Wedding Favors & Wedding Planning

Your wedding favors can cost a substantial amount, especially when you add in the cost of packaging and decorations. Times this by a very large guest list and you could be facing a very big bill! But there are ways in which you can save money on your wedding favors as long as you begin looking for your favors early in your wedding planning .

Firstly do some research on the cost of favors and the various favor stores available to you. The majority of wedding favors retailers are online these days which provides you with an easy way of comparing stores. Check out stores which offer discounts, incentives and special offers, all of which can save you a substantial amount on your favors budget.

Making your own favors is often cheaper than buying ready made versions from favor stores. Custom cookies for example are a popular favor at the moment, but they are expensive. Making your own at home will save you money and give you unique favors personal to you. Just make sure you don’t try to do anything too elaborate or above your own capabilities.

If you are having a large wedding with a long guest list then look for wholesalers where you can save money by buying in bulk. The prices on offer at a wholesaler are often much cheaper than those in retail stores, although you will have to adhere to a minimum spend amount or quantity. Don’t worry though if you end up with more than you need, it gives you the chance to make some money back by selling them on.

Supermarkets are a good place to find wedding favors. Things like candles, coffee, tea and chocolates can all be found in store and will cost you less than buying the same product from favor stores. Things like tea and coffee will need to be decanted into small packages, however this is not difficult or time consuming. Other stores to consider for favors are gift stores, stationers, craft stores and department stores, particularly around sale time!

Be innovative with your packaging. In some cases consider whether or not you actually need packaging. Candles for instance look nice with just a piece of ribbon tied around them with your favor tag on. Packaging can contribute heavily to your budget and when you add in the cost of decorations as well, it can instantly double the cost. Reducing the amount of packaging you use also has an environmental impact.

It may seem to most that the only place to purchase wedding favors is through online specialist favor stores. However, it is worth considering other alternatives and if you begin looking for your favors early on in your wedding planning you may well find great ideas in the most unexpected places!

Choosing favors for your wedding can take time and much research to find the perfect type for your special day. Online stores offer by far the biggest range and choice but you may notice that the majority of sites are all offering the same wedding favors. If you do decide to purchase through them it is a good idea to take some time researching prices, offers and quantity discounts to get the best deals.

If you have plenty of time to go to shopping before your wedding day, then there are other places you can visit to find your favors. Here are a few suggestions:

Wholesaler – you may well have a food and drink wholesaler near to you and they are possibly the best place if you need to purchase a large quantity of favors. Wholesalers offer goods in bulk quantities at much lower prices than retail stores so you can save yourself many dollars within your budget. Typical wholesalers are food and drink and giftwares.

Supermarkets – these days supermarkets offer much more than groceries and you can pick up favors such as candles, mini soaps, coasters and mini vases. Aside from these you can also pick up packets of coffee, tea or hot chocolate which you can decant into separate favor sized bags or boxes at home. They also a good place to purchase mini cakes which you could decorate at home.

Gift Stores – these maybe slightly pricier than favor stores or other options but they can hold some hidden gems and if nothing else they can give you some ideas. If you catch them at the right time then visit them when the sales are on for some clearance bargains. It is also worth enquiring about a discount for quantity purchase, you may be surprised at how accommodating some stores can be.

Dollar Stores – the opposite end of the scale to gift stores but none the less they are great places for picking up candles, candle holders, mini photograph frames and small decorative objects. Just be mindful of quality and it is probably best to steer away from edible and beauty items unless you are sure of the quality.

As your wedding planning gathers pace you will eventually come to the moment when it is time to consider your wedding favors. Whilst choosing the type and style of your favors is a hard enough task, knowing where to shop for them can prove a difficult choice too!

It is important that when you begin your shopping you not only stick to the budget you set out at the start of your wedding planning, but that you also make sure you order your favors in time for the wedding day! Ideally you should begin looking for your favors around six months before the wedding and aim to have ordered them by at least six weeks before.

These days most brides will purchase their wedding favors through online stores. There are many sites dedicated to favors and most will compete with each other in terms of price, discounts and offers. Check out two or three of these and take note of what their shipping terms are, minimum order levels for discounts and any special offers they may have. Many sites will also tempt you to sign up for their newsletter which may also carry a further discount code once you have signed up. Signing up for newsletters is a good idea as you will be informed whenever there is new stock, new offers, discounts and sales, meaning you can take advantage as soon as they become available.

Another way to purchase your wedding favors is to shop on your local high street. Some larger bridal stores may stock a range of wedding favors, whilst stationers, gift shops and dollar stores are all good places to find things suitable as favors. Be careful with dollar stores as sometimes the quality of the product is not always that good.

