Celebrate Gettysburg May/June 2013 : Page 20

how By Liz WiLLiams After months of planning and preparation, you deserve to have your special day remembered. Personalized wedding favors are a great way to thank your guests for joining in your celebration and to leave them with a memorable keepsake. In the midst of budgeting and attending to details like flowers, decorations and entertainment, wedding favors can seem like just another expense for the reception. But with a little creativity and some helping hands, homemade wedding favors can leave a lasting impression for a low cost. Make Your Own Wedding Favors Use what you know When choosing your wedding décor, a little personalization goes a long way. Making favors may be more time-consuming than buying them, but guests are more likely to remember a special homemade gift. “People are trying to get away from the more traditional wedding décor and favors that you just go buy in the wedding section at a store,” says Marian Parsons, of Miss Mustard Seed Interiors in Gettysburg. “They want their wedding to be something that’s unique and represents them and their family.” Before deciding on wedding favors, think about the people who might be willing to help make them with you—parents, siblings, friends—and determine what skills they might be able to bring to the process. If you or someone you know is good at baking, you might consider making edible wedding favors. If someone in the wedding party is good at graphic design, he or she could help create cover artwork for a mix CD that could include some of the bride and groom’s favorite tunes. “Whatever you choose to create, make sure it’s something you’re good at,” says Parsons. “You’re going to be doing it multiple times, so it’s OK to stay inside your comfort zone and do something you’re familiar with. It will make the process more comfortable and easier to execute.” Using materials you already have is a great way to cut down on costs as well. If you or someone you know has scrapbooking materials or decorative rubber stamps, for example, consider using those items to create personalized gift tags to tie onto favors. Match the theme If your wedding has a theme or a color scheme, elements of your theme can easily be incorporated into your wedding favor design. The rustic country style, where vintage decorations are used to offer a rural feel, is one of the trends in wedding styles this year. “People are using country materials like mason jars and burlap in their decorations,” says Martine Cajas, owner of The House of Clarendon, a European-style cakery in Lancaster, and host of Dream Weddings , a wedding reality TV show based in south-central Pennsylvania. “Ribbons and lace are really big this year; there’s a lot of fabric and texture.” A simple way to make wedding favors that correspond with your theme is by purchasing small mason jars and filling 20

