Wedding Favors That Embrace Nature's Beauty

By Lizzy Mansfield

A wedding planned in the spirit of nature provides the perfect opportunity for selecting wedding favors fashioned after elegant symbols consisting of, but not limited to maple leaves, butterflies, lavender buds, and roses. While there is certainly no shortage of wedding favors available today that are inspired by nature, those that are carefully designed with distinctive style and artistic detail remain popular choices.

As brides aim to locate the perfect wedding favors to reflect their personality and style, many look for favors made with exquisite details and designs inspired by nature such as embroidery or hand painting. Some examples include fabric containers made of silk and organza that are illustrated with floral landscapes or imagery. Besides attractive textures, color is another arena that brides have explored greatly as they sift through the astounding variety of favor bags in the hope of finding one that fits well within their wedding color scheme. The favorite color for nature-inspired weddings ranges from iridescent colors of red and orange to soft pastel colors in yellow and green.

These embroidered and hand-painted details are often found in wedding favor bags made from organza, which remains one of the most elegant and affordable fabrics. However, it is important to keep in mind that while organza bags come in a multitude of shapes, sizes, and prices, be sure to find high quality organza fabric that neither frays nor easily tears as a result of handling. Of course, details such as embellished ribbons with unique pearl accents and beads have become the de rigueur, as brides have become more creative and discerning when searching for the ultimate favor bag.

When all is said and done, what would elegant organza or silk bags with embroidered or painted floral embellishments be without a delicious treat or personal memento tucked inside them. Use fillings that are also inspired by nature that include soothing chamomile tea, delicious maple sugar candy, or delightful iced sugar cookies that are rendered in floral shapes to extend a nature-inspired theme. No matter what filling may be desired, finding the ideal wedding favor for the nature-loving bride comes with exciting options, but only the perfect favor for today’s demanding bride will make her top choice - those made with superior details and reflect the sophisticated taste of the bride and groom.

About the author: Copyright © 2004 Bellenza, Inc. Lizzy Mansfield is a staff writer for Bellenza - specializing in handmade wedding favors, accessories, and bridal party gifts. Visit http://www.bellenza.com/ and discover their unique selection of wedding favors

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DIY Wedding Favors - For the Do-It-Yourself Bride

By Ashley Rader

One of the best ways to save money on your wedding is to make your own favors. There are hundreds of options for wedding favors that you can make yourself. Get a team of bridesmaids or other helpers together and have a favor-making party.

Here is a guide to some classy, inexpensive DIY wedding favors.

Wedding Favor Boxes

You have to have packaging for your wedding favors. Why not purchase the wedding favor boxes and fill them with an inexpensive favor like potpourri or mints? Here are some wedding favor boxes and some suggestions for filling them with DIY treats.

Something Blue Boxes - Use these blue boxes as the packaging for a yummy treat like mints or Jordan almonds. Spice them up with a white ribbon or hot glue a silk flower bud to the top of the box.

Chair Place Card Box - Take a load off with this double-duty DIY favor. These place card holders with a box for a seat can provide a stylish favor holder. Fill this box with jelly beans, mints or rice. Decorate the seat with a ribbon in the color of your bridesmaids' dresses.

Chinese Takeout - Send your guests off in style with this trendy box. Fill it with a sweet treat such as Jordan almonds or a truffle. Great for Asian themed DIY weddings.

Wedding Favor Bags

Looking for something DIY that doesn't require as much assembly as a box. .Favor bags have an elegant, soft touch. Here's are some bag and favor suggestions for DIY wedding favor bags.

Organza Bags - Use this organza bag (which comes in a wide variety of colors) to hold soaps, birdseed, potpourri, rose petals or a decorated votive candle.

Out of Town Knothole Bag - This simple bag becomes a luxurious spa favor for bridesmaids when you fill it with herbal soaps, a soothing candle and homemade body scrub placed in a pretty jar. This option is great for a beach themed wedding.

