Image by Sweet Style
If you want to give your guests a little something to say thank you, think simple, heartfelt and homely. If your budget has taken a serious dent (you just had to have the Jimmy Choo’s!), you can always try the DIY route when it comes to wedding favours. Whether you whip up a batch of home baked shortbread or forage for some pine cones you can turn in to sweet ornaments, there are lots of DIY favour options out there for crafty brides and grooms. Here are five of our festive favourites…
Shortbread Star Cookies
Edible favours are always popular favours and you can’t get cuter than these sweet home made stars by Sweet Style . Wrap two together with some twine or place them in paper bags for a gorgeously simple DIY.
What you need: What you need: 227g softened butter, 96g of superfine sugar, 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract, 256g of plain flour sieved, 64g of rice flour, twine, baking paper, paper bags.
What to do: Beat the butter, 64g of sugar and the vanilla extract with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add both flours. Shape in two balls of dough and roll each portion between two sheets of baking paper, using a cookie cutter to cut them in to star shapes. Sprinkle tray with flour, transfer the stars and sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Bake for twenty minutes or until golden. Cool and package as you please. We love the simplicity of bakers twine! You can also slip them in to cellophane packages or add tags with your guests’ names on them.
Disco Ball Ornaments
Image via Project Wedding
Festive and great for party season weddings, these super cute disco balls by Project Wedding can be hung on your guests’ trees after the big day or would be a fun adornment for a door handle if you want to use it all year round!
What you need: 1/4, 1/2, or 1 inch craft mirrors (purchase them on the likes of Amazon), four inch Styrofoam balls, metal hoops or ornament tops, glue.
What to do: Stick an ornament hoop or metal loop into the Styrofoam ball. Use it to lift the ball and start gluing the mirror pieces in a circle (don’t worry about small gaps of Styrofoam gaping through – it won’t be noticeable when complete). Glue the ornament topper down once you have two lines complete (so that you don’t damage the ball) and once you have finished gluing the mirrors, give the disco ball plenty of time to dry. String a piece of ribbon or a paper tag through the top of the hoop and you have your very own dazzling party favours.
Hot Chocolate Wands
Hot chocolate is as always a winner come winter time so, if you’re look for a cosy wedding favour, this is an easy choice. The beauty with this one by Celebrating Everyday Life is how it is packaged – the cute little tubes are almost too pretty to use – almost! Or if you’re tea lovers, use the same process on tea leaves.
What you need: Plastic tubes, cocoa, marshmallows, sprinkles, ribbon, Kraft paper, twine.
What to do: Pour cocoa in to each tube about three quarters of the way to the top (a funnel may come in handy here) and then layer chocolate sprinkles and marshmallows accordingly. Place your lid on top. To add an extra pretty touch, wrap a piece of ribbon around the top to create a bow, or attach a Kraft paper tag to each wand with your guests’ name on it.
Pretty Pine Cones
Images via Magnolia Rouge and Good Housekeeping
We’re big fans of the trusty pine cone here in weddingsonline. They add a dollop of festive cheer wherever they land and can be gotten for nothing but an afternoon stroll through the woodlands!
What you need: Pine cones, ribbon or burlap, glue gun, gold spray paint (optional).
What to do: This pretty DIY is super easy; collect your pine cones and either spray them with gold paint to vamp up the Christmas cheer or leave them as is for that rugged rustic look. Use hot glue to add a beautiful big burlap bow (or ribbon) to your cone by attaching it to the base. Pop them in a bowl or leave at place settings for a fun favour that guests can use as part of their Christmas décor afterwards.
Sequinned Sweeties
Image via Martha Stewart
We love these sweet favour treats from Martha Stewart – not only are they simple to whip up, they will be a really pretty addition to your place settings.
What you need: Tissue paper, sequins, string or ribbon, sweets or nuts of choice, glue.
What to do: These favours are super easy to make but the end results are gorgeous. Choose your tissue paper colour to match your décor, cut a small square and start rolling it around your sweet of choice to make a little roll. Cinch the ends in with either thread or some ribbon. And for the final flourish, cut a small string of sequins and glue on top for that pretty finishing touch.
