Wedding favors are an easy and fun project you can do yourself to add to the decor of your guest tables while also giving your guests a sweet gift.

Lucky you!  I know just where to send you to start you on the DIY wedding favor path. The best paper and craft store, Paper Garden at Town and Country Village in Sacramento, Ca has everything you need to make the adorable boxes you see above.

Paper Garden has these nifty die cut machines that will cut out favor boxes in the paper of your choice.  They have quite a few favor box styles to choose from.  If you purchase the paper from Paper Garden they will let you use their die cut machine to cut out your paper boxes, for free!  Bonus!

Once the box is cut out all you have to do is ensemble it…

embellish and fill it and…

accept the compliments on your supreme craftiness.

Now, all this cuteness deserves a worthy filling.  Here are some pointers:

Consumables are always most used by your guests.  For some amazing hand made truffles just step next door to Paper Garden and visit Capital Confections.  Tell Teresa and Craig I said Hi and ask for a sample.  The dark truffle is my favorite.

Some other ideas:  mini- homemade cookies (include the recipe with your favor) or your and your fiancee’s favorite candy.

Make sure you test out your treat in one box overnight before you fill all of the boxes.  You want to make sure there are no oil or other stains that might show through the paper of the box.  It would be awful to ruin all of your hard work because grandma’s homemade cookies left a butter stain.

There is an old and sort of antiquated (but sweet) tradition that says if you place a piece of wedding cake under your pillow you will dream of the person you will marry. These cake shaped boxes would be perfect to send home a piece of your wedding cake with your wistful single friends.

Side note:  When I was 13 years old I slipped a piece of my cousin’s wedding cake under my pillow. I am still waiting for Simon Le Bon to show up and ask me to marry him.

We all want to do our part to keep our consumption responsible.  To make your favors   earth friendly follow these guidelines:

Use paper that is made from post-consumer recyclables, printed with soy ink and make your embellishments recyclable and/or bio-degradeable.

Do not make your guest favors a picture frame, candle or other decor item.  When I go back to strike one of my weddings these are the items that are most often left behind by guests.  What a waste of money, time and resources!

Purchase the items you use to make your favor from small businesses in your home town.  It is so important we support the creative small business owner.  They are a disappearing breed.  For more on supporting the small businesses check out the 3/50 Project.

Now go forth and be crafty!