Wedding favors

[VandalSquirrel]

VandalShyster and I received luggage tags at the wedding we attended last summer. I thought it was a practical gift but if I didn't get a favor it wouldn't have made me think the wedding was cheap or tacky.

[pinkyphimu]

Personally, I love wedding favors that you can eat. I do love chocolate, so I will take it no matter what the shape! I never leave the favors on the table, but mostly because I feel terrible doing that.

Our favors are going to be 4 oz jars of homeade jam. My FI makes the yummiest jam! Everyone we know loves it and people hoard it so that they always have some in the fridge. We know that if anyone does leave it on the table, there are some "vultures" who will scoop it up in an instant.

[PhoenixAzul]

Fiance and I have chatted about this. We've pretty much decided that we're going to do chocolate from the little candy shop near him. It's an institution, and perhaps the *best* chocolate I've ever eaten. When I was in uni, he'd send me little sweets from there around finals and it always made me so happy. Plus, we're supporting a local business, which was important for us.

In terms of charity, dearest and I are going to do the IDo foundation registry. What you do is get a name on their website, then designate a charity (they give you a couple, or you can choose your own as long as you can prove its non-profit) and then go to any one of their linked retailers (Target, Linens and Things, etc) and create your registry. Whenever someone buys something off of your registry, a percentage of that purchase goes to the charity you've chosen. No fuss, no extra forms, nada. We're trying to chose between the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund or the WPA Humane Society or Animal Friends (which happens to be right next to our reception space).

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by VandalSquirrel

. . . but if I didn't get a favor it wouldn't have made me think the wedding was cheap or tacky.

I find this fascinating. I've been going to weddings for decades and had never even heard of the idea of favors until 3 or 4 years ago. Maybe its a regional thing. But to me they just seem like something the wedding consultant industry dreamed up -- kind of the nuptiul equivalent of a Hallmark Holiday. Something else to waste money on.

As for idea of charitable contributions, that seems nice and all, but I'm still flummoxed -- I've been invited to witness the exchange of vows (that is what it's all about, after all), I've been given my fill of good stuff to eat and drink, I may have danced, I've had a good time . . . . that's plenty! Why do the bride and groom need to give me a little gift (that I probably don't really want) or make a donation in my honor? I just don't get it.

I guess it's obvious we didn't have favors at our wedding?

[lilzetakitten]

My FI and I are doing rock candy in our wedding colors. One of the groomsmen has sworn to vigilantly pick up any rock candy left behind.

As for the donations thing, I'm really not a fan. Not that I'm against donating... I'm against donating and then telling everyone you know about what a great thing you just did. I think that should be more of a private thing. Additionally, there's no such thing as a charity without controversy... you really don't want a guest leaving offended because you donated to a charity that they're very much against.

[SthrnZeta]

Originally Posted by lilzetakitten

My FI and I are doing rock candy in our wedding colors. One of the groomsmen has sworn to vigilantly pick up any rock candy left behind.

As for the donations thing, I'm really not a fan. Not that I'm against donating... I'm against donating and then telling everyone you know about what a great thing you just did. I think that should be more of a private thing. Additionally, there's no such thing as a charity without controversy... you really don't want a guest leaving offended because you donated to a charity that they're very much against.

Rock candy is an awesome idea since you can get it in your colors and it's so yummy!!!! ::drool::

And who would be offended by saving some boobies?

[lilzetakitten]

Originally Posted by SthrnZeta

Rock candy is an awesome idea since you can get it in your colors and it's so yummy!!!! ::drool::

And who would be offended by saving some boobies?

Thank you! If no one else takes it then I'll probably end up rotting the teeth out of my head eating about 100 pieces of rock candy

And about the charities: usually, what they stand for isn't the problem, it's how they operate, what/who they associate with, how they go about fixing whatever problem they're supposed to be dealing with, etc.

[Xylochick216]

We did fortune cookies with fortunes we had personalized. They were REALLY cheap (we ordered 1000 cookies). We put them in Chinese take-out boxes with our picture on them and had 3 cookies per box. They went over really well, and when everyone was REALLY drunk later that night, apparently they feasted on fortune cookies. My mom decided she needed to make origami cranes to go on the boxes since it meant good luck, so she spent weeks making them. They looked awesome when displayed. I need to find a picture.

[SWTXBelle]

I'm thinking the idea of a cookie table would be neat for a shower - get the cookies and the recipes . . . .

[VandalSquirrel]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

I find this fascinating. I've been going to weddings for decades and had never even heard of the idea of favors until 3 or 4 years ago. Maybe its a regional thing. But to me they just seem like something the wedding consultant industry dreamed up -- kind of the nuptiul equivalent of a Hallmark Holiday. Something else to waste money on.

As for idea of charitable contributions, that seems nice and all, but I'm still flummoxed -- I've been invited to witness the exchange of vows (that is what it's all about, after all), I've been given my fill of good stuff to eat and drink, I may have danced, I've had a good time . . . . that's plenty! Why do the bride and groom need to give me a little gift (that I probably don't really want) or make a donation in my honor? I just don't get it.

I guess it's obvious we didn't have favors at our wedding?

I don't want them at mine, I'd rather spend money on good food and booze for my guests, maybe an environmentally friendly way to travel as a group (boat, horse drawn sleds/carriages, etc.) or for centerpieces people could take. I am on a planning committee for an annual event and we buy flowers from a student group on campus that grows them as a fund raiser so we are supporting the local students and allowing guests who choose to care for a plant that could potentially live for a very long time. I snagged a pansy one last year for a dear Theta friend. People really liked the flowers and it was one less thing to clean up since they took them away.

[OleMissGlitter]

I'm having favors at my wedding this May. I wasn't going to at first but my mom and wedding planner convinced me and I had it in my budget. I believe it is a regional tradition because it's popular in some Southern towns and not others. I am doing MS Cheese Straws (made in MS) in little bags. They are really yummy too!
http://www.mscheesestraws.com/cheese...FTOKEN=7259962

[pinkyphimu]

OMG I forgot to mention my cookie table!! I can't wait for the cookies, but unfortunately, ours will be purchased from a bakery. My grandma was the one to make all of the cookies and she is in a nursing home. The coordinator at our venue told us a story about how when she first started working there 20 years ago, she had never heard of a cookie table. They had all of these boxes of cookies under a table to put out after dinner. She started putting them out one box at a time, rather than spreading out the various types of cookies, and she was nearly attacked by little old ladies wondering why she didn't think there cookies weren't "good enough." She said she learned to take out a few cookies from each box! LOL

[PhoenixAzul]

Cookie table evangelism is go!

[SWTXBelle]

I could live on cheese straws. Yum.

[cuteASAbug]

Originally Posted by lilsunshine214

Nobody ever told me of the tradition of putting in under your pillow! I just thought I was getting tricked!

I've never heard of that. What's the tradition?