Wedding Weekend Activities
February 28, 2010
Weekend weddings are becoming more popular, particularly as families are spread further apart. They usually begin on Friday night, continue with the wedding Saturday and conclude with a post-wedding breakfast on Sunday before everyone returns home.
Planning activities for these weekend-long celebrations doesn’t have to be difficult; in fact, it can be quite a bit of fun if you keep everyone’s needs in mind. First, consider the wedding. Will this be a formal wedding with a sit-down dinner at its center? If so, you might want to ban a formal rehearsal dinner and replace it instead with an informal barbecue dinner or picnic.
But how will you keep people occupied during the long weekend? There are many activities to consider. Will the wedding be near a lake? How about planning a day at the lake on Saturday, filled with pre-wedding activities like swimming races and beach volleyball.
One popular pre-wedding activity is a scavenger hunt. Prior to the wedding weekend, a list of meaningful items should be drawn up, and guests placed in two teams. The list should include things like “get a brochure from the jewelry store where (groom) bought (bride)’s ring” or “take a picture of the group at the location where the couple got engaged”. You will have to tailor the scavenger hunt list to the location of the wedding and the energy of the guests who will be participating.
You can even offer lavish prizes for the team that wins the scavenger hunt, such as gift certificates or gourmet food and wine baskets. It might seem an obvious choice to divide the teams into groups who know or are related to the bride and teams who know or are related to the groom, but it might be a little more fun to mix it up a bit. You can create teams of friends versus family, or men versus women (always a popular choice).
Another activity that’s popular during wedding weekends is a competitive sport activity, such as baseball or flag football. Again, add a special twist. Offer prizes for performance (first home run gets a kiss from the bride) or make silly rules, like members of the bridal party have to wear tiaras while running bases or members of the groom’s family should always have their shirts on backwards.
It’s important that during the wedding weekend, planners keep in mind that the weekend itself might be expensive for some guests, particularly those who had to fly in for the occasion and many of the activities should be free, or inexpensive. If they are more expensive, and planned for the entire group, they should be paid for by either the bride and groom or their families.
But there are plenty of activities that don’t have to be expensive, but can provide big bang for the little buck, such as the scavenger hunt suggested above. If the wedding weekend guests will mostly be family, you can schedule a home movie-viewing event, including home movies from both the bride and groom’s families. For even more fun, consider an activity where the movies are mixed up and the guests have to guess which family’s videos they are watching. This might sound easy, but depending on the contents, it could be hard, particularly if the bride and groom are babies in the photos.
Personalized Wedding Favors
February 15, 2010
Many couples opt to give personalized wedding favors to their guests. Personalized wedding favors are a good idea because they often include the names of the couple as well as the wedding date. This helps to ensure that the guests will remember where they received the favor.
Many people attend a large number of weddings throughout their lifetimes and over time the favors they receive at these weddings may become indistinguishable. However, couples who opt to distribute personalized wedding favors often do not have this problem because their guests simply have to look at the gift to remember who gave it to them.
They will also be more likely to remember details of the wedding when they receive a personalized wedding favor. This article will provide some information on the types of personalized wedding favors available and will provide some useful information for giving personalized wedding favors.
When giving personalized wedding favor it is very important to plan ahead. This is so important because unlike other wedding favors which can be bought right off the shelves, personalized wedding favors require special processing. Even if the favors are already manufactured, they may still need to go through an additional process to personalize the item. This requires additional time.
It will likely take at least a few days for your order to be processed and the manufacturer may have a number of other orders ahead of yours awaiting personalization. This means the wait for personalized orders can be as little as a couple of days but may take a week or even longer depending on the size of your order and how busy the manufacturer is at the time. Rush orders are usually an option but they also usually involve high fees. In fact you will likely find that a rush order may double or even triple the cost of each favor.
Just about any wedding favor can be personalized. The most popular way to personalize a wedding favor is to include the names of the bride and the groom and the date of the wedding. This can be done on items ranging from candy wrappers to pictures frames and fortune cookies to candle holders. However, including the names of the bride and the groom and the date of the wedding is not the only way to personalize a wedding favor. The couple may opt to have an item personalized with a quotation from their favorite song or poem or with a line or two from their wedding vows.
