Giving gifts to your friends and loved ones in celebration of your marriage is a lovely way to say, ‘thank you.’ They often do so much to help out, it’s only natural you’d want to express your gratitude. However, I am a strong proponent of minimalistic living, especially in NYC, where space is such a commodity! As much as I appreciate every monogrammed wineglass, there’s only so much room in my cabinets. I’d like to share some of my favorite ideas for favors that are useful and don’t take up space in your apartment.
Customized lip glosses: Tarte cosmetics makes dual ended glosses. The two colors are named after famous couples; so, there’s Fred and Ginger, Romeo and Juliet, Tarzan and Jane… etc. A friend of mine chose her favorite color combination and had the two glosses labeled with her and her fiance’s name. A teeny gift that is usable and lovely.
Coffee: Most people drink coffee, or know someone that does. My cousin had bags of coffee beans on each table at her wedding with a customized label with their names, an illustration of them, and the tag line, “The Perfect Blend.” Again, useful, and once it’s used up – no real estate has been sacrificed in your kitchen. I personally love the beans from Gimme Coffee, and you can split apart the big 1-lb bags into little ones for more reasonably sized favors.
Cake Pops: I just love cake pops and think they should be present in all celebrations, everywhere. Cake artists like Haute so Sweet have gotten so good at decorating these little guys that you can do pretty much anything you want with them. I love the idea of giving everyone customized cake pops, or, a cake pop bouquet arranged to look like flowers… again, edibles don’t take up space, and they look adorable.
Jewelry: I don’t know a girl that would say no to a lovely piece of adornment. And this is where you can really personalize something for a friend or loved one. Perhaps, giving all your bridesmaids a similar necklace, but customizing the stone to their birthstone or their preferences would be a lovely touch. Again, jewelry is usually pretty small, and definitely usable. Etsy can be a great place to look for this kind of stuff, or the fine people at Catbird have all sorts of cool jewelry.
xo,
Anni