Wedding Favors Unlimited Advice Blog

Once you’ve said “I Do”, it’s time to move on to the fun and relaxation of your reception and dance!  Guests will be lavished with food and drink, treated to a collaboration of your favorite songs then sent home with full bellies and warm hearts.  Add some unique items to your wedding reception with the following suggestions for personalized pieces:

1)  Personalized Napkins:  Choose your monogram or a favorite image (see samples shown here), then add your names and wedding date to our colored napkins.  Many brides will choose two or more colors and mingle them together for a coordinated look.  Napkins are an easy way to carry your theme into the reception, and they are relatively inexpensive.

2)  Engraved Cake Serving Set:  Start with one of our cake knife and server sets, then have us engrave one or both pieces with your names and wedding date.  Use these pieces on your first anniversary, your baby’s first birthday and beyond!

3)  Toasting Flutes:  Let us help you choose the perfect set of toasting glasses for your first toast as a married couple.  Let your wedding party share the occasion with personalized flutes, or order engraved glassware for each guest for as little as $2.00 apiece.

4)  Cake Topper:  Personalized cake toppers can reflect your interests (fishing, shopping, skiing), your heritage (Indian, Asian) or your wedding theme.  We offer stunning acrylic cake toppers that can etched with a design and/or monogram, a heart-shapped cake top that holds your favorite photo, our professional sculptors can even recreate the two of you when you order our Semi Custom Wedding Couple (please allow 6-8 weeks for this delicate process).  But our cake toppers don’t stop there – we offer single monogram initials, rhinestone-studded letters and a number of themed designs to finish off your stunning wedding cake.

From drink tickets to dance floor decals, flower vases to window clings, and of course personalized wedding favors – you can find everything you need to personalize your reception at Wedding Favors Unlimited!

Make your ceremony accessories different from any other wedding you’ve attended by personalizing them.  The most common form of personalization is to add your names and wedding date – either embroidered on a ring bearer pillow, engraved inside your rings, imprinted on your aisle runner or inked onto your unity candle.  The unity candle pictured here not only lists the bride and groom’s names and wedding date, it also features their last name monogram in a color that matches the bridesmaid dresses.  Your 3-letter wedding monogram uniquely combines the bride’s name, groom’s name and married last name.  For example, Bethany and Tyler Cruise’s monogram would be BCT.  For a more distinguished appearance, the center initial can be engraved in a larger type or the outside initials can be non-capitalized (experiment with different fonts to see which looks best with your monogram).

Ring bearer pillows are an important part of your wedding – they carry the bands that will signify your marriage for all eternity.  There are several choices for your ring pillow, one in the shape of a heart, a pillow that matches the colors of your bridesmaid dresses, or one that can be embroidered with your names and date.  One of my favorites is a simple satin pillow that is wrapped with a silver charm on a ribbon.  The charm is personalized with the bride and groom’s names, and can be removed to be placed in a shadow box or scrapbook after the ceremony.  This pillow can easily be modified by wrapping a base ribbon around the center before attaching the silver charm.  Our Personally Yours Ring Pillow is also available in a set that includes a guest book and pen.

One final touch you may want for your ceremony is a personalized handkerchief.  This can be used to wrap around your bouquet (to help with sweaty palms), it can be tucked into the father of the bride’s pocket in case of teary emergencies or it can be carried by your maid of honor to dab your makeup if necessary.  The hankie can also be your “something blue”, and can be put away in a keepsake box to hand down to your daughter on her wedding day!  The hankie can be simply embroidered with your wedding date, then your daughter can add her date and pass down the tradition to future generations.

Nearly every day I help out the environment by recycling, shopping with reusable grocery bags and using the “water saver” cycle on the washing machine.  If you would like to celebrate your concern for the environment, we have a number of eco-friendly wedding favors to choose from!  We are adding more favors each week so be sure to check in periodically for the latest and greatest green wedding favors!

One of my favorite new products is the Eco Friendly Photo Album shown here.  The recycled paper gives the cover a great texture, and the neutral color scheme would compliment almost any wedding decor.

