ceremony.

Some brides choose to wrap a bow or ribbon in their theme color around the tops of the bottles. It can be a cute touch, but if you find that your time is limited, you may want to skip this step. If you can’t imagine sitting down and tying ribbons to 150-300 miniature bottles, then skip the ribbon. They’ll look just as festive as is.

Bubbles are a nice way to go as there is no messy clean up. There’s also a nice photo opportunity when the bubbles are being blown. Instead of a whirling mass of birdseed flying in the air, guests will be seen oohing and ahhing over the lovely bubbles floating over the bride’s and groom’s heads. And the fun usually breaks out as guests turn into kids again and start blowing bubbles at each other, too.

It’s a great way to add levity to your ceremony and reception. Bubbles lend an air of freedom and lightheartedness. It sets the tone that the reception may be formal, but it won’t be stuffy. Guests just love when they see bubbles. There’s something about being allowed to blow bubbles in public that makes everyone giggle. Be sure to save several for your flower girl and ring bearer as they’ll really stay entertained by them.

You can shop online under “wedding bubbles” or you can go to a crafts store and pick up bundles of the little bottles all set to go. They usually come in packages of six or nine and are just a few dollars per pack. They have even shown up at the dollar store in the favors aisle. So you can cross off expensive birdseed packets from your list. These beauties are just a few cents each to bring home and they have a lot of eye appeal. It’s one trend that’s worth trying out.

More Popular Wedding Trends:

• The Wedding Sand Ceremony Trend
• Wedding Centerpiece Trends
• Wedding Cake Trends
• A New Trend Photobooths at the Reception
• Wedding Cake Topper Trends

After all the time and money these girls have spent to make your wedding memorable, it’s your turn to give something back to your lovely bridesmaids! The only question is “what?”

There are many routes to go when deciding on what to give your bridal party. Each gift can be personalized and unique, or they can all match one another. Maybe even a little bit of both. Some brides do a little DIY project to show their gratitude, and some go all out. Either way – it’s up to you.

Tips and Ideas on Bridesmaids Gifts

1. Budget! Remember that you are still the one holding the wedding. Make sure your bridesmaids’ gifts don’t affect your wedding budget. It’s still your day, so don’t sacrifice one to make another one happy. There are ways for everybody to win! If you are really tight on budget, go the DIY route. Or scour the internet for deals and sales to maximize your savings! Some online retailers, such as ShopNBC, offer payment plans such as ValuePay. And don’t forget coupon codes!
2. If you want to get your bridal party matching gifts, ensure that your Maid of Honor gets a little something extra. After all the extra work she’s put in, she deserves it. For example, if you’re getting your bridal party silver necklaces, show your appreciation for your MOD with a bit of gold jewelry!
3. If none of your bridesmaids are alike, get them something different. Let’s take it back and use Spice Girls for example! For Posh, a make-up kit from Sephora or a set of brushes from Mac would be great. For Sporty Spice, perhaps a duffel bag filled with LuluLemon bras and exercising gear? You get the idea, right?
4. Would you rather treat your girls with a night out on the town? Treating them all out to dinner can be nice (and a bit expensive) but they can’t take anything away from it, unless you count next morning’s hangover. Make sure if you do a dinner, add in a trinket as a keepsake.
5. Spa days are always appreciated. Instead of having your ladies pay for their wedding primping, take care of it yourself! They have to get their nails’ done for the wedding anyway! Plan a spa day one or two days prior to the wedding. This way, all you have to do is relax. Start off with a soak in a hot tub – chat it up with your girls while warming your muscles. Next, get rid of all yours and their tension with a nice long massage. Finally, get your mani-pedis so that they will still be in perfect condition for the day ahead! You and your girls will thank your wallet. It definitely will be money well spent!

Your bridal party is a very important part of your wedding day. They’ll be indispensable helpers scurrying around taking care of small details. So, how do you repay them?

While no bridesmaid or groomsman expects a gift, you’re probably going to want to give something memorable and unique as a token of your thanks. The gifts can range from large to small. But what dictates how much you spend?

With times being as they are, brides and grooms are often paying for their own weddings. Every penny is accounted for and often the couple has worked long hours of overtime to come up with the cash to host the wedding they want. So, the biggest deciding factor in how much you spend on bridal party gifts is your own budget.

If you can afford to, spend $100 on each member of the bridal party. That’s a nice round number that will give you many tasteful and elegant options. But if that amount makes you cringe, there’s no rule that says you have to spend any set amount. It’s up to you.

Cut Corners Elsewhere

Consider your big expenses. Chances are the bulk of your cash is going for the reception. You’ll have to pay for meals, alcohol, decorations, a band or DJ, the cake, and more. Where can you pull from your budget for favors and gifts?

