Personalized wedding favors are among the most popular gift selections made by brides and grooms to show appreciation to guests sharing their wedding day. Traditional ceremonies have made wedding favors a part of the celebration since the 16th century. Modern technologies have made it affordable to personalize many small gift items to reflect the kind sentiments of the happy couple.
A wedding keepsake can be personalized to commemorate the wedding day or the person it is being presented to. Wedding supply stores offer items that can be ordered with monograms added at manufacture, which is more cost-effective than adding them after purchase. Most stainless steel items produced as wedding gifts, such as letter openers and mint julep glasses, are designed to accommodate engravings, which can be added by the retailer or a private engraving service.
A popular trend in personalizing wedding favors is the creation of unique labels for otherwise ordinary foods. The most common personalized item would be branded chocolate bars with wonderfully designed labels to reflect the wedding couple. Other foods like canned mints, gourmet coffee beans, and quality teas can be “branded” with a unique label that features a design and statement from the bride and groom. Independent wineries and trend-aware microbreweries have provided a method for couples to order private-label spirits. Independent candy makers will accommodate couples, designing special molds to create chocolate bars “engraved” with text commemorating the wedding day.
Edible gifts like cookies put a twist on the European tradition of offering confectionery treats, while also providing an opportunity to write an icy sweetie. Cut sugar cookies become the canvas for a whole palette of icing sentiments. Local bakeries are easily equipped to work with a design conceived by the bride, or can provide helpful suggestions on what may be desirable. Most bakeries have the technology to create miniature iced cookies or cakes with a photo of the happy couple.
Place cards and place card holders provide additional decoration to the reception table and offer endless possibilities for customization. Designed for use as card holders, stainless steel photo frames are ideal for sentimental engraving. Ceramic frames enclosing a recent photo of the couple create a great and simple way to personalize a wedding favor.
Bookmarks were one of the first favor items that allowed for customization by the couple. The bride and groom can select poetry or prose to convey sentimental feelings of appreciation to their guests. Recent trends in gifting flower seeds as wedding favors have put a new spin on the tradition of presenting bookmarks. An attractive bookmark is created from handmade paper that has been tied with flower seeds. A layer of vellum allows the couple to personalize a sentiment that can be kept, while the seeded portion of the bookmark is planted as the beginning of a beautiful and lasting garden.
Most brides are quick to decide to provide a gift item that will have long use and will be a daily reminder of the couple’s gratitude. Pens are an ideal utilitarian item that won’t break the wedding budget. Multiple companies offer pens in a wide variety of designs that allow for customization as wedding favors. A new version of this traditional token allows for a floating message inside the pen that can reflect up to four different messages.
Theme-based ceremonies or receptions encompass a multitude of additional items that offer the opportunity for customization. Sports themes invite the inclusion of distinctive golf tees, signed baseballs, golf club-shaped swizzle sticks and miniature surfboards. Asian themes allow for engraved stainless steel or gold plated fortune cookies and embossed chopsticks. Las Vegas themes allow for everything from a private collection of playing cards to printed poker chips.
If a couple finds the perfect wedding favor, but the token doesn’t provide a space for that personal touch, a small thank you card can be attached with a simple ribbon, or sentiments can be printed directly onto the ribbon. Personalizing wedding favors remains a tradition for many couples. Like the couple themselves, the choice of a wedding favor or the means to add a personalized touch range from elaborate to simple sophistication.