If you are looking for wedding favors boxes to use for giving almonds, chocolates or little trinkets, why not consider our recycled white favor boxes?  You can personalize them with unique favor embellishments, and the boxes are made from 30% post-consumer fibers so you are helping the environment at the same time!

Our Personalized Wildflower Seed Packets are a top favor choice for a springtime wedding.  The packets are personalized with your color scheme, label design, names and wedding date.  They also contain enough wildflower seeds for a 20 square foot area.  This favor is perfect for a “Love Blooms” wedding theme!  They also work well for a garden party because the personalization can be altered to fit your specific event.

Dessert is my favorite meal of the day, so I had a great time conducting research on my favorite butterfly wedding cakes!  With the huge variety of color schemes, cake shapes and decorating details it was hard to pick just one favorite so I narrowed it down to the six choices shown here.  All photos can be found at www.flickr.com.

Cake #1 – Monarchs on Display – This is a 5-tier square cake, covered in white fondant and sprinkled with paper butterflies.  The cake was made by wickedcakechick.

Cake #2 – Handpainted Springtime Cake – This 3-tier round cake is also covered in white fondant, but is then hand painted with butterflies, dragonflies and springtime flowers.  The delicate painting makes this cake shared by mattandshantelle a stunning work of art!

Cake #3 – Green Butterflies – I love square cakes, and this 3-tier beauty is simply elegant!  Each tier is covered in fondant, wrapped with sheer and satin ribbons, then accented with green lace butterflies that appear to be floating over the tiers.  The cake was made by More Cake.

Cake #4 – Butterfly Flurry – My favorite part of this cake is the all-edible swarm of blue and white butterflies wrapping around the 5 tiers of fondant-covered cake.  The darker blue accents add a refreshing bit of boldness and makes the cake less feminine.  Jamie Anderson displays this cake on her Flickr site.

Cake #5 – Shades of Brown – I love this three-tier cake, made with trendy wedding colors, covered with two colors of fondant and a multitude of white sugar butterflies.  The splashes of dark brown matched the bridesmaid dresses and tied in perfectly with the reception decorating.  The monogram cake top was simply perfect for this modern creation.  Cake by arteatsbakery.

Cake #6 – Hand Painted Perfection – Another hand painted beauty, this three-tiered cake is topped with a simple china teacup filled with flowers.  The delicate lace edging is all frosting, as is the “paint” used to draw the butterflies and flowers.  I love the three-dimensional flowers and the bright colors used on the designs.  This cake – decorated by Temeraire – won first prize in the wedding cake division at the Sydney Royal Easter Show in 2008.

An easy way to bring your wedding theme to life is with carefully chosen, themed wedding favors.  We offer thousands of favors to choose from – ranging in price from $.44 to $5.00 and more.  Once you determine your favor budget take a peek at the varied items we carry.  You can find photo frames, bottle stoppers, bookmarks, personalized chocolate bars, compact mirrors, and many more – all with a butterfly theme.

If you are more of a do-it-yourself bride, consider our laser-cut butterfly favor boxes shown here.  The boxes are perfect for holding Jordan almonds, Hershey kisses or a sweet thank you note from the bride and groom.  The boxes can also be used to hold bridesmaid thank you gifts.  You might also love our dual-purpose Butterfly Place Card Holder Favor Boxes.

If you are having an outdoor wedding, the Personalized Theme Lip Balm Favors help to protect your guests’ lips from the sun.  If you or your groom has a sweet tooth, you may want to order our Custom Hershey Kiss Favors or Something Sweet Personalized Theme Lollipop Favors.  For the couple that loves to cook, we even have Butterfly Cookie Cutter Favors!

A welcome addition to any guest home – and a great price for the bride on a budget – our Butterfly Theme Compact Mirrors are one of our most popular sellers.  Another popular butterfly-themed item are our butterfly keychain favors.  All of the favors mentioned here can be found on our Butterfly Wedding Favors theme page.