Handmade Paper Favor Bags - These elegant bags are perfect for a dainty favor such as Jordan almonds or rose petals.

Other DIY Wedding Favor Ideas

Elegant CD Envelopes - A CD of music from your wedding or photos of you and your friends and family is a very meaningful wedding favor। Package them in style with these personalized sleeves with ribbon and label in colors and style of your choice.

Ashley Rader is the owner of Moments of Elegance, an online wedding boutique specializing in wedding favor packaging and a huge collection of unique wedding favors that will say thank you with style and will truly make your event unforgettable. Event planners can receive 10% off their order with coupon code: saveonfavors10.

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Top 10 Cheap Wedding Favors of All Time

Author: Lisa Carter

You don’t really have to give wedding favors on your wedding day. It is however a great way to show your gratitude for the presence and support of friends and family. For couples on a strict budget, a cheap wedding favor that will not go over $2 per piece is ideal. Here are some suggestions for your cheap wedding favor.





1. Homemade Bookmarks





Buy a ream of stiff, high quality special paper for your cheap wedding favor. Use a simple lay-out software to create a couple of bookmark sized squares for each piece of paper. Put your wedding picture on each square and a poem or message and print on your laser printer. Cut out the bookmark squares, punch a hole on each and attach silk ribbons.





2. Message in a Bottle





Order small, empty party favor bottles in bulk for your cheap wedding favor. Print and slip in a special wedding message for each bottle. Wrap each bottle in tulle or put a ribbon around each.





3. Charity Cards





Donate a dollar to your favorite charity for each guest or for each couple at your reception instead of handing out wedding favors. Give each guest a thank you card that also says that you have given an amount in favor of your charity. Some of your own guests might even want to make a donation too.





4. Sea Shells





Plan a trip with your friends to the beach and collect some smooth, great looking shells for your cheap wedding favor. Brush and carefully disinfect each shell and then wrap in tulle and silk ribbons. You may also instead have your cheap wedding favor engraved with your names.





5. Flower Seeds





Buy some flower seeds in bulk or per sack. Stitch some mesh or tulle cloth into little packs and slip in a handful of flower seeds. Write a message on a tag and attach to your cheap wedding favor.





6. Wedding Cookies





Go for a variation on fortune cookies for a cheap wedding favor. Bake a batch of mini cookies and slip different messages on each cookie. Pack a couple of cookies in small paper boxes and wrap each box in tulle and ribbons.





7. Glycerin Soap





Get some materials from a local melt and pour glycerin soap supplier for a cheap wedding favor. Most purchases include beginner’s instructions. Customize each cheap wedding favor with dye scents, and molds of your choice.





8. Poem or Message Box





Type a couple of messages on small square slots on a piece of special hard paper. You can quote Biblical passages, famous lines or you can come up with your own personal messages and short poems. Cut out the pieces and place the pieces in small boxes tied with ribbons.





9. Silk Fan





Purchase silk fans in bulk and have your names engraved at the side or attach a card at the bottom with some silk rope.





10. Wedding Jam





Buy small jam bottles in bulk. Fill each bottle with your homemade jam and attach a card with your name and wedding message on each cheap wedding favor.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/weddings-articles/top-10-cheap-wedding-favors-of-all-time-156608.html

About the Author:

Lisa Carter is an expert in wedding planning. Get her Cheap Wedding Favors here or visit her site at www.Your-Wedding-Plans.com for

money-saving tips and other useful advise for planning your dream wedding.

The Perfect Wedding Favors Is A Gift Of Warm Memory And Appreciation

Author: Melissa E Cruz

Wedding favors that are unique will certainly be kept for a long time and every time the receiver looks at it, memories of your wonderful wedding will come into their mind. It is also a sign of thank you gesture from the couple to those who came to their wedding.



