Cheap & Elegant Favor Ideas

My fiancé and I are getting married in early August, and we have definite priorities when it comes to spending our wedding budget.  Certain things are important - the ceremony and reception locations, getting the right officiant, serving great food; certain things are not – having a DJ or a wedding band, having an elaborate cake, flying in exotic flowers from halfway around the world.  The bottom line:  we want a classy, elegant, fun, easygoing, unpretentious evening that our guests will remember more as a truly outstanding party than as a traditional “wedding.”

That said, we have been searching for inexpensive, but useful, favor ideas.  My mom and I may have just stumbled upon the ideal combination:  simple and elegant flower-topped favor boxes (based on a Martha Stewart tip) that require only simple prep work and, when grouped together on each table, can double as an additional centerpiece.  Anything that gets the job done, and even gives us more bang for our decorating buck, is a welcome find!

My mom figures that with the coupons she gets in the mail from craft stores, she can pick up the materials for a song, and the assembly should be quick and painless, even for a larger wedding.

We plan to fill each box with an unexpected treat:  chocolate covered blueberries from the confectioner Wilbur’s of Maine.  You can purchase the candies pre-wrapped ($1.95 for 2 oz.) or in bulk ($11.95 for 2 lbs.).  Each box should contain approximately 2-3 oz. of candy.

The end result is sweet, but not cloying; décor-worthy, but not overwhelming; quick and easy to assemble, but professional-looking; inexpensive, but not cheap; unexpected, but not bizarre.  And the packaging provides tons of flexibility for a variety of gifts.  Other great ideas include bulk wildflower seeds, a single chocolate-covered strawberry, high-quality coffee beans or a single cupcake.

Are you having favors for your event?  What great ideas have you come up with?

Ed note: Martha has another great idea here for a 3.5″ square box with dividers to fill with your favorite candies!