Favors are a must for both bridal showers and weddings…it’s no longer okay to skip the favors as a way to save money. With so many great options out there – either in purchased items or DIY projects – you can provide terrific favors that your guests will love for under $5 each. Considering all that your guests are putting into attending your wedding events, and giving you great gifts, that’s not a lot to spend even if you have a big guest list! Here are the top ideas for getting great favors on a budget:

•Visit your local craft store every few weeks to see what they have on sale. You’ll find terrific bud vases on sale one week, candles on sale another week, and so on. Never leave it to just one visit to make your decision. A sales clerk can tell you what usually goes into clearance at which times of the year.

•Check warehouse stores like Costco for great supplies bought in bulk that you can personalize with a little bit of DIY attention. A great martini glass can be painted with safe paints found at the craft store, and your $2 purchase will look like designer décor glasses available for $20 at gift shops!

•Don’t pay extra to get anything inscribed or personalized. Guests don’t need a vase with your name or wedding date on it.

•For edible favors, buy your chocolates or candies in bulk, and then bag them yourself for a savings of up to 75% off!

•Shop for candies during post-Halloween sales, when the sweet stuff is on sale for 50% -75% off!

•Those traditional sugar-covered almonds are available at craft stores for half of what you’ll pay at an Italian bakery or other gourmet food store. And you’ll find a range of colors, too.

•Edibles can be DIY, such as baking several batches of cookies or icing regular cookies, baking brownies, or pouring melted chocolate into theme molds (just a few dollars at the craft store) for far less than buying pre-made. You can then bag them and tag them for personally-made dessert favors.

•If a relative offers to help by baking, ask her if she’d like to make your edible favors as her shower gift to you! It’s a win-win! She spends far less than the $50 gift she would have purchased, and you save money by having your favors brought in by a loved one who you know can really cook!

•Take advantage of the season, such as collecting pretty pinecones from a relative’s yard, or seashells from the beach while you’re on vacation, to use as your favors. Seashells can be glued to memory boxes, and pinecones can be sprinkled with essential oil as a potpourri.

•Visit the bookstore for great, inexpensive favors, such as bookmarks, mini gift books with great quotes or poetry, even mini frames and magnets. Brides say they use the bookstore gift cards they requested for their birthdays or the holidays to purchase their wedding favors for free!

•A surprisingly affordable luxury item that’s a big hit at showers: comfy socks!

•Visit www.blisweddingsmarket.com for a great selection of price-reduced and already inexpensive favors to buy, plus supplies for making your own terrific favors for less.

•Also inexpensive: creating tea baskets with a selection of different tea flavors and a pretty mixing spoon, tiny bottles of honey, and a note about enjoying this treat during relaxing evenings.



Sharon Naylor is the author of over 30 wedding planning books, including 1000 Best Wedding Bargains, www.sharonnaylor.net