WEDDINGS FAVORS, WEDDING GAMES & ACTIVITIES

Last Minute Wedding Favors

2008-06-06T01:35:00.000-07:00

Couples who are in the process of planning their wedding and neglect to shop for wedding favors early on in the process may find themselves scrambling at the last minute for wedding favors. This often happens as the wedding planning progresses and the couple gets caught up in other details. Time can often seem to fly by during the process of planning a wedding and the couple may keep putting off the process of shopping for wedding favors until the last minute. When this happens it can seem stressful but it is important to remember that all hope is not lost and the couple can still provide great wedding for their guests even when shopping at the last minute. This article will provide some great information on how couples can still give their guests great wedding favors even when they are shopping at the last minute.

The first thing to remember when shopping for last minute wedding favors is that you will likely have to face the fact that personalized wedding favors will not likely be possible. This includes favors which include the names of the bride and groom as well as the wedding date such as candy bars with customized wrappers or candle holders with a personal message. Purchasing these types of wedding favors often involve a lead time of at least a couple of weeks. This means you will have to order the items a few weeks before you need them. If you are last minute shopping for your wedding favors you will not likely have this much time available. While there are many wedding favor distributors who will be willing to rush the order for you, they will also likely charge you very high fees for this service. The cost of rushing the wedding favor may more than double the price of the favor.

If you are seeking last minute wedding favors, one great idea is candy. Giving candy as wedding favors can be incredibly quick and easy. You can purchase gift bags from stores which sell wedding supplies and fill these bags with some of your favorite candies. You can purchase the candy in bulk and divide it up into the smaller bags. Candies such as miniature chocolate bars, hard candies or other individually wrapped candies are all appropriate for this use.

Flowers are another great last minute wedding favor idea. If you are already planning to have floral centerpieces, your florist may be able to supply one additional flower for each guest in attendance. This is a very simple gift but it is also extremely appropriate as a wedding favor. Flowers are often used as symbols of love so giving a favor of a flower is an excellent idea for a wedding. It will also likely closely match the centerpieces so the wedding favors will actually help to contribute to the décor at the wedding reception as well as serving as a favor for the guests.

Finally, if you are in need of a last minute wedding favor you can have keys made for each of your guest. You can use a ribbon to attach a note to each key informing your guests that you wish they will keep in touch through the years and that your home will always be open to them. The key you give them does not have to be an actual copy of the key to your house but can rather serve as a symbolic gesture that you will always be available if they need you.

Do You Have To Give Wedding Favors?

2008-06-06T01:34:00.000-07:00

The question of whether or not you have to give wedding favors to your guests is a very common one. However, there is no easy answer to this question. While it is true that you technically are not required to give your guests any type of wedding favor at your wedding, it is also true that your guests will likely be expecting to receive a favor. This is what makes the matter more complicated. You may not be obligated to give out wedding favors but your guests may be offended if you decide not to do so. This article will take a look at the question of whether or not you have to give wedding favors to your guests and will provide some tips for giving out wedding favors on even the tightest budget.

As we discussed in the opening paragraph, wedding favors are in no way obligatory but that does not mean that guests still do not expect to receive a wedding favor when they attend a wedding. There are a couple of reasons for this. One of the most obvious reasons why guests expect to receive a wedding favor is that it is such a common practice that the majority of the weddings they have attended in the past have included a wedding favor. The other reason why guests expect to receive a wedding favor is that the purpose of a wedding favor is for the couple to express their gratitude to the guests for attending the wedding and reception. Although the couple will likely still send out thank you cards to all of the guests after the wedding, giving a small wedding favor is another way the couple can thank their guests for their support.

You may wonder why a couple would consider not giving wedding favors at their wedding. In most cases the simple answer to this question is that the couple is on a very tight budget and feels as though purchasing wedding favors for each of the guests will put them over budget. This is a very valid concern as it is important to remember that although wedding favors may be fairly inexpensive, this unit price must be multiplied by the number of guests in attendance. For example you may select a favor which costs only $2 per favor but you may be expecting 400 guests at your wedding. This means the costs of the favors alone will be $800 which may not even include the costs associated with shipping or wrapping the wedding favors. While we certainly understand the importance of budgets we believe the couple should incorporate a budget for wedding favors into their overall budget before the planning begins. This will help to ensure there is enough money available to give each guest a wedding favor as a token of gratitude.

