So you’ve been searching for wedding favors to hand out to your loyal bridesmaids and groomsmen. You’ve exhausted the usual suspects: engraved lockets, watches and designer chocolates where you’re not sure if the high price is because of the actual chocolate, or because of the embroidered mural-esque packaging that makes it look like something Marie Antoinette would have displayed in court. A this point your browsing history reads like an insane list of randomized items that your crazy Uncle would probably store away, and say it’s because he must be prepared for nuclear winter. Granted, many of these gift ideas are lovely, and we don’t doubt it would please your wedding party. But we’re also going to pull the curtain back a little and let you in on a little secret:
It doesn’t have to be this difficult.
Sometimes, simple is best. Simple really gets the job done, and from personal experience, we can tell you that simple is remembered.
- Treat it Like a Normal Gift
There’s nothing wrong with having your wedding favor be something you’d get them for a traditional gift-giving event. Just avoid the usual on-sale clothing or gift card route. Make it personal. Give them a gift that shows you know them. A book by their favorite author, a “new” vinyl record to add to their collection, a list of answers to their mid-term (if you actually do the last one, we never discussed this). You get the idea. There’s an unforgettable surprise and delight that happens when they think they’re about to open a traditional wedding favor and instead get something that really shows you considered them individually.
- Tickets to an Event
If you like option one, but are seriously pressed for time (we imagine, for some reason you’re trying to fit loads of work and planning before some big ceremony or whatnot), try getting your wedding party tickets to an event, like a favorite band or maybe a comedy show. If the point of wedding favors is to show appreciation and be remembered, then this certainly does the trick. They’ll be thinking of you when they go. If you can pin down a single event that everyone will enjoy, fantastic, otherwise one event for the bridesmaids and a separate for the groomsmen is a safe bet.
- A Promissory Note to Help Them
We apologize if this seems odd or quant, but it works. It really does. The key is to make it specific: “I promise to help you clean out your attic”, or “help you at the soup kitchen you volunteer at every Saturday”. You and your partner know them better than we ever could, but we guarantee they’d like assistance with something. This may seem like the cheap route, but it won’t look that way when you show up at nine a.m. with coffee and ready to go to work. Time is money, and chances are, they’ll remember the time you took out of your life to pay their service back more than a diamond-encrusted lifetime supply of maple syrup.
Simplicity can equal beauty. If nothing else, use these as a tipping off point. You’ve booked (or at least considering) one of the best wedding hall in NJ. You have fine taste.
