Wedding bells, white doves, flower bouquet, veils, dresses, dancing and booze; some of the things you think of when the idea of a wedding comes into mind. But as a bride or groom to be, you are the one planning the wedding and we understand how stressful it must be to plan the perfect day. There are so many things to think about: the wedding dresses, the event space, the band and etc. One thing that most planners forget to properly plan are the wedding gifts and wedding favors. They are usually small trinkets but it is a symbol of gratitude by the couple to all their guests for attending and sharing in their special day. Us here at Nilufer want to help alleviate some stress and provide some ideas for unconventional wedding favors that will leave your guests giddy.

1. Nilufer Tea Gift Set

Nilufer tea is a Japanese organic herbal tea that specialises in fruity, floral and herbal tea flavors. They utilise fresh dried fruit, flowers and herbs in their tea bags that leave your mouth with a light and fresh taste. The perfect fix for your mid-day woes; it revitalises your mind and leaves you feeling completely relaxed and ready to tackle the rest of the day. All ingredients are sourced from Japan and they are environmentally sustainable-friendly. Each tea bag is carefully and individually hand packaged with tender loving care and they look absolutely adorable and delectable. They are almost too beautiful to use! Delight and surprise your wedding guests with these as special wedding gifts.

You can purchase your Nilufer wedding favors online at www.nilufertea.com/shop. And if you want something customised for your guests to give that personal touch, Nilufer Tea offers gift customisation services as well.

2. Handmade mini terrarium

Image cred: Jeff Sheldon on Unsplash

This idea may be a tall order if you have hundreds of wedding guests but if you are having a small wedding or you possess a ton of willpower and manpower to make a few hundred of these, let’s get started. Nothing says thank you quite like a handmade gift and who wouldn’t love to bring home their very own terrarium? It is the perfect decoration for one’s table or shelf. A cute tiny little ball of green colors that will brighten anyone’s day. Being the wonderful hosts that you are, i am sure you’d wish that on all your guests, so fret not – all your terrarium building needs will be typed out right here.

Firstly, to build a terrarium you will need:

• A clear glass vessel (it can be a jar, bottle or bowl)
• Small pebbles
• Potting soil
• Cacti in various shapes and colors
• Colorful sand
• Spoon
• Moss
• Decorative items like animal figurines (optional)

The instructions to construct your terrarium is as follows:

1. Fill the bottom of the vessel with a 1 ½ inch layer of small pebbles to collect the water drainage.
2. Add the soil to fill approximately 2 ½ inches of the pot so the cacti can root properly.
3. Remove the largest cactus from its container and dust excess soil off the roots.
4. Using the end of a spoon, make a hole in the soil big enough for the roots and nestle the plant inside, tamping the soil down firmly to hold it in place. Plan for approximately 1 plant per inch of container diameter. (Tip: work with largest cacti to smallest and start from the back of the pot and work your way forward)
5. Once complete, scatter your colorful sand to fill a ¼ inch layer and decorate with more pebbles and moss. You can play around with the look of your terrarium however you please.
6. Add your figurines to complete the look.

Note: Place terrarium under sunlight and lightly water the terrarium every 2 weeks or once the soil dries out. Remember to put these instructions in your packaged terrarium so your guests will be able to take proper care of their lovely wedding favors.

3. D-I-Y Watercolor Throw Pillows

Keeping to the ‘handmade with love’ category, here is another great idea for a favor. Individually customized/decorated throw pillows! Your guests could even use them on the spot as cushioning on their chairs as they watch you waltz around the dance floor. 10 points for functionality! These are really simple to make and they make for a great activity for you and your bridesmaids and groomsmen to do. Who wouldn’t love a night in with some wine and markers to unleash their inner picasso?

Things you will need:

• Throw pillows
• Sharpies (In a variety of colors)
• Rubbing alcohol
• Cotton swabs

The instructions to make your watercolor pillows are as follows:

1. Use the sharpies to draw your design on the pillows. For best results, make sure the colors are blended within your design.
2. Dip a cotton swab in the rubbing alcohol and dab it on your design. Drag the cotton swab for greater blending of colors.
3. Once the colors are blended, trace an outline around your shape with the cotton swab. (This creates the watercolor look because the color will disperse outwards like water)
4. Toss the pillows in the dryer for 10-15 minutes for the dye to completely set and dry. And voila! You have a personalized pillow ready to give.

4. A Hangover Kit

Now this is a gift by a wedding couple that thinks ahead. There is bound to be a lot of alcohol at the wedding: wine, champagne, beer etc. Alcohol plus after party plus dancing equals a massive hangover the next day and this hangover kit will be the saving grace for many of your wedding guests. They will thank you graciously for rehydrating them and replenishing their energy. This does not require much DIY skills but if you wish to, you could personalise each box with the names of your guests but a general hangover kit will suffice.

Things to put in each hangover kit:

• Bottle of water
• Gatorade
• Aspirin/advil (for the headaches)
• Plasters (for blistered feet, earned from dancing all night)
• Sunglasses (to hide the tired eyes)
• Spearmints (no one likes bad breath)
• Eye drops
• Chapstick
• Energy bar

You could put these in a little drawstring pouch or a box, all up to your artistic taste and style. If your guests are party animals, trust me, they will feel a love so true for you when they open this kit after their night out.

5. Personalised Neoprene Can Sleeves

Image cred: Beau coup

Lastly, you can never go wrong with a simple and functional gift like a can sleeve. These sleeves are perfect for summer because they’ll keep your drinks cold for your picnics or outdoor parties. As a perfect finishing touch to your event, you can customize these sleeves with a wedding-themed icon of your choice. You can even provide your own custom artwork, wedding logo, or monogram. Pick from plenty of personalization options, koozie colors, and imprint colors—the sky’s the limit! Even the pickiest of guests will enjoy this highly practical yet fun wedding favor.

So there you have it, 5 unconventional wedding favor ideas for your upcoming wedding. I hope this article has helped relieve some of the premarital planning stress and jitters and provided some inspiration for your wedding gifts. At the end of the day, your guests are not at your wedding to receive a gift from you, they are there to celebrate your love as a couple so I’m sure they will love whatever comes from the heart.

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