The warm sentiments of homemade wedding favors can often be more appreciated than something you went out and spent lots of cash on. So why not make your favors? Enlist the help of crafty family and friends to make it a truly fun experience.
Potporri
There are a number of things you can fill with scented potpourri that will look and smell wonderful. You can sew fabric together into a shape that matches your theme and fill it with scented filling. Or you can decorate flower pots or small pails and fill them with a mix of rosebuds and other pleasantly fragrant scents. Tie them up in netting and ribbon and you’ve got yourself a wedding favor!
Candles
Making your own wedding candle favors is so easy and inexpensive you won’t believe it. Craft stores sell everything you need in bulk, so the cost goes down even further. Purchase a candle-making kit or do it yourself piece by piece. You’ll need a chunk of wax or sheets of beeswax to roll. You’ll also need wicks, which come in all thicknesses and lengths. Next, you choose a mold. You can either buy pre-fab molds of shells, stars, or other shapes, or you can find objects that will hold melted wax and use those as your molds. Coffee cans work well, for instance. You can fill them as much as you like and when you unmold them, you’ve got a unique homemade candle.
You can also buy molds in various taper sizes. Bundle two tapers together with twine and your favors are done. Pillar candle molds come in small to large sizes. Just remember, if you are making large pillar candles, they will require a lot of wax, so be sure and budget for that. You can buy scented oils and colors to swirl into the melted wax to give it the look and scent you desire, and feel free to include rose petals or other natural inclusions to make a really unique and fun candle. Another thing that works well is adding glitter to the melted wax. However, before you buy all the supplies to make a large quantity of candles, try experimenting with the process and make just a couple of candles to make sure you like the results.
Soaps
Much like candle making, making soap wedding favors is very easy and cost effective. You can buy molds in every shape imaginable from flat to 3-dimensional. Or you can make bar soap and slice off chunks for a rustic look. Tie them up with a burlap or fabric and ribbon. The fun of homemade soap is that you can swirl in colors and ingredients to make each bar unique. Match your theme by adding orange slices, pomegranate seeds, or any other item that would look good.
Bookmarks
More fast and easy favors to make are bookmark wedding favors. Choose fabrics, papers, and cardstocks that match your theme. No one says you have to stick to flat bookmarks either. You can fashion them out of wire and beads or other objects. Add charms and bells and items of whimsy that will stick out of the top of the book. Hand print a sentimental saying or your names and initials, or apply glitter or emboss them with stamps. Pick up old patterns or wallpaper at flea markets and make each one a vintage treasure. You can even use corrugated cardboard that would otherwise be thrown out to make rustic looking page markers. It’s up to you how fancy you get.
Natural Favors
Head out into nature for inspiration. Pot a plant. Order tree sprouts from the Arbor Day foundation. Use pinecones or stones. Anything you can find can be turned into a fun favor. Why not seek out flat stones and paint them in fun designs? Your guests can use them as paperweights. Seed packets are another good idea, and they’re useful too. Go with a vegetable garden theme and give everyone a different vegetable seed packet to grow at home. Have a local orchard in town? Give out fresh apples, pears, or peaches to each guest. Or maybe you live in a tropical climate. You could give out juicy oranges or mangoes. They’ll look pretty on the tables and be delicious too.
You don’t have to bust your budget to offer a thoughtful favor. Simply look around and use your imagination and talents. You’ll be surprised at how many ideas you can come up with.
More Simple & Cheap Favor Ideas:
Quick and Easy DIY Wedding Favor Ideas
