Top 10 wedding favors

1. Personalized Candy Bars - Buy flat candy bars (like a plain Hershey’s chocolate bar). Measure the wrapper on the bar and figure out where the section of the wrapper would be on the top of the chocolate bar. On the computer, create a design or special saying within the top area. Type in your names and wedding date as well. Print out the design and cut to fit if necessary and wrap the bar in its new cover. Use a glue stick to secure the ends along the back. This is a great unique gift, but may take quit a bit of legwork. Keep in mind that you were be very busy leading up to the wedding

2. Fortune Cookies - Buy fortune cookies at a local grocery store. Carefully remove the message with tweezers, then insert your own messages inside. Place 2 or 3 cookies on a circle of tulle and tie up with a colorful ribbon. This is nice touch. Plus, many favors go into a drawer at home. Something nice, cheap and edible always works!

3. Bookmarks - Create bookmarks with a graphic at the top or use your engagement picture. Type in a short poem and add your wedding date. You can pick up plain bookmarks at local craft stores and print them off on a color printer. This one will probably go over better with the female guests.

4. Seashells - Spend a day at the beach gathering interesting seashells. Decorate each one with ribbon and dried flowers. This is great for a theme wedding that is on the coast.

5. Message in a Bottle - Buy cheap bottles at a Dollar Store or craft store. Fill part way with confetti. Create a small, hand written scroll with a special message to your guests. Roll up and place in the bottle. This is another good option for a wedding favor based upon your theme. This one makes sense for a coastal wedding.

6. Gourmet Coffee Packs - Buy a special flavor of gourmet coffee. Place enough in small plastic bags to make one pot of coffee. Tie the end up with ribbon. Add a sprig of flowers and a gift tag. This is a great gift that folks can use. Always a nice option.

7. Deck of Cards - Have your photos imprinted on a plain deck of cards. This is good for a bit more of a lively crowd. We looked at this for our wedding, but decided to go with something more personal. Keep in mind that personalized gifts tend to get used less often then you might think.

8. Origami Figure - Pick up a book on origami (Chinese paper folding) at your local library and buy some beautiful origami paper from a local craft store in your wedding colors. Create a figure that reflects your wedding theme and give one to each of your guests. Ok, I saw this one online, and I gotta tell you this might make sense but only if it really meshed in with the theme of your wedding.

9. Liquors - Purchase those small bottles of sample liquors found near the checkout of most liquor stores. Tie a ribbon and message around the neck of the bottle. You can never go wrong with booze, especially if it is a lively crowd! A nice touch is to get the same type of liquor you had during your first drink together.

10. Tree Seedlings - You can purchase small tree seedlings from your local nursery. Tie a ribbon around the pot and include a message that asks your guests to plant their trees so they can grow, just as your love will grow. This tends to be a pretty popular one these days. I am personally not a big fan, nor can I see this fitting in any sort of wedding theme.