Giving out wedding favors is a tradition that was started by the aristocrats back in the medieval age. Small trinket box filled with sugar cubes will be given out to aristocratic guests as a sign of appreciation. This is purely because sugar symbolizes wealth due to it being an expensive commodity back in those days.



The practice continues today and is not limited to aristocrats or the wealthy. It is also a sign of appreciation and the gift varies from food to simple ornaments. The gift would greatly depend on what the couple's thinks best to represent their gratitude to the guests.



Here are the types of common wedding favors:



- When you want hassle free and simple to purchase favors, decorative wedding favors are the one for you. They are just decorative ornaments meant for the table or just about anywhere. Examples of these favors are paperweights, pots, scented soaps, wedding unity candles and miniature glass bottles.



- Practical wedding favors are those that serve a specific purpose. While function serves a bigger role, being highly decorative is a plus point. Some options to consider when looking for practical wedding favors are photo frames, pen holders, candles and scented foam bath sets. More often than not, however, these practical wedding favors are so pretty they are treasured more for their beauty than their function. Most times, they end up as a decorative piece.



- For those who love to tickle their guest's fancy, there are humorous wedding favors for guests. They serve the purpose to just be funny. They are just there for the guests to have fun with and not really to cherish. Some examples of humorous wedding favors are party-poppers, whistles, bells, garter belts and even lottery tickets.



- Edible wedding favors such as chocolate is a very popular wedding favor. Chocolates are romantic and can be design elegantly making it look expensive. Other edible wedding favors are cakes and cookies that are usually high-quality. Also becoming quite popular are coffee and tea.



- If you're enthusiastic about saving the environment, you can have wedding favors that carries the message. You can have wedding favors that are made from recycled materials and decorated in a very elegant manner. Everyone will be amazed.



- You can also have seasonal wedding favors to go with your seasonal wedding theme. They would usually anything that represents the season or colored in the color theme of the season. For instance, maples leave card holder or snow pattern coaster.



Wedding favors do not have to be expensive items. In fact, some of the most memorable and well-used wedding favors could very well be that budget-friendly coaster set, plastic beach ball or pair of rubber flip flops. The last thing you should want your wedding favor to end up being is discarded the moment they reach home or even worse, in some corner of their store room gathering dust.



If you want your guests to cherish your wedding favor, you must analyze the majority of people you invite to your wedding. Who are they are what kind of favors that you think will best suit their lifestyle or preference. Office folks for instance may not be so keen of cutesy items for they might find things that they can use such as paperweight or photo frames. Younger crowd would love decorative ornaments for their mobile phone.



When choosing wedding favors, ask yourself some questions:



- What will this gift be used for?

- Will my guests enjoy their gift?

- Does this reflect us or our personalities?

- Will my closest friends expect something like this from us?



If your answers are keen and justifiable then you have made the right choice in choosing a wedding favor that is just right for your wedding.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/marriage-articles/the-perfect-wedding-favors-is-a-gift-of-warm-memory-and-appreciation-574746.html

About the Author:

Melissa Cruz pride herself in being a leading figure in the wedding scene where she has years of experiences in the art of wedding decorations using wedding unity candles and other wedding related materials such as wedding invitations, bridal gifts, wedding decorations, wedding favors and so on.

Cool, Fun Beach Themed Wedding Favor Ideas

Cool, Fun Beach Themed Wedding Favor Ideas
By Janet Verra

Beach weddings are the famous wedding ceremony during summer season. Unlike other typical, church weddings, a beach wedding is more fun and less formal. From the unusual wedding outfits, tropical decorations, mouth-watering food to playful souvenirs. Speaking of souvenirs, here are some cool, fun beach-themed wedding favors to choose from.

