During the second half of your wedding planning you will be mainly concerning yourself with the smaller details and finishing touches of your wedding day. These decorative elements also include your wedding favors, however these little gifts should be one of your first concerns as they can prove a little tricky to perfect.
Finding the right wedding favors can leave many brides frustrated and overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choice that is available on the market today. Add to that the endless amount of suggestions for homemade wedding favors and for most brides the task of picking the best can seem a fruitless one! However, if you approach your favors in the right way and early enough in your wedding planning you can achieve beautiful favors with a minimal amount of fuss.
To being with you need to go back to your wedding budget which you should have drawn up at the start of your planning and refresh your memory as to how much money you set aside for your wedding favors. This figure needs to be realistic and calculated on a per head basis rather than assigning a lump sum. It also needs to include packaging, decorations, tags, shipping (if buying mail order) and any applicable taxes.
By the time you come around to buying you favors you should have a much better idea of how guests you will need to buy for, so you can adjust the budget should you need to claw back some money because of an overspend elsewhere, or because your original budget was not enough.
Now you need to find wedding favors which coordinate with your wedding style or theme if you are having one. Discount any that do not match and which you do not like. Next you will need to consider color choices and eliminate those that do not coordinate with your wedding color scheme or which cannot be packaged to fit in.
Finally, you need to discount any that you do not like yourself. Weddings are full of the personality and taste of the couple who are getting married, that is what makes them so unique and personal. This same principle needs to be applied to your favors as well, so if you do not like it or would not appreciate receiving it yourself, take it off the list.
All things being well you should now have a list of potential which is more manageable. Assess your budget once more and consider how you will package and present your favors to your guests. Boxes, bags and tins can add $ to the cost but will help towards making your favors that little bit more unique and personal. In some cases a simple ribbon and tag is sufficient, so think carefully about how you want them to look and what you can afford to spend.
The final choice then is really down to you, it maybe that one particular favor stands out above the rest, or two or three seem to be what you are looking for. Remember, you don’t have to give each guest the same thing, and in the case of couples it can be nice if each of them receives something different. Shop around for deals and check out wholesalers if you need to buy a very large quantity, it can save you far more money than buying in bulk from favor merchants.