If you need help deciding on a favor for your butterfly wedding, give us a call and we would be happy to make suggestions based on your price range and individual taste.  Our customer service team is available from 8am to 6pm central time.  We can be reached at 866-998-9595.

When purchasing decorations for your butterfly themed wedding, let your imagination run a little wild!  Hang hundreds of butterflies from the ceiling using invisible string or fishing line to give the illusion that they are floating on air.  Sprinkle butterfly confetti across your reception tables, add paper butterflies to your flower arrangements and use a butterfly outline over your spotlight when making your dramatic entrance.  Purchase butterfly place card holders for assigned seating, shape chair cover ties into a butterfly form, even consider a butterfly release at the end of your ceremony for a dramatic effect!

We have butterfly-themed accessory sets for your wedding, or add butterfly accents to your favorite guest book, flower girl basket and ring bearer pillow.  Attach butterfly charms to bridesmaid hair pieces, even attach sparkling rhinestones in the shape of a butterfly on your bridesmaids’ skin as decorative body jewelry.

I love our new personalized dance floor decals because they are a unique decorating item.  They come in a variety of colors to match your wedding decor, and the large 50″ circle can either be used on the dance floor or a smooth wall surface (it would be perfect as a background decoration for your head table).  You can purchase this decal with a beautiful fluttering butterfly decoration.

Many brides like to include a hint of their wedding theme on the invitations, since this is normally the first item your guests will see.  If you have chosen a butterfly theme for your special day add some butterfly touches to your invitation with these suggestions.

Start with a simple white do-it-yourself invitation kit, then add the outline of a butterfly in the background or insert a butterfly graphic in between lines of text.  The wording on your invitation can include references to a butterfly, such as “Like a brand new butterfly, our love has unfolded and taken flight”.

Add a splash of color to your invitations with a butterfly stamp or delicate border.  Seal your envelopes with a monogrammed envelope seal like the one shown here (available in 16 colors).  Order extra and use them on your program paper, reception menus and thank you cards.

For some extra pizzazz on your invitations and RSVP cards, create a custom butterfly postage stamp.  One of my favorite websites – zazzle.com – offers thousands of butterfly-themed stamps (some examples shown below), you can even add your names and/or wedding date for a postage stamp that is truly unique!

Butterflies are commonly known to signify new life or a new beginning.  That makes the butterfly a perfect icon to  represent your wedding!  A butterfly theme is perfect for a springtime or outdoor wedding, but can also be used in cooler weather or indoors.  Butterflies come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors so you can customize the theme to fit your personalities.

I love bright colors and unique designs, which makes the butterfly one of my favorite symbols.  You can find a butterfly in nearly every color imaginable, including the beautiful shades of lavender, pink, green and blue available with our hand painted butterfly favors.  The delicate favors can be used to decorate event tables, bridesmaid bouquets, hair pieces or ring bearer pillow.  You can even decorate each reception table with a different color scheme and accent the table with butterfly accents in the same color.

Butterflies don’t have to be entirely feminine either.  Our Wings of Love Accessory Set (shown here) features beautiful silver-toned butterfly charms, simply and elegantly displayed on a white satin background.  The set ties in well with a butterfly theme, but isn’t overly delicate or “girly”.

Your theme can showcase natural looking butterflies, abstract butterfly sketches, or a simple outline on the background of your wedding stationery.  You can even design your own butterfly, incorporating your new married monogram into the design on your butterfly’s wings.  This symbol can easily be reproduced on the invitations, wedding programs, thank you notes, even a custom dance floor decal.

As a bride, you can choose how much or how little to use butterflies in your wedding.  From a simple accent to a ornate butterfly collection, the decorating decisions are entirely up to you!  We are happy to supply the butterflies necessary to turn your special day into a butterfly-themed celebration.

With literally thousands of options to choose from, ordering wedding favors may turn out to be a much tougher task than you anticipated!  Your favors can convey your wedding theme, showcase your interests or double as a useful part of your wedding decor (like place card holders or candles).  You may want to shop for wedding favors by price, popularity or personalization options.  Here are a few useful tips:

1)  Determine how many favors you need and what your “favor budget” is.  Would you like each person to take a favor home, each couple, or each family?  Are children going to receive favors as well?

