Wedding favors allow guests to take a little piece of the celebration home. Though often presented at place settings or displayed on a table by the door, favors can be offered in another way that is both impressive and economical: grouped together as centerpieces. Even if you spend a bit more on the favors themselves, you will most likely save money overall by forgoing traditional floral arrangements.Here you will find examples of favor centerpieces made with food, flowers, or a combination of the two. The little gifts have their own individual charm. Mass them together, and they take on a whole new look and meaning -- so much so that guests might not even realize that the items are theirs for the taking at the end of the party. If you wish, place a small handwritten or calligraphed card next to the centerpiece or attach tags to the favors to let your intentions be known.
Humble supplies can take on an elegant air: Monogrammed stickers and crepe paper decorate clear plastic tubes filled with champagne-bubble candies. They're then piled into a glass compote around a smaller compote of crepe-paper flowers.Tools and Materials
You will need candies; acrylic tubes, 3 3/4 by 2 inches in diameter, with lids; regular and double-sided tape; scissors; crepe paper cut into 6 1/2-by-3 3/4-inch pieces (two per tube); 3/8-inch-wide double-faced satin ribbon in 6 5/8-inch lengths (four per tube); sticker paper; and a craft punch.
Fancy Candy How-To
1. Fill tubes; tape lids closed. Wrap crepe paper around ends, lining up seams; secure with double-sided tape and fringe ends with scissors.
Tools and Materials
You will need candies; acrylic tubes, 3 3/4 by 2 inches in diameter, with lids; regular and double-sided tape; scissors; crepe paper cut into 6 1/2-by-3 3/4-inch pieces (two per tube); 3/8-inch-wide double-faced satin ribbon in 6 5/8-inch lengths (four per tube); sticker paper; and a craft punch.
2. Tape a ribbon around each end where tube meets paper, lining up seams. Gather paper and tie.
3. Photocopy a monogram on sticker paper; punch out, and affix to tubes on side without seams.
