If you are planning a bridal shower on a budget, of you if simply want to create a more personalized feel for your celebration, you might want to consider creating your own homemade bridal shower favors. Bridal shower favors are meant to give each of your guests a small token of appreciation for their attendance, as well as a memento commemorating your special day. Homemade shower favors can make these souvenirs even more enjoyable and special.
Tasty Treats
Sweets are always a hit with a group of ladies! Try making your own chocolate or candy as a homemade bridal shower favor. You can even choose a mold for shaping your chocolate or candy in a way that fits your theme. Then, add a note such as, “Love is the sweet nectar of life." If you have a famous family recipe, such as homemade fudge, put it in a box with the recipe printed on the outside.
If you are really into baking and cooking, you can make cupcakes resembling your wedding cake. Or, make your own jars of jam and include a note along the lines of “Spread the love…"
Candles
Candles make for a great homemade bridal shower favor. You can create candles in all sorts of colors, sizes, and even shapes if you have the skill. In addition, you can transform your candles into aromatherapy candles by simply adding essential oils to the wax as you prepare your candles. Make a variety of colors and scents to really liven it up. Your guests will have a great time smelling and looking at your many different homemade candles. Everyone loves candles! And, your candles will likely get your guests mingling and enjoying each others company as they move about the room to see what other exciting colors and smells you have to offer. Many online stores carry candle-making supplies and some retail outlets also sell supplies, including special candle making cookers. Be sure to include a special note, such as “Our love will burn for an eternity."
Flowers, Flowers, Everywhere
There are a couple great homemade bridal shower favors you can create with the use of flowers. One option is to purchase small, white bags – similar to the “brown bags" some people use for their lunch. Next, choose some fresh flowers. If you are a gardener yourself, you can add to the unique quality and personal touch by gathering flowers from your own garden. Next, place some petals and leaves decoratively over the bags and place newspaper over the flowers. Set this combination in an area where it can be left undisturbed. Then, place something heavy on top. Let it sit this way for a week. When you uncover your bags, you will have colorful imprints of the flowers left on your bag!
If you are pressed for time, you can place the flower petals and leaves on the white bag and place a piece of cardboard on top. Then, hit the cardboard with a hammer. Be sure to keep the cardboard in place. This method often does not produce as uniform of a flower pressing, but it will do in a pinch! Whichever way you decide to create your bag, be sure to fill it with something fun, such as seeds. You can also wrap a flower bulb in decorative cellophane and place it inside the bag with a special note saying, “Planting the seeds of love."
Don’t throw away your flowers now, either. Now, you can use packing tape to make stickers from your flowers! Gently lay the pressed flower on the top of the non-sticky side of a clear piece of packing tape. Next, seal the flower in by laying another piece of tape, sticky side down, over the flower. This will leave you with one side still sticky and ready to be used as a sticker!
Paper Fun
Other simple homemade bridal favors packed full of meaning are homemade books marks. Take the time to stencil your favorite love poem onto these bookmarks. You can even laminate them by using clear packing tape. Simply lay the bookmark on the sticky side of the tape and lay another piece of tape, sticky side down, over the top. Then, cut off the excess tape. Or, create small paper fans with your poem written inside. These can also be used to display the menu or the program for your shower.
Personalized CD
With the ease of burning CD’s on the computer, it can be both fun and simple to burn your own personalized CD for your bridal shower guests. Include songs that are special to you and that reflect a bit of your personality. Decorate the CD’s with your own personalized labels. You might even want to add a little message about why each song is special or important to you.
Nicole Owczarczak is owner of Dress-My-Wedding.com. Now offering beautiful, high quality designer wedding dresses at wholesale prices.