Shell Design Dish Wedding Favors. Celebrate a beach wedding with enduring luxury with our Shell Design Dish Wedding Favors! These beach wedding favors offer sophisticated style when used as wedding decorations, and as take-home favors for your guests, they become beautiful receptacles for rings...or odds and ends. These seashell wedding favors send your guests home from your destination wedding with beautiful treasures from the shore! Each shell dish is made of delicate ivory porcelain in the classic scallop shell shape with a contemporary raised double heart design at its tip, lined in precious gold. Each Porcelain Remembrances shell dish comes dramatically packaged in a Porcelain Remembrances Collection signature box with a clear top and a shimmering gold base, finished with a white organza ribbon and an attached golden heart "For You" tag. You can fill each shell with sweet treats such as candies, mints, almonds and others.

Ocean Themed Place Card Holder Wedding Favors. Sand, sun and the sound of waves. Nature's little treasures from the sea. Your guests will be reminded of hot summer days at the beach. Evoke beautiful memories with our Ocean Themed Place Card Holder Favors. Ideal when you want subtle table decorations that complement a beautiful ocean view, sparkling harbor lights or the existing nautical decor at a restaurant or resort.

Palm Breezes Beach Pail Candle Holder Wedding Favors. Time to play in the sand like you did with your first tin sand pail and shovel! These Palm Breezes Beach Pail Candle Holder Wedding Favors remind your guests of fun days building sand castles at the beach. Just the thing for semi-formal or informal summer weddings. Use them in your ocean theme wedding table centerpieces. You can buy replicas of large sandcastles from art and hobby supply stores. Or you can make simple table centerpieces by grouping these candles in a dish of sand, then tell your guests to take one home as a wedding favor gift.

Sea Shell Bottle Opener Favor. This Sea shell bottle opener makes a unique favor for guests. The bottle opener is made of high quality stainless steel. The shell handle is hand painted resin and it is so intricately detailed in its design that it looks like a real sea shell. Each sea shell bottle opener is presented in an elegant gift box with a clear top and a raffia tie.

Colorful Beach Tin Pail Favors. These galvanized tin favor pails provide a simply charming presentation for favors. Fill these adorable pails with small treats flower petals, seeds, shells, potpourri, or practically any favor filler and at the same time bring a decorative touch to reception tables.

These are only a few beach-themed wedding favors, visit online stores for more wider choices. Thousands of online stores have all kinds of wedding supplies and accessories that suits any wedding theme, from themed wedding favors, wedding decorations, reception supplies to bridal and groom ensembles.

Janet is an author for a variety of lifestyle issues and topics including weddings. If you're looking for wedding themes, visit the website Americanbridal.com and browse their extensive collection. Find wedding guest favors to make your wedding extra special!

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Can Chocolate Make People Happier?

Author: Chris Alleny

When we're sad and stressed, what do many of us do? We resort to chocolate. There's a long history of people using chocolate to make themselves happier, but the question still remains: is there a scientific basis behind it, or is the mood boosting ability of chocolate just an old wives' tale? Here are the facts on the chemical composition of chocolate and how it can affect our moods.



One of the things that could account for the satisfaction we feel upon eating a lot of chocolate is that it's so sweet and rich. Even dark chocolate has a high percentage of fat and sugar, and these properties stimulate the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is the part of our brain responsible for pleasing sensations. When you eat chocolate to improve your mood, the sensations distract you from whatever's making you upset.



In addition, chocolate can affect the amount of serotonin in the brain. This chemical is known for having an effect on mood, and is regulated by many anti-depressants. While the effect of chocolate is far less than that of medical remedies for depression, it does have a noticeable one on the way serotonin is released.



Chocolate also contains substances called unsaturated N-acylethanoamines. These may be responsible for activation of cannabinoid receptors or an increase of endocannabinoid levels - some of the same effects that occur with marijuana consumption, but on a much smaller level. That could result in euphoric feelings and heightened sensitivity - possibly responsible for chocolate's reputation as an aphrodisiac.



One of the substances that makes unsweetened chocolate so bitter - theobromine - is similar to caffeine and theophylline. It, like those substances, is a stimulant. That means that consuming it could make you feel more alert and energetic, resulting in greater feelings of happiness. This chemical was first discovered in cacao beans in 1841 by a Russian chemist, but it wasn't until 1878 that it was isolated from those beans.