When the couple is concerned about budget it is important to remember that wedding favors do not need to be expensive or extravagant. One simple way to make wedding favors more affordable is to give a wedding favor of a single flower to each guest. If you are already planning to have floral centerpieces you can discuss your options with your florist beforehand. You will likely be able to negotiate and affordable price for this favor because you are already purchasing your centerpieces from the florist. Selecting one flower used in the centerpiece and having your florist supply enough of these to give as favors is a really nice way to tie the centerpieces and the favors together. Alternately you might want to give each of your guests an artificial version of one of the flowers used in your centerpiece. These can be rather inexpensive and can also serve as a lasting reminder of your wedding.

Another way to keep wedding favors more affordable is to discuss your options with wedding favor distributors carefully. Many of them likely have closeout items available as well as discount items. Closeout items are items which have been discontinued but the distributor may have enough in stock for all of the guests at your wedding. Additionally, they may be willing to offer you a discount if you are purchasing a large number of favors.

Delegating the Responsibility of Selecting Wedding Favors

2008-06-06T00:57:00.000-07:00

For many couples shopping for and selecting wedding favors can seem like an overwhelming task. There are a number of reasons why couples might feel this way. One of the most significant reasons why a couple may feel overwhelmed about selecting their wedding favors is simply because they have so much to do while planning their wedding. There are a number of important details such as selecting a location, choosing centerpieces, coordinating the catering and other details that couples may simply just have too much to do. For these couples it might be a good idea for the couple to delegate the responsibility of selecting the wedding favors to a trusted friend or family member. Of course this is only a viable option if the couple is willing to allow their friend or family member complete freedom to select the wedding favors. If they are constantly trying to oversee the effort it will cause additional stress. This article will examine the concept of delegating the responsibility of selecting wedding favors to a friend or family member and will offer some advice on how to do this and still ensure you will be thrilled with the wedding favors your guests receive at your wedding.

The most important thing to remember when delegating the responsibility of selecting wedding favors to a friend or family member is that you have to carefully discuss your budget with the friend or family member beforehand. The person responsible for selecting the wedding favors should know exactly how much you can afford to spend on wedding favors so they do not exceed this amount. They should also have a good idea of how much you would like to spend on wedding favors is this number is less than the absolute most you are willing to spend. For example you may have $1000 available to spend on wedding favors but you may prefer to spend only $750 if possible.

Another factor to consider when delegating the responsibility of selecting wedding favors is your own personal taste and preferences. You should discuss your preferences for wedding favors with the person in charge of selecting them beforehand to ensure they will be seeking out wedding favors which you will like. One way to do this is to do a little research before delegating the responsibility. This way you can provide your friend or family member with a few favors which you like as examples of the type of favor you would like to give. This way they will have a good idea of the types of favors you are looking for and will likely select something you will think is appropriate.

Finally, if your friend or family member will not only be selecting the wedding favors for you but also making the purchase, you should make sure they are well aware of how many guests you are expecting and how many favors you would like to purchase. This is very important because it will help to make sure you do not find yourself with too few favors or that your friend or family member doesn’t order too many favors. The number of guests will also be important in the process of selecting wedding favors because this relates closely to your budget. However, if you do not want to give your friend or family member this information or are unsure of how many guests to expect you can give them a budget for the costs of each individual favor instead of an overall budget.

Easy Wedding Favors

2008-05-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

While wedding favors may be one of the simplest part of planning a wedding, they can also be the part of the wedding which is often left until the last minute. This can make shopping for wedding favors quite stressful. However, fortunately, there are a number of different options for wedding favors which are very easy to do at the last minute. This is important because it can take a great deal of stress out of realizing the wedding is rapidly approaching and wedding favors have not yet been purchased. This article will provide a few simple ideas for really easy wedding favors.

Using flowers as wedding favors is undoubtedly one of the easiest wedding favors you can give to your guests. There is virtually no preparation involved in this wedding favor and depending on how many guests you have at the wedding you may not have to order the favors well in advance. You might consider giving your guests a single red rose as a favor. This is extremely appropriate because a rose is a symbol of love. It is also very easy because it does not have to be wrapped. You can simply purchase one rose for each guest and have a member of the catering hall staff or a friend or family member place one rose across each place setting after the tables have been set for the wedding. You can also select a flower which is used in your centerpiece and instruct your florist to place one flower at each place setting when they arrange the centerpieces.

