aymekae's Red wedding

Oh, I was not happy about favors when I first started planning. Most weddings you get useless junk, right? My favorites have been edible favors (one was coconut Jelly Bellys, another was M&Ms in the wedding colors, and another was a whole candy buffet!) But others I’ve talked to really like the keepsake aspect of the favor. But what could I give them that they wouldn’t want to throw away? Or worse, not take in the first place? Was it possible to combine the keepsake and the practical part? So even though I know that whatever I decided, somebody would be unhappy, I am going for maximum enjoyment here.

I liked the idea of personalized champagne flutes (as a recent friend had at her wedding) but as I’ve mentioned previously, fully a third of my guests do not drink alcohol. I didn’t want to offend anyone. So I nixed that idea and spent fruitless hours searching traditional and non-traditional wedding favors. I liked the idea of handing everyone a dollar scratchcard, so that someone has a chance of winning something, but again, Mormons don’t gamble, and I’m not sure they would have appreciated it (though there’s a fine line; would they be offended even though they hadn’t gambled their own money?) Too risky. Finally, I went back to the personalized glassware idea, and found a few websites that personalize lots of different types of glassware. I decided on pint glasses (because they can be used for everything, not just beer). I went back and forth between customglassware.com and discountmugs.com. I finally decided on the first for two reasons: one, they don’t put their logo on the bottom of the glass, and the other one (in the fine print) say they reserve the right to imprint their logo, and two, it was about $30 cheaper. I also liked the graphic choices better. With both, you can submit your own graphic, but they also have a database of graphics to choose from. Going with the Mickey/Minnie theme that is ever-present in my planning, I chose a cute Mickey/Minnie silhouette that are kissing, along with “Ben & Ayme” on the first line and “July 19, 2008” on the second line. With price per glass, $35 set-up fee, and expensive shipping (which they say is worth it to pack it and ship it better to avoid breakage) the price per glass is $2.78. A little more expensive than I was looking for, but I feel it’s a quality favor, that’s a keepsake, and it’s practical, AND they’re going to use them during the reception for whatever beverage suits them.

There will be 10 children ages 12 and under at the wedding. My original idea was to give everyone a Disney coloring page and a basket of crayons at their place setting, but I was told too often that this isn’t a child’s birthday party, and most people wouldn’t like to color. I tend to disagree (as I’m a shy wallflower, and don’t often dance at other weddings, I would love a coloring page to keep me busy!) Alas, I decided to forgo the coloring for everyone, but I want to get each kid their own coloring book and small box of crayons. Since the wedding is at a house, we’re also going to set up a Disney movie in the nearby media room for the kids once dinner is over, so they can color and watch Monster’s Inc. and not get antsy because it’s a wedding.) There will be 3 babies (under 1 ½) and I haven’t decided if I’ll do anything for them yet. They won’t even remember any of this! Maybe a Disney plushie, commemorating the experience? (For at least 2 of them, it’ll be their first wedding).

Total Cost: $250 for 90 pint glasses, and maybe $35 for coloring books and crayons.