Attention, ladies: wedding season is in full swing! And that means your May and June calendars are PACKED with bridal showers. If you're on bridesmaid duty or simply pitching in with planning the shindig, here are five tips on creating favors as memorable as the event itself.
While a wedding celebrates the union of two people, the shower is all about one person: the bride! Surrounded by her closest friends, family, and future in-laws, the bride takes center stage - although, if she's lucky, a personalized cake will steal some attention.
My best friend's bridal shower was this past weekend, and I eagerly volunteered to put together her favors. Just as the party is all about her, the favors should be a nod to the bride's true loves, and I'm not talking about her future husband.
1. Indulge her playful side.
Maybe she's an avid Barbie collector. Or picks up a turtle souvenir from every country she visits. My BFF is a Hello Kitty FANATIC. So much so that a running joke at her shower was that if she ever has a daughter, she'd be named Kitty. Hello Kitty candies and cookies would have been sweet enough, but...they get eaten and therefor forgotten. I opted for these awesome coin purses procured from Etsy instead. They're small enough to fit into an evening bag, so I'm hoping they'll make a subtle appearance on the actual wedding day!
2. Consider the color scheme.
How many women can say they love their bridesmaid dress? I can! It's the perfect fuchsia; bright, but on the cooler, more purple side of the spectrum. Take a cue from your frock or the planned floral arrangements and work that hue into the favors. My bestie also happens to be an avid nail polish collector (she keeps an Excel sheet of her inventory). Drugstore.com boasts an impressive selection of swatches, reasonable prices, and excellent customer service. Even if the bride in question isn't a makeup junkie, an appropriately-colored polish is a clever way to create a sense of sisterhood on the big day. I'm sure I'll see some women rocking the same shade on their fingertips at the wedding!
3. Food rules.
The bride and I bond over food. OK, I bond with pretty much everyone over food, but besides the point! My BFF loves sushi and burritos, but burgers are really "our" thing. In a perfect world I'd have packed the favors in Happy Meal boxes, complete with a Hello Kitty toy. Yet again, I digress. With swimsuit season right around the corner (and with vegetarian guests in mind), I opted for these bite-size gummy burgers. Other cool food ideas: magnets, bento boxes, and gift cards. Really, the sky's the limit with this one, as long as it fits your budget.
4. Be beautiful - and on-trend.
This bride in particular works behind the scenes in the beauty industry and is a walking encyclopedia of skincare knowledge. Some kind of complexion perfecter HAD to make its way into these favors! K-Beauty is all the rage at the moment, making sheet masks a no-brainer that didn't break the bank. I skipped the trip to the Tony Moly store and scored these on Ebay. Not feeling the face mask idea? Blotting linens, lip balm, and hand cream are all solid choices that any guest would appreciate.
5. Make it personal.
I was pretty jazzed about all the components of these favors: until I came across Crazy Crafty Mommies on Etsy. And then I was JUMPING UP AND DOWN excited. These two ladies specialize in children's party favors, but were gracious enough to design these intricate tags. Do you know how hard it is to find ANYTHING featuring Hello Kitty with Dear Daniel that doesn't entail spending hundreds of dollars and the hassle of shipping from Japan? Pretty freaking difficult. After spotting Hello Kitty tags in Crazy Crafty Mommies' Etsy shop, I reached out on a whim to see if they'd craft something to match my bestie's wedding invites. Not only did they respond within minutes, they offered two different design options. These tags MADE the favors and I seriously would have paid double the asking price. I can't speak highly enough of this business!
Enjoy wedding season! Enjoy your life!