Find It Online: Creative Wedding Favors

By Brooke Showell

Courtesy of Beau-coup

When it comes to favors, there is life beyond Jordan almonds. Sending guests home with a thoughtful trinket, treat or treasure doesn't have to drive you mad or break your wedding budget. Search these dependable websites for great ideas on giftable goodies to order en masse. And remember: It's the thought that counts.

Etsy.com: With so many goodies it may feel intimating to sift through, but you can quickly get down to business at Etsy's online wedding shop. Even if you're not exactly Martha Stewart, talented independent craftsmen have whipped up a wealth of favors you could pass off as DIY. The roster changes regularly depending on supply, but you may find gems guests will love like miniature wedding cake cookies, porcelain tree ornaments or pretty glass tubes of herbs.

Beau-coup: A virtual warehouse of wedding supplies, Beau-coup's most popular stock includes its personalized gifts. Cute customized mint tins, tea bags, lip balm, matches, bottle water are just a few of the items to which you can add your own spin (or monogram). Plus pick up all the needed accessories to make it a complete package, like satin ribbons, glass jars, labels, stickers and little boxes. Merci!

My M&Ms: No matter how delicious the wedding cake and dessert, who wouldn't want to dance their way out of a reception with a satchel of candy-coated chocolate. My M&Ms lets you design custom M&Ms featuring your names, wedding date, personal message or even your faces on little candies coordinated in your wedding colors. Order them pre-packed in gift bags, or order in bulk to DIY.

Wedding Things: Niche baubles are easily found on this wedding-centric site, from plantable favors embedded with wildflower seeds and eco-friendly gift boxes (perfect for a green wedding) to seashell scented soaps perfect for beachfront nuptials. Plus find fun themed favors, like personalized playing cards and lucky dice for a Vegas wedding, or a Victorian-style bottle opener for a vineyard bash.

Oriental Trading: With so many quirky wedding supplies (from bubbles to bride-and-groom rubber ducks) it may be hard to focus, but zero in on Oriental Trading's favor-friendly options like cookie cutters, candles dove-shaped candies, handkerchiefs and pretty packages of tissues.

My Own Labels: If you're assembling favors yourself, look to this site for pretty ways to seal the package (tags, ribbons, stickers, bags, boxes and cards). But My Own Labels also offers its own favor ideas that you can easily assemble using their goods, all with a personalized spin: The best options are the edible treats like yummy pistachio nuts presented in a simple organza bag, cherry jelly with custom label (find the recipe on the site), or heart-shaped brownies packages in a sweetly wrapped box.

Favor Affair: Want something that won't get left behind at guests' tables? Putting a fun spin on traditional favors, this site lets you get creative with cocktail-themed luggage tags (great for a destination wedding), heart-shaped cheese boards, elegant damask note pads, personalized cupcake mix and other practical items friends and family will actually want to use – and think of you along the way.

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