Another popular option for purchasing personalized wedding favors is to give edible favors. Many different kinds of edible favors can be personalized. Photo cookies are just one example. Many bakeries can produce these cookies based on a photo you submit to them. They may require you to submit the photo electronically or they may be able to scan a photo into their system. The couple can choose to have their photos placed on the cookies and may also include a few words such as the date or a quote from a love song.
When giving wedding favors, the gift wrapping can also be personalized. Many couples opt to wrap wedding favors in simple white paper but they can also include ribbons with their names and the wedding date to make the favor wrapping more personal. These types of ribbons can be purchased either precut or in one continuous ribbon which must be cut by the person wrapping the favor. The precut ribbons are likely to be more expensive but they can save the person doing the wrapping a great deal of time.
Unique Wedding Favors for Each Table
February 13, 2010
Although it is not very common, some couples may opt to provide unique wedding favors for each table at their wedding. The more standard practice is to give each guest the same favor but if the centerpieces will vary from table to table the couple may want to vary the favors as well. This is a great idea for a couple who cannot settle on one overall theme for the wedding. They may choose to have a different theme for each table and as a result may also prefer to have a different wedding favor for each table. This article will take a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of offering unique wedding favors for each table at your reception.
One of the most obvious advantages to offering unique favors at each table is it prevents the couple from having to select just one wedding favor. There is a wide variety of wedding favors available and many couples have a great deal of trouble selecting just one favor. This may be because they are not agreeing on which favor would be the most appropriate or because they each have several different favors which they really like and are having difficulty narrowing down their options. For either of these cases, the idea of giving different wedding favors at each table is a great idea.
Another advantage to giving unique wedding favors for each table is that the couple can branch out and either choose several different themes or one overall theme which they vary slightly from table to table. This can make the process of shopping for wedding favors a lot more fun for couples who enjoy doing this. However, couples who feel stressed out by the process of selecting wedding favors would be wise to simply stick to one wedding favor because the process of selecting several different favors can make the planning exponentially more stressful.
One of the major disadvantages of offering unique favors at each table is the couple will not likely be eligible for bulk order discounts. Many wedding favor manufacturers are often willing to offer discounts to couple who are ordering a large number of the same favor to distribute to all of their guests. However, couples who are ordering different favors for each table will likely not qualify for these discounts. Most weddings have approximately 8-12 people at each table. This means the couple will not be ordering many of each favor and will most likely have to pay full price for each one.
Another disadvantage to providing unique wedding favors for each table is it can make setting the tables more complicated. If each table will also have a unique centerpiece and the wedding favors are designed to match the centerpiece, special care must be taken to ensure the correct favors are placed at the correct table. This may be obvious if the favors are unwrapped but if they are wrapped it can be incredibly difficult. Someone familiar with the favors and how they were wrapped should oversee the process of setting the tables to ensure the correct favors are placed at each table.
Another disadvantage to giving unique wedding favors to each table is it may create discontent among the guests. For example some guests may feel as though the favors given to one table are nicer than the ones given to the table at which they are seated. This is not a major concern as most guests will not make these types of comparisons but if the couple is concerned about this possibility they may wish to keep the wedding favors the same for each table.
Wedding Favors for a Romantic Wedding
February 11, 2010
Weddings can be planned in a variety of different themes. Weddings can have themes based on the seasons, on a holiday, on the beach, on science fiction, on a period of history or any other theme imaginable. However, the underlying theme of any wedding should always be love and romance. Even weddings which may not have a particular theme will likely convey the message of love and romance. This article will provide ideas for wedding favors which will help you to give your guests a reminder of your wedding which will help to invoke the feeling of love and romance. Whether you are planning a particularly romantic wedding or a wedding based on another theme you might want to consider giving favors which are related to romance.
Anything invoking a feeling of love will be an appropriate wedding favor for a romantic wedding. One great example is a silver picture frame with the word love inscribed into the silver. This is a very simple favor but it is also one which accurately conveys the message of love. Your guests may choose to put a picture of you and your partner in the frame to serve as a definite reminder of you and your wedding or they can use the picture frame in any way the wish. However, they decide to use the frame, it will likely always remind them of your wedding. Each time they see the frame displayed in their home, they will fondly remember how much fun they had at your wedding.