It's the primary alkaloid in cocoa powder and chocolate, with dark chocolate containing a lot and white chocolate containing only trace amounts. Theobromine also shows up in tea, kola nuts and guarana berries. Though it isn't addictive, it might be responsible for the feeling we refer to as being a "chocoholic", and has also been cited as one of the possible reasons some people consider chocolate to be an aphrodisiac.



Chemically, chocolate does have the ability to boost mood. However, to get much of an effect from these compounds, you'd have to eat a lot of chocolate. The fat and sugar content of this snack mean that it's not ready to be used to fight depression, but a little bit might help you cure the blues.



Let's just forget all the science for a moment though. I think most would say they are pretty happy while eating chocolate and after for a bit. Some things in life you don't need a scientific test for. Eating chocolate is one of those times. If it tastes good and makes you feel good then enjoy your chocolate.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/can-chocolate-make-people-happier-652536.html

About the Author:

Chris enjoys writing about all kinds of food but especially chocolates. For more information on chocolates visit http://www.ultimatechocolateshoppe.com

DIY(Do it Yourself) Wedding Favors For The Creative Bride

DIY(Do it Yourself) Wedding Favors For The Creative Bride
By Andrea Britt

Wedding favors are a tradition that allows the bridal couple to make their wedding guests feel special. It is a small way to say thanks for joining in the celebration of their new life together. To make the wedding favors even more personal, some brides choose to make their own bridal favors. Here are some great "Do It yourself" wedding favors that your guests will just love!



DIY Wedding Favor 1: A Spoonful of Love



Materials:
To make these DIY wedding favors you will need 1 silver finish tea spoon, 1 silver heart shaped candy, a 5” square of silver net and a 3” piece of silver ribbon.



Method:
Place the candy in the spoon. Wrap the silver net around the spoon and candy and tie with the ribbon. Make a bow to finish with a flourish. Your DIY wedding favors are complete!



You can give these spoonfuls of love to all your guests as wedding favors. If you want to customize these DIY wedding favors you have several options. You can buy ‘Thank you’ printed ribbon, have the heart shaped candy customized with your names or even have the handle of the spoon engraved with a message. Try adding a personalized tag or use ribbon with your names and wedding date imprinted on it to give it a stylish touch.



DIY Wedding Favor 2: Handmade Paper Favors Bag



Materials:
To make these DIY wedding favors you will need a sample paper bag in the size you want, decorative handmade paper, scissors, glue, candy, ribbon (in your favorite color) and matching tulle.


Note: Depending on the size of bag you want, buy as many sheets as required. Sometimes it can be cheaper to buy an entire roll of handmade paper from wholesalers.



Method:
Open the sample paper bag along the stuck edges. Use this as a stencil and trace the outline on the decorative paper. Cut along the outline. Fold and stick as per the sample. Take a square piece of tulle and put some candy on it. Bunch up the edges and tie with the ribbon. Put the candy in the DIY wedding favors bag. Your DIY wedding favors are complete!



The special thing about these DIY wedding favors is that they are extremely versatile and customizable. You can use decorative paper, which matches the color or theme of your wedding. You can even make your own decorative paper (that’s another DIY wedding favors project by itself though!). You can also use the DIY wedding favors bag to hold favors other than candy.

Though DIY wedding favors can take more time then buying them already completed, the extra effort you put into them will be felt by all your guests and make them that much more special. So roll up your sleaves and add that personal touch to your big day!

Andrea Britt is owner of CharmingWeddings.com where you can find elegant, unique wedding favors, bridal shower favors, and wedding planning tips for your wedding reception and bridal shower.

Reprint Rights: Feel free to use this article on your website or online publication. Please remember that you must include the author's copyright, resource box and live URL links, exactly as shown below, to the author’s website at the end of the article.

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