Supermarkets are another place in which wedding favors can be found. Think about gourmet teas, coffees and other foods such as chocolates or candies. Non-edible items such as candles or mini soaps can also be purchased relatively cheaply from supermarkets and you don’t need to worry about them arriving in time for the wedding!

If you are having a very large wedding and need to purchase favors for a large number of guests then wholesalers are your best option. Whilst many favor stores will offer quantity discounts, wholesalers can offer you better prices on large quantities and with cheaper shipping costs. Do some research online for favor and gift wholesalers, whilst locally you may find wholesalers for a range of goods such as giftwares and food and drink.

If you become a savvy shopper you will find that you can stretch your wedding favor budget beyond your expectations and achieve stunning, memorable favors that your guests will delight in.

Weddings during the festive season make for extra special affairs, perhaps because the time of year is so strongly associated with family and reunions. So if you are planning a festive wedding then here are some ideas for festive wedding favors to delight your guests.

• Bottles of mulled wine or sachets of mulled wine spice with a recipe make for favors with a scent that is so evocative of the season. These can be even more special if you serve your guests a glass of mulled wine as a welcome drink at the reception.

• Christmas is a time when we like to indulge ourselves with an assortment of foods and confectionary. Give your guests favors consisting of festive candies such as candy canes, marzipan fruits, nuts and liquor chocolates.

• Treat your guests to some mince pies, gingerbread cookies or cinnamon cookies. You can have them iced in a festive theme as well.

• How about jars of preserves of condiments typically associated with the season. Try cranberry sauce, spiced apple sauce or preserves such as marmalade.

• Give your guests jars of homemade mincemeat as wedding favors complete with a recipe for the ultimate mince pies!

• If homemade mincemeat is not your thing then include some pastry cutters with the recipe.

• Look out for scented candles which have festive scents such as mulled wine, cinnamon and apple or pine trees.

• Christmas decorations have to be the ultimate festive wedding favor and possibly the first you thought of! Look out for personalized baubles or hanging photograph frames shaped like snowflakes.

• Check out your local Christmas shop for some unique glass baubles. Buy lots of different designs and give them out as wedding favors. The uniqueness in their design will make them treasured keepsakes for many years.

• Give your guests some festive tea light or candle holders. There will be a great range to choose from at this time of year, including stylish elegant designs and whimsical festive designs, so coordinating them to your wedding will be easy.

• The shops will also be full of stylish candles, including advent candles and carved or molded designs. Many people choose to never lit these instead using them as part of their Christmas displays every year, so they make ideal keepsakes and are perfect as wedding favors.

• Finally why not make your own CD’s of festive music. You could coordinate the songs to the style of your wedding, for instance a formal, traditional wedding could have traditional choir songs and festive hymns, whilst an informal wedding could have popular Christmas songs from the charts, such as Frosty the Snowman and Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

Wedding Favors - We specialize in discount wedding favors, wedding party favors
and wedding gifts. We have elegant bridesmaids gifts, and unique groomsmen gifts for your wedding party and favor ideas.

When trying to decide on a birthday gift for a special someone, it can take a little bit of time, especially if you are not exactly sure what your friend or loved one really wants. A gift basket is an ideal gift for someone of any age. Kids and adults alike would love to receive a basket full of goodies that they can have. Kids will be entertained for hours with all of the items you can stuff in it and adults will love the variety. Plus, giving a gift basket is not something that everyone gives and you are more likely to have an original gift idea.

Birthday gift baskets are a terrific idea because if you are giving one to a child, it can be themed to be for a child of any age and gender. I don’t know about you but I’m sure that any little girl would love to receive a gift basket full of dolls with clothes and accessories or a little boy that would be thrilled to get play cars and trucks with some chalk or coloring books. There is no limit to the type of items you can put into your gift basket. Any age child would love a gift basket from as young as 5 up through adults. Just pick age appropriate items to load the basket with and you can’t go wrong.

Giving a birthday gift basket is also a terrific idea if you are going in on a group gift. When you have more than one person putting items into the basket, you can afford to maybe spend a little more money or add a few extra items that you might not have put in if you were giving it on your own. Plus, having others chip in gifts is a great way to really stuff the basket and let the person receiving it know that you really care about them.

Whether birthday gift baskets are for adults or children, people of all ages love to receive gifts. Only your imagination can hold you back when it comes to coming up with ideas of what to put into your gift. Anything your special person loves can be made into a gift basket whether it is chocolate, nuts, golf, or even poker, a themed basket will be the hit of any party. Make their birthday a special event and give them a birthday gift basket.