How 2

Liz Williams

Make Your Own Wedding Favors After months of planning and preparation, you deserve to have your special day remembered. Personalized wedding favors are a great way to thank your guests for joining in your celebration and to leave them with a memorable keepsake. In the midst of budgeting and attending to details like flowers, decorations and entertainment, wedding favors can seem like just another expense for the reception. But with a little creativity and some helping hands, homemade wedding favors can leave a lasting impression for a low cost. Use what you know When choosing your wedding décor, a little personalization goes a long way. Making favors may be more time-consuming than buying them, but guests are more likely to remember a special homemade gift. “People are trying to get away from the more traditional wedding décor and favors that you just go buy in the wedding section at a store,” says Marian Parsons, of Miss Mustard Seed Interiors in Gettysburg. “They want their wedding to be something that’s unique and represents them and their family.” Before deciding on wedding favors, think about the people who might be willing to help make them with you—parents, siblings, friends—and determine what skills they might be able to bring to the process. If you or someone you know is good at baking, you might consider making edible wedding favors. If someone in the wedding party is good at graphic design, he or she could help create cover artwork for a mix CD that could include some of the bride and groom’s favorite tunes. “Whatever you choose to create, make sure it’s something you’re good at,” says Parsons. “You’re going to be doing it multiple times, so it’s OK to stay inside your comfort zone and do something you’re familiar with. It will make the process more comfortable and easier to execute.” Using materials you already have is a great way to cut down on costs as well. If you or someone you know has scrapbooking materials or decorative rubber stamps, for example, consider using those items to create personalized gift tags to tie onto favors. Match the theme If your wedding has a theme or a color scheme, elements of your theme can easily be incorporated into your wedding favor design. The rustic country style, where vintage decorations are used to offer a rural feel, is one of the trends in wedding styles this year. “People are using country materials like mason jars and burlap in their decorations,” says Martine Cajas, owner of The House of Clarendon, a European-style cakery in Lancaster, and host of Dream Weddings, a wedding reality TV show based in south-central Pennsylvania. “Ribbons and lace are really big this year; there’s a lot of fabric and texture.” A simple way to make wedding favors that correspond with your theme is by purchasing small mason jars and filling 20 Them with objects that match the theme of your wedding—like seashells, homemade granola or the ingredients to a favorite recipe. Tie a ribbon around the lid of the jar that matches the color scheme of your wedding and add a personalized gift tag with the names of the bride and groom. Mason jars can also be used in place of vases to hold flowers. Instead of having one main floral centerpiece on guest tables, consider having several smaller floral arrangements that guests can take home as favors. Cajas suggests using baby’s breath, a tiny white flower that is popular in floral arrangements and inexpensive to buy. Baby’s breath can be displayed on its own or used to complement other flowers. A carnation, rose or Gerbera daisy placed in a mason jar with a matching ribbon makes a simple and classic decoration, one that can easily correspond with the color scheme of the wedding. Always remember that personalization is key to creating a memorable wedding favor. Try writing names on gift tags individually to give them a personalized touch. You might also download a unique font on your computer if you’re printing your own labels. Try something sweet Another option for wedding favors is creating something edible. A cookie with a cute, wedding-themed design is a great favor to give guests for the ride home. Cookies can be individually wrapped in small cellophane bags and personalized with a ribbon and tag. Inexpensive cookie cutters in the shapes of hearts, bells or initials make even simple sugar cookies unique. Another option is using icing to create outlines of wedding dresses, cakes or tuxedos on the cookies. Decorating cookies can be a bit tricky, however, so take some time in the weeks leading up to the wedding to practice using a pastry bag and tips. Couples can also consider dyeing sugar cookie dough to match colors used in the wedding. Another variation of the cookie theme is creating personalized bags or boxes to hold cookies that guests can select themselves from a cookie bar. “The best thing I’ve found is having a cookie table at the end of the night,” says Laura Merkel, the Cookie Lady, who bakes for weddings from her home in Lancaster County. “Bake 10 different types of cookies and display them on fancy trays at the reception. You can give guests bags at their place settings, and then everyone gets the chance to make up their own unique selection at the end of the reception.” Baked goods favors provide an easy way for friends and family members to get involved. If 10 to 12 people each make a batch of cookies for the reception, guests will have a wide assortment to choose from. Once again, make sure you find a creative way to personalize the gift bags so guests have something special that will remind them of your wedding day. Crafting your own wedding favors can be simple, fun and rewarding. As wedding trends continue to emphasize individuality, a homemade favor will remind guests of the personal thought you put into thanking them for sharing in your celebration. Martine Cajas The House of Clarendon www.houseofclarendon.com Laura Merkel The Cookie Lady www.lauracookielady.com Marion Parsons Miss Mustard Seed Interiors www.missmustardseed.com The Newlyweds’ Recipe Book Here’s another idea for a unique wedding favor that guests are sure to treasure. Learn how to make a simple but meaningful newlyweds’ recipe book. Collect four to five favorite recipes. These could be recipes from both sides of the family or dishes of special significance to the bride and groom. Format them into a small folded booklet using Microsoft Word, Publisher or another desktop publishing platform. Give each recipe a name that relates to the couple and choose a unique font. Create a title using the names of the bride and groom, and make sure to include the date of the wedding. Print on parchment paper from your home computer. Be careful to feed only one sheet at a time into the printer to avoid a paper jam. Tie a ribbon along the binding to give the booklet a personalized look. If possible, match the color of the ribbon to your wedding’s color scheme. Place one booklet at each place setting.

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