If you’re trying to trim down your expenses so you can spend more on your bridesmaids gifts and groomsmen gifts, a good place to start is with the bar. Who says you have to have an open bar with every kind of liquor imaginable? Why not pare that down to wine, beer and soda? That will save you a bundle. Then you can splurge a little more on your bridal party.

Another good place to cut is by doing the decorations yourself. You’ll save a bundle if you do the wedding centerpieces yourself out of natural or crafting materials. And if you can manage to do all the flowers through a wholesale florist, you’ll save another bundle.

How about wedding invitations? Why not order a wedding invitation kit online and make them yourself? You'll save lots and they will still look great.

If you’re still coming up short, why not do the music yourselves? Download tunes to your iPod and plug it into the restaurant’s sound system. You’ll save tons that you would have spent on a DJ or band. Of course, the results won’t be exactly the same. But perhaps an outgoing or funny brother or uncle could take over the mic and emcee for the evening to make it a little more professional?

There are many ways you can pinch a few pennies in order to get your bridal party some really nice gifts. But in the end, you can give a thoughtful gift without going overboard. Only spend the amount that feels right to you. After you’ve factored in all the other expenses you will have, then consider the gifts. If you’re getting stressed  by all the money you are spending on everything else, keep the bridal party’s presents down to a small memento. There are wonderful bridal party gifts you can find online at a discount that are every bit as thoughtful as a more expensive gift. Get creative. You can make scrapbooks of your fun times together or give snapshots in nice frames. And in years to come, your party will remember the great time they had and not just the gifts they got.

More DIY Ideas:

• Quick and Easy DIY Wedding Favor Ideas
• DIY Bridal Shower Invitations
• DIY Flower Ideas for the Budget Bride
• Do It Yourself (DIY) Fall Wedding Favors
• Cheap Wedding Bouquet Ideas

You may be wondering just what to get the special ladies in your life who will be your bridesmaids. Some of the gift ideas out there just aren’t personal enough. You want to give your best friends something they’ll love and want to use. Why not create a personalized tote bag? It’s the perfect gift because you can fill it with things they’ll need on their wedding day. Then, they can continue to use and enjoy it long after the festivities are over.

If you are naturally crafty, this will be easy for you. But even if you are not, one trip to the craft store will have you well on your way to success. Some kits have come out recently that provide everything you need to make one tote bag. They can be found in larger craft stores. They are usually near the crocheting and knitting aisle along with the sewing notions. Pick up a kit and you’re all set. There are no-sew kits and ones that do require sewing, so select based on your comfort level with the sewing machine.

These kits contain beautiful fabric. You can get a different one for each girl or choose all the same pattern so they match. You can match their dresses, or just choose a fabric that you like. The kit will have directions and all the notions you need to complete a bag.

But what if you can’t find a kit or would rather go a different route? You can also choose pre-made canvas bags, also found at the craft store. They come in all sizes, and are mostly carried only in off-white. You can either leave the tote bag in its natural form, or you can dye it with fabric dye. Make each bag a different color, or dye them all to match the bridesmaids’ dresses. These bags are fun because you can personalize them. Try adding fabric rose trim or use fabric paint to write each of their names. Use buttons or sequins to add embellishments. You can choose from iron-on letters that spell out “bridesmaid” or their own names as well. Add anything you like that suits the recipient’s personality.

Once your bags are created, you’ll want to fill them. Think about what your girls might need on the wedding day. Go to a discount or dollar store and select travel sizes of the items you want to include. No one wants to lug a tote of full-sized products around. Especially if your girls have traveled to attend your wedding, the personalized tote bag of supplies is greatly appreciated. Some things you can include are:

• Water bottle
• Deodorant
• Nail file
• Nail clipper
• Clear nail polish (to stop runs in panty hose)
• Breath mints or gum
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Travel hair brush
• Lipstick in basic color that matches the dresses
• Hairspray
• Pony tail holders
• Trail mix or other snack

No matter what you choose to include, your girls will love your thoughtfulness. Tote bags are great ideas because they serve a purpose on your wedding day as well as on the trip home and long after the wedding day has passed. Tuck in a special thank you card telling each girl how much she means to you. And don’t forget to make a little tote as a flower girl gift!

More Bridesmaid Gifts:

• Cheap Bridesmaids Gifts
• Bridesmaid Gift Ideas
• Great Bridesmaid Gifts
• Monogrammed Bridal Party Gifts

Weddings are a time of fun and enjoyment for the whole family.  Wedding favors can sometimes be a difficult task, but themed weddings often make this task a bit simpler.  When you have opted for a true fairytale wedding and mimicked the Cinderella wedding of your childhood bedtime story, then the favor options can be just plain fun. What better way is there to give Cinderella wedding favors that represents the happily ever after that we all hope for when we say “I do.”

