Wedding Favors & Wedding Planning

Traditionally we associate crackers with Christmas, but they are a perfect design for wedding favors too. They are many companies now who will stock a range of wedding crackers to give as favors & many will offer the option to build your own by choosing your own papers, novelties & mottos.

Usually a cracker will consist of a snap (the bit that goes bang when you pull it), a motto or joke, a novelty/toy/gift & for Christmas crackers a paper hat. The beauty of using crackers for your wedding favors mean that your guests will be wowed to see something so elegant adorning their place settings & they will have great fun pulling them too. Crackers also offer up the potential to get guests interacting with each other & therefore creating a party atmosphere that is so often desired at weddings.

So what are your options for wedding favor crackers?

Ready Made – as mentioned earlier many cracker companies produce crackers for weddings, corporate functions & other occasions. However you will be restricted to a set choice of designs & inclusions, which can make coordinating them to your wedding style a difficult task.

Build-Your-Own – many of the aforementioned companies will also offer a build-your-own service where you can choose from a range of paper designs & inclusions. However, again you will be restricted to the choices they have in stock.

DIY Crackers – this one is for the creative brides amongst you, although they are not difficult to do. You will find cracker kits or components for sale through cracker companies & specialist craft stores. Generally they will consist of a card inner & a snap & perhaps a printable set of motto papers. It is then up to add your own gift & assemble the whole cracker with your choice of papers & decorations.

Making is probably the best option for most brides who want crackers as wedding favors as it gives them total freedom to coordinate them with their wedding. It is advisable to choose your cracker kit/components first so you know how big the cavity will be inside. Then you can choose your gift accordingly.

Scrapbook papers offer a fabulous range of patterns & styles to choose from allowing you to create some truly beautiful & unique favors. You can then decorate with ribbons, stick on gems & embellishments such as flowers.

For your motto you could simply have a thank message or choose something more unique:

· A poem

· An original piece of prose or poem written by yourself

· A joke

· A fortune

· A saying or anecdote

Wedding favor crackers make for entertaining & unique favors which will delight your guests & provide an elegant finishing touch for your reception tables.

Remember crackers are not just for Christmas – they are for weddings as well!

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Flowers are synonymous with wedding so what better gift for your wedding favors then one with a floral theme? Here are just a few ideas for floral wedding favors which you could give to your guests.

Flower seeds – an obvious one really! Choose varieties which match those flowers you have ordered for your wedding, just make sure that they can be grown in the local climate or grown successfully indoors. Exotic flowers may not do so well in a colder climate!

You will find packets of seeds available from may favor stores & you can customize the packet with your names, wedding date & monogram. Alternatively buy your seeds in bulk from a garden center & present them in little tins with a personalized sticker on top. If you wanted your seeds to be presented in a more natural way, purchase some Hessian bags or linen ones in a natural color to put your seeds in. Just make sure the fabric weave is not too open or all the seeds will fall out!

Miniature Potted Plants – for another nice favor idea why not give small potted plants? Look for miniature roses, violets, primulas, gerberas & violas. Put them in nice terracotta plant pots or ceramic ones from a wholesaler & add some ribbon & a thank you tag.

Flower Bulbs – a box of two bulbs is a nice natural gift or if you are green fingered you could get them started yourself at home & present them in small pots ready to plant on. Varieties of daffodil, narcissi & tulips are popular choices.

Candles – for a non natural favor try candles in flower shapes such as tulips, blossoms or roses. As an added bonus buy floral scented ones.

Alternatively buy tea lights & present them in flower shaped holders.

Scented Sachets – make some scented sachets to place in drawers or to hang in wardrobes. You can make them from scraps of fabric such as silk, satin, velvet or linen & fill them with dried lavender, rose buds & potpourri. You can then trim them with ribbon, lace or beads as you like. You can also make some for the male guests by using fragrances such as cedar or sandalwood.

Decorating with flowers – if you would rather decorate your wedding favors with flowers instead of giving a floral themed favor then there are a number of options to choose from.

Flower designed packaging – look for rose embossed boxes, boxes made from flower patterned papers or even boxes shaped like flowers.

Flower embellishments – add some silk or paper flowers to the top of your boxes or use fresh flower heads. You must remember to add these as late as possible to stand a chance of them not wilting before the reception. Try using large gerbera heads on top of boxes for a modern touch. Or rose buds for a romantic wedding style.

Stickers – design or purchase some flower stickers or labels for your favors. Another idea is to use ordinary stickers & add a floral motif or graphics to them.