Coasters can also be given as favors for a romantic wedding. This may not seem like a particularly romantic gift because it is more of a practical item but you can find ways to make this simple gift more romantic in nature. For example coasters can be purchased in a heart shape or in a design which reflects the theme of love and romance. A coaster displaying a picture of a bride and a groom is one way to do this. The coasters can also simply have the word love written on them or can be decorated with heart shapes to make them seem more romantic. There are even heart shaped coasters available which are designed specifically for wine glasses. These coasters are much smaller than average coasters and can create a very attractive appearance.
Books can also be an excellent idea for wedding favors for a romantic wedding. Again, this may sound as though it will not be particularly romantic because books are typically viewed as being very practical items. However, your choice of book can greatly influence whether or not it is appropriate for a favor at a romantic wedding. A book such as a book of love poems or quotations related to love would be very appropriate to give as favors at a romantic wedding. With a little creativity you may also find other books which are appropriate. For example if you and your partner are particularly fond of a certain classical romance novel you might consider giving each of your guests a copy of this book.
A CD filled with love songs is another great favor idea for a romantic wedding. You can download some of the love songs you and your partner enjoy or songs which you plan to feature at the wedding and put these songs on a CD for each of your guests. You may even want to decorate the CD cover with a portrait of the two of your or with another image which will invoke the message of love and romance. This is not only a romantic gift but it is also a gift which can be very inexpensive. Many savvy brides and grooms may even be able to create these CDs on their own with their home computer. However, even if they do not have the time or the resources to do this, it should be rather inexpensive for the couple to find someone to do this for them. MyWeddingFavors.com
Wedding Favors for Children
February 8, 2010
Deciding to include children in your wedding or reception is a very personal decision. Some people feel very strongly that children are too disruptive at weddings while others love the idea of sharing their wedding day with children and welcome children to attend the wedding ceremony and reception.
While deciding whether or not to invite children is a matter of personal opinion; if you do decide to invite children they should absolutely receive some sort of wedding favor. Some couples opt to give the children the same favor as the adults while other couples prefer to give the children a different favor which is more appropriate for their age. This article will provide some idea for giving wedding favors to children.
The first thing to consider when giving wedding favors for children is the age of the children involved and the type of favor which will be given to the adults. This is important because sometimes the favor you are planning to give to the adults would be greatly appreciated by children of all ages while other times the children would likely prefer to receive a more age appropriate wedding favor.
For example if you are planning to give the adults an edible wedding favor such as candy or cookies most children would likely be happy to receive this type of favor. However, if you are planning to give the adults a favor such as wine charms you might want to select another favor for the children in attendance.
One great wedding favor idea for children is an activity packaged designed specifically for use as a wedding favor. These packages have items such as games, markers and other activities so children can use the favor at the wedding.
This is an especially good idea for children who are too young to enjoy the music and dancing at the reception and who may become bored easily. This type of wedding favor will not only help to keep the children entertained during the wedding but will also be a nice gift for them to take home after the wedding.
Stuffed animals are another option for a wedding favor for children. You can purchase stuffed animals with a wedding related theme such as a bride and groom teddy bear which would be appropriate for a wedding favor.
Another option is to seek out stuffed animals which match the theme of the wedding. For example you may give the children a teddy bear dressed for the beach at a beach themed wedding or a stuffed penguin dressed like Santa Claus for a Christmas wedding. Another option is to give each of the children a gift certificate to one of the popular stores where children can make their own stuffed animals.
These stores allow children to select their own teddy bear and watch it be stuffed before their eyes. They can even select outfit for the bears or have sound chips inserted.
Still another option for giving wedding favors to children is to just give the children a small toy which is appropriate for their ages. These toys can be purchased at any store selling children’s toys rather than at distributors of wedding favors.
If you know the children personally you can select toys which suit their interests. However, if you only know the age of the children who will be in attendance you can simply seek out toys which are appropriate for boys and girls of that age.
Finally, couples who are unsure of what type of wedding favor to give to children can always resort to an edible wedding favor. Even if the adults will not be given an edible favor, the couple may decide to give the children edible favors.
Edible favors can range to photo cookies with a picture of the bride and the groom to candy bars with the couples name and the date of the wedding. The children in attendance are much more likely to be impressed with a wedding favor of cookies or candy than they will with the more sophisticated wedding favors the couple selects for the adults in attendance.