Candy holders

Tables at receptions are often adorned with candles, bells for toasting, and candies.  These settings provide a perfect opportunity to have fun with wedding favors.  Continuing with the Cinderella theme, perhaps pumpkin carriage candy holders or glass shoe favors filled with individuals chocolates could be placed thoughtfully around each table.

Silverware and glasses

Glass and Cinderella go hand-in-hand, so take advantage and make your wedding favors sparkle.  Consider inexpensive glasses etched with a special quote, the name of the bride and groom, the Cinderella castle, or just the date of the wedding.  These make wonderful, reusable gifts that will be cherished for many years to come.  Symbolic of a marriage, they require special care so that the fragile nature is not harmed.

Prince Charming

The prince and his white horse represent every young girl’s dream of being whisked away to a happy ever after.  There are a number of wedding favors that make use of the symbolic prince.  From key chains to silverware; from decorative tins to candle holders, the prince and his trusty horse can be found in a myriad of adorable forms.  All can make a special little statement about the dreams of yesterday and the dreams for tomorrow.

The Castle

Okay, so maybe you aren’t being whisked away to go live in a giant castle, but that doesn’t mean that the fabled structure can’t make an appearance on your big day.  Just as with the prince, there are many items that feature the Cinderella castle.  Votives, snow globes, Christmas tree ornaments, and even crystals to hang in a window can make gorgeous favors and fun ways to spread the theme.

Clocks

They represent time, an essential element in life and a wonderful way to mark the special moments in our life.  It was also an important piece in the Cinderella story, as the slave to her stepmother races against the clock, dreading the moment the clock strikes midnight. Clocks as wedding favors can symbolize the time that was, the time that is, and the times to come.

Fairy Godmother

A very famous character of late, given her appearances in the Shrek series, the fairy godmother is one that can make a wonderful, easily found, wedding favor theme.   From figurine salt and pepper wedding favors to magic wands for the younger attendees, the fairy godmother theme can offer a variety of stunning gift ideas.  You might even consider “fairy dust” to throw at the bride and groom as they leave for their honeymoon.

For more fairytale wedding ideas, try some of the following articles:

• Fairytale Castle Wedding Cakes
• Cinderella Themed Wedding Cakes

These days the average wedding can cost over $30,000! That’s enough for a down payment on a house! Just because a bride and groom are throwing a lavish wedding, though, does that mean your gift has to be ultra expensive as well?

Your wedding gift basket to a couple should not be based on how fancy their wedding is. Why would you give your sister who married in a country backyard affair any less than your best friend who married at the Ritz? Instead of deciding how much to give based on the style of the wedding, you should give your gift based on how close you are to the bride and groom. Gift more for a family member, less for a co-worker. You get the idea.

But still, how much is not enough? And how much is over the top? That depends on your individual budget. Are you employed and successful? Are you a grad student? These factors will have to be considered when gifting.

If you’re uncertain, go by this rule of thumb: $100 is the base point to start with. Going under is fine as long as you are comfortable with it. And of course, you can go over if you have the means.

For example, imagine you are very close to the bride and groom, but you’re also a grad student. You can offer a wedding gift that looks more expensive than it was. Check out their registry and see the kinds of things they like. Then choose a gift similar to it from a discount venue like QVC, HSN or Overstock.com. Many times you can get the identical or almost the same item for half the price. Wrap it up and ship it to the bride’s home. Don’t show up at the reception with large packages that the bride and groom will have to carry home. Mail them ahead with a nice card.

You can also opt to pool your cash for a nicer gift. If you’re college buddies with the groom, get a bunch of your other friends who are also invited to chip in for a bigger gift. Choose off the registry. Items like that cappuccino maker that would have been over your budget will be doable when you all go in on it. When you’re all agreed on what to get, you can send money to one person who will be the designated shopper.

You can do this via check in the mail or even via sites like PayPal that allow you to transfer money to anyone online. The gift can then be shipped directly to the groom or bride and no one has to lug anything. Just be sure to track it so you know it arrived safely. And don’t ship large items to city apartments where no one will be home all day. If that’s the case, ship to the bride’s mom and dad for safety.

There are lots of options when you’re low on cash, especially if you’re asked to attend several weddings over a short period of time. Get creative, and you’ll never have to worry about exact dollar amounts. Just be sure that if you have to turn down an invite that you still send a wedding gift. Just because you’re not going doesn’t mean you’re excused from giving a gift. Just give what you can comfortably afford.

For some budget friendly wedding gift ideas, try this article on How to Make a Wedding and Honeymoon Gift Basket.