There are a number of milestones in a person’s life which absolutely have to be shared with family and close friends, and what better way to remind them of the day you tied the knot, to that uber cute baby shower, to a wedding anniversary where every member of your life shared with you than to give them baby shower favours and Christening favours. Favours have become popular in these occasions because they serve as souvenirs for that intimate gathering, and the tags always come with the date and an icon which communicates your identity. It also is an indication that you have thought of your guests and their comfort while they share that special day with you like match boxes, mint dragees and other useful items like letter openers and corkscrews for the men. Most favours are left on the table near the seating cards so there will be no need to distribute them after the meal is over individually. Some place card holders already serve as favours on their own. For weddings, it is the couple’s identity that ties in with the entire theme of the wedding celebration, the same goes for anniversaries. And later, when expecting, it will be a baby shower or even a children’s party.
The top wedding favours are often customised if not personalised to brand the couple. The choices of top favours have already ranged from personalised flip flops, to perfumes, to tiny bottles of champagne, apothecary jars and even playing cards. For a couple who enjoy visiting cafés and consider coffee breaks their bonding time, giving away bags of coffee with their choice of packaging can be a hit among their guests. If a couple enjoys the beach and other marine life, and have held the wedding somewhere in the seaside, why not give away seashell glass coasters, or starfish shaped bookmarks, or some shell shaped bath soaps for the guests? If the theme is winter, the appropriate wedding favours would be snowflake shaped confetti soaps, crystal accessories and so many other options. So many themes are going non-traditional lately, and one of the popular favours is lip balms, which are seasonal and are also very useful. If the couple is involved in the education sector, it’s always smart to have notebooks and pens as wedding favours, sometimes miniature chalkboards and a photograph on the side can serve well.
Anniversaries are sometimes the extensions of the weddings. Anniversary favours can easily be matched according to the year of when the wedding was held. If the original wedding theme was a spring garden, why not relive the memories and give away butterfly themed anniversary favours? For a fiftieth golden anniversary favour, it’s easy to give away favours in gold like accessories, teacups and pens gilded in gold.
Picking the right favour for the occasion need not be such a puzzle. It’s really all about being creative and knowing your identity. Which one is yours?
By Carl Liver and Barry Summers