Candy can also be an extremely easy wedding favor. There are a number of ways to give candy as wedding favors such as giving each guest a small tin or basket filled with candy. However, there is an even easier way to give candy as a wedding favor and also help you to save money on centerpieces. This can be accomplished by using large bowls filled with different types of candy as the centerpieces on each table. You can then provide each guest with a small bag and a note encouraging them to enjoy the candy in the centerpiece. Your guests will fill up the bags with the candy in the centerpieces making this an extremely easy gift which does not involve wrapping a favor for each guest.

Pictures frames are a very easy wedding favor especially if they are used as place card holders. Pictures frames are often used as wedding favors but must people spend a great deal of time wrapping each favor individually to create a beautiful presentation for the guests. However, this is not the only way to give a gift of picture frames. Wrapping each frame individually can be very time consuming and can create a great deal of additional stress for the bride and the groom if they are struggling to get a lot of last minute things done in the days before the wedding. However, if you use the picture frames to hold the place cards, you do not have to worry about wrapping the favors for your guests. This makes it significantly easier to give a favor of picture frames.

One final idea for a very easy wedding favor is to give each guest a digital photo of themselves at the wedding. You can accomplish by hiring a photographer to take a picture of each couple as they arrive at the wedding reception. You can request that the photographer bring a high speed printer along to print the photos out quickly. This way you can distribute the photos before your guests begin to leave the reception. This is a great idea for a wedding favor because your guests will likely be dressed up and will appreciate the opportunity to pose for a professional photo. You can even ask the photographer if it is possible to put together a quick slideshow presentation which the guests can view after all of the photos have been taken. This way the guests not only get a personal memento of the wedding but they also get the opportunity to see how the photos turned out for all of the other guests as well.

Cheap Wedding Favors

2008-05-29T02:09:00.000-07:00

Depending on the size of your wedding the budget for your wedding favors can be very important. This is important because you may be planning on allowing for one favor for each guest or one for each couple. Whichever you decide to do, if you are having a large number of guests it may greatly impact the amount you can afford to spend on each favor. If you are only have a few guests you may be able to splurge on more expensive favors. However, if you are having a large number of guests on a limited budget you should consider searching for cheap wedding favor ideas.

Candles are one of the simplest ideas for cheap wedding favors. You can find simple candles available at very affordable prices. You might even consider purchasing personalized ribbons to tie pretty bows around the candles. These ribbons can usually be ordered and may include your names and the wedding date. This may sound like a pricey item but if you purchase these ribbons on a reel instead of precut it can be very affordable. A simple taper candle tied with your personalized ribbon can be placed at each place setting to create a really inexpensive wedding favor.

Candy is another cheap wedding favor idea. You find a number of different ways to give out candy as an inexpensive wedding favor. One way to do this is to purchase a pretty fabric and some ribbon, cut the fabric into small squares, put a few small pieces of candy on each square and pull the corners together and tie with the ribbon. This is not only a very inexpensive wedding favor idea but it is also a very simple idea which can be assembled at the last minute. Another way to use candy as a wedding favor is to purchase small tins and fill them with the candy of your choice. You can purchase the candy in bulk to keep the price down and separate the candy into small portions for each guest. A final way to give candy as a wedding favor is to buy candy bars with personalized wrappers. The wrappers can include your name and wedding date and even a picture of the two of you. This can be very affordable especially if you are ordering in bulk and are only using one design for the wrappers.

Packets of flower or vegetable seed also make great wedding favors which are also very inexpensive. You can stack up a few different types of seeds and tie each with a ribbon to create an attractive presentation which will not blow your budget. Another way to give flower or vegetable seeds as a wedding favor is to put the seeds in a small pot. The pot does not have to be big enough to grow the flower or vegetable it is merely a symbolic gift so it can be rather small. The pot only needs to be large enough to hold the packets of seeds. This is important because small pots can be purchased rather inexpensively while larger pots will be significantly more expensive.

Another great idea for a wedding favor which is also very affordable is pen with the names of the bride and groom as well as the wedding date inscribed on the pen. These can often be purchased for very little and can be paired with stationary and a note encouraging your guests to stay in touch. This is such a great idea for a wedding favor because it is something your gests can really use plus by including some stationary and a note encouraging the guest to stay in touch you are letting them know you truly value their friendship. You might want to even consider including a self addressed stamped envelop with the favor so your guest will be more likely to follow your suggestion and send you at least a short note after the wedding.