2)  Browse our website and write down 5 of your favorite favors.  With wedding favors ranging from personalized sunscreen to keyboard dusters, cowboy boot shot glasses to letter openers and bottle stoppers to chocolate covered Oreos you will probably find many more than 5 favorites, but try to narrow down the list.

3)  Enlist the help of your fiance or close friends.  Show them the different favor options, make sure there is enough time to order (personalized favors can take up to a month or more to deliver), and ask for their opinion.  You may want to order a variety of favors and allow guests to choose which one they like best.

4)  Most websites (including ours) will give better discounts if you order more favors.  Our company also gives customers free shipping on any order of $500 or more – simply enter coupon code 724688 during checkout.  If your order is close to the next pricing tier, it may actually save you money to order more favors.  Use the extras for thank you gifts or prizes at the next shower you host.

5)  Add your own touch to a discount wedding favor with personalized stickers, custom favor ribbon or personalized hang tags – some brides that I’ve worked with even use the ribbon to decorate their reception tables and the stickers to seal the envelopes on their thank you cards.

Edible favors are a hit with many guests – cookies, mints, almonds, candies, even coffee or tea packets are all excellent choices. Your guests will receive a souvenir from your special day that they will actually use, and they are great for guests of all ages!

Our website categorizes favors by type, theme, price and season.  If you can’t find what you’re looking for, or if you would like recommendations from one of our wedding experts, give us a call and we will be happy to make suggestions!  Our customer service hotline (866-998-9595) is open from 8am to 6pm central time.

Wedding invitations are usually the first formal correspondence guests will receive from you and your fiancee.  You want this to be a reflection of your wedding – either in theme, colors or formality.  The invitation shown above is perfect for a black tie wedding, but you may want a more rustic or a branded invitation for a Western themed wedding.  Invitations can be designed by a local printer, an online designer, or you can do it yourself!  If you are a bride on a budget, you can potentially save hundreds of dollars by purchasing a do-it-yourself invitation kit and printing them from home.  I don’t consider myself to be very creative, but even I would feel comfortable making invitations with these simple kits!  Each blank invitation includes a pre-printed background – the kit even includes an instruction sheet and a few test printing sheets so you can try a couple different layouts.

When ordering invitations, I suggest you get 10% extra in case of last-minute additions to your guest list.  The invitations should be ordered 3-4 months before your wedding (possibly even sooner if you are having a destination wedding).  Many couples will include RSVP cards, a map to your ceremony and reception locations, and a list of hotels for out of town guests.  To ensure that no invitations are returned due to insufficient postage, take a completed invitation to the post office and have it weighed so you know how much postage is necessary.  You can even design your own custom stamps at a website like zazzle.com – this is one of my favorite unique wedding ideas!

Many guests will send their invitations 6-8 weeks before their wedding date, and list a “return by” date on their RSVP’s no later than two weeks prior to the wedding date.  Keep in mind that some caterers will want more than 2 weeks notice to have a final head count, so check with them before deciding on a “return by” date.  If you are having a destination wedding, send the invitations 10-12 weeks before the big day so guests can make the appropriate travel arrangements and request time off.

You may want to enlist the help of your bridesmaids or a professional calligrapher to address the invitations.  You want them to look beautiful and you don’t want to rush through them, so plan a day (or week-end) where you can get everything done at one time.  If hiring a calligrapher, you should give them the invitations at least 2 weeks before you want to send them out.

I heard a great tip regarding RSVP’s from one of my co-workers – assign each guest a number and lightly write that number on the back of their RSVP card.  When you receive the RSVP back from that guest, check their name off on your invitation list.  That way you will know exactly who to contact if they haven’t responded by the date you need them to.

With so many beautiful wedding invitation choices, make sure the invitation you choose reflects your personal style and/or your wedding theme.  Look at many different sample invitations online or in a store before deciding on the one that will announce one of the most important days of your life.  Happy Shopping!