Your wedding guests will travel great distances and bestow you with lavish gifts, so a wedding favor is a great way to show your gratitude on the day of your nuptials. The best favors are representative of the newlyweds’ personalities, but you can quickly find your wedding budget dwindling like a bowl of jordan almonds thanks to expensive favor options. Before you abandon the idea altogether, follow our tips for savvy wedding favor savings.
- Shop online marketplaces. Search for items on sites like eBay, Etsy, and Amazon, and compare those prices with local vendors to find the best deals.
Buy in bulk. Look for bulk or wholesale deals, which will trim your per-favor cost. Candy, soaps, and packaging are excellent candidates to find at low prices in large quantities. - Search beyond wedding vendors. Wedding sites may have items tailored to favor-giving, but they sometimes come with a markup. Browse sites and stores that specialize in the item you’re looking for, and try to think outside the box when it comes to potential deals. For example, search framing wholesalers for deep discounts on picture frames or chocolatiers for high-quality truffles or chocolate bars. Hopefully, you’ll have money left over to pay for engraving or custom packaging!
- Look for items that are being discontinued. Stores will offer deep discounts on items that are being discontinued. Just make sure they still have enough to cover all your guests!
- Factor in shipping and tax. If you’re buying online, then total up the shipping cost before you click the purchase button. Even though you may be getting a steep discount on the merchandise itself, the shipping costs could make your order more expensive than buying it locally. On the other hand, some online vendors don’t charge sales tax, a perk that will bring down the overall price.
- Make your own. If you or a willing friend or family member is crafty, then you could save a bundle by making and assembling your favors. A simple and cost-effective solution is burning a couple’s wedding playlist onto CDs and printing out personalized covers or labels. Making your own favors will certainly take more time than buying pre-assembled gifts, so make sure that the cost savings outweigh the amount of work you will need to put into them!
- Multitask with other wedding items. Consider repurposing other facets of your wedding day as favors. A grouping of bud vases with tiny flowers makes for an interesting centerpiece, and guests can take one home at the end of the night. Or serve slices of wedding cake in pretty cardboard boxes with a message of thanks attached to each.
- Donate to charity. Instead of tangible gifts, leave a note or certificate at each place setting, letting your guests know that you’ve made a donation to your favorite charity in their name. If your favor budget precludes you from buying suitable wedding favors, you can use it to make a difference and share the warm feelings with your guests as well.
- Create a DIY candy buffet. Let your guests assemble their own favors and get a sweet treat while they’re at it. Bulk candy is often less expensive than personalized gifts, and you can still make it special by buying candy in your wedding colors or offering your and your partner’s favorite varieties.
- Provide printables. Print out your favorite recipe, poem, or quote on pretty cards along with a message of thanks and leave one at each place setting. Or print thank-you cards and hand-write a personalized note to each guest.
- Consider what your guests will use. The best favors are not only personalized, but also useful. Edible gifts tend to be popular, but think about other items that represent your and your partner’s interests and could be useful to a guest. All that money you saved on favors won’t make a difference if they are all left behind on the table!
Reference : http://www.popsugar.com/smart-living/How-Save-Money-Wedding-Favors-24017179
