A sweet favor

I have a love/hate relationship with shower and wedding favors.

I love searching for or creating favors for a small group and love it when they are something the guests will truly enjoy. The problem is that showers and wedding receptions are seldom small groups. Making or buying a dozen items for friends whose taste and personalities you know well is very different from doing this for 50 shower guests or 200 wedding guests.

While I truly believe the guests should treat the items as a gift and accept them graciously, there was point in my life where I had been a guest many times in a two year period and I thought that if I received one more silver tone photo frame that would hold a wallet sized photo or another votive candle, I might possibly scream. What I did instead was smile, say thank you, and collect the frames in a drawer until I could find someone who might enjoy one, two or six of them. "Who doesn't like candles?" is a common thought, but I have a husband who is more than a little antsy about unattended candles, even votives in appropriate holders. I do use gifted votives, but not as readily as most women, and let's not forget that there is a scent issue. You may love citrus scents while your best friend nearly gags over anything but vanilla.

When did it become expected that every guest at a shower receive something? And worse, when did that become the norm at wedding receptions? Remember when a Jordan almonds tied into a piece of netting or in a paper cup was the only thing at each place setting? As a guest, I feel bad when I don't want the favor. Someone spent a lot of money and time on favors, money that likely could have been used for the bride, the bridal couple or any other guest of honor. Years ago, Bill and I went to a wedding reception where everyone was expected to take home champagne flutes. We don't drink champagne but I nonetheless have 8 very pretty flutes at home that are used when the occasion calls for it. Having two plain ones from this wedding would mean nothing to me except a burden as to where to put them. I have more glasses than any sane woman needs but that is another story. While this was a nice gesture on the parents' part at that wedding, many must have felt as I did, or simply forgot to take them home as there were dozens of glasses left behind at the end of the reception.

So, with a family wedding coming up in just over a week, what will be on the tables at the reception? My friend's son and daughter-in-law had these favors 9 years ago at their wedding and here is our version:

If it isn't clear, those are two Hershey Kisses on a spoon and the tag reads A Spoonful of Kisses from the Mr and Mrs. The red matches the bridesmaids' dresses.

Prior to the wedding, the rehearsal dinner will have a Hershey bar at each place setting with this wrapper:

 I found the template online and tweaked the wording and colors. Some things could not be changed using this template, but I am going to play around with it and see what I can do for other occasions. This is my idea of fun.