Tips for Finding Beautiful Fall Wedding Bouquets

2007-06-01T02:02:00.000-07:00

by: Morgan Hamilton

June has been known to be the most popular month for getting married and late spring/early summer the most popular season. However, recently the number of couples willing to have a fall wedding has been significantly increasing. The fall wedding has two great advantages over the traditional summer one - firstly, it is less expensive because of the lower demand for wedding rentals, reception, caterers; secondly it is much more beautiful, in my opinion. It is true that the weather might be a bit unpredictable but nothing can be compared with the explosion of fall colors as a background setting for the perfect wedding.

One of the most important things in a wedding is the bridal bouquet. They can be very different - from a single red rose to a splendid and very expensive bouquet of nosegays ornamented with gems and pearls. Apart from the wedding attire, the wedding bouquet is the second most important item that all the guests see. Fall wedding bouquets vary from the summer ones, not only in the types of flowers put but also the colours combined in the bouquets.

Today's modern weddings have some sort of color scheme and this is applied for autumn weddings, as well. Many fall weddings often choose orange, yellow and red into the flowers and decorations, so that they could incorporate the beauty of the marvellous fall colours. The above-mentioned colours are also used in the wedding bouquets placing the fall colour explosions in the hands of the bride.

White, yellow and orange roses are most frequently used for fall wedding bouquets, calla lilies, as well. It is a good idea when you design your fall wedding bouquet not to put too many flowers in fall colours or your bouquet will be just like the trees outside. You only have to make a hint in a shade of orange, yellow or red. You should have many white flowers in your bouquet and some fall coloured. That way you will combine contemporary colour with traditional elegance.

After you get the fall wedding bouquet set, you should concentrate on the flowers used for the ceremony and the reception. Usually all the other flowers match the wedding bouquet but don't feel obliged to follow this tradition. Of course, you should try to design the other flowers in such a way that they coordinate with the bridal bouquet. Don't forget to use your imagination and combine coordinating colors and types of flowers in a way you like it. This is how you will have fun while creating a custom feel to the flower arrangements for your wedding day.

About The Author
Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning wedding. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting http://www.weddingsparks.com/weddings/weddings/tips-for-finding-beautiful-fall-wedding-bouquets.html

Wedding Day Countdown

2007-06-01T01:52:00.000-07:00

by: Yolanda Nash

So your having a wedding. Are you ready? Do you have everything organized? Well if not I have compiled a list of all the things you need to take care of and the precise timing it should be done.

10-12 months before:

Announce your engagement
Arrange a meeting with both sides of the family
Decide on a wedding date
Discuss your budget with everyone involved in the wedding
If using a wedding planner ask around for recommendations and start the interview process
Look around for reception sites
Shop for your wedding gown

7-9 months before:

Choose a wedding party
Get your bridal registry started
Order your wedding gown
Select what type of food you are having and choose a catering service
Shop for bridesmaid dresses and groomsmen tuxedos
Hire a photographer and videographer
Choose your florist
Book your DJ or band
Shop around for your cake
Shop around for wedding rings

5-7 months before:

Order or make your wedding invitations
Hire your limousine driver or other transportation
Hire your best hair stylist
Compile a guest list
Start planning your honeymoon destination
Order your rings

2-4 months before:

Send out RSVP's
Arrange your rehearsal dinner
Get fitted for tuxedos
Meet with DJ or band to discuss ceremony and reception music
Order bridesmaid gifts and groomsmen gifts
Order your wedding cake
Order your wedding favors and place card holders

5-8 weeks before:

Decide on your makeup and do a quick check over wearing your headpiece
Make any alterations to your wedding dress
Call the clercks office to find out any special requirements for your marriage-license
Decide on any critical insurance information that might need changed

2-4 weeks before:

Confirm all the details with your DJ, florist, caterer and any other service you are booking
Decide on the seating arrangements

1 week before:

Give your caterer a final count of your wedding guests
Pack for your honeymoon
Split up simple tasks between friends such as transporting all reception and ceremony items
Write a nice toast

1 day before:

Take a deep breathe your almost there.

About The Author
Yolanda Nash is the owner of http://www.yolandasweddingfavors.com and wedding planner. She enjoys seeing all the different table decorations, flowers and wedding party favors on the wedding day.

Wedding Bouquets

2007-05-01T02:10:00.000-07:00

One of the most beautiful of the bride's adornments at a wedding is the bouquet. Normally constructed of fresh flowers, the wedding bouquet would last for a week or two, and then have to be dried or tossed. Today that is not the case; today's modern bride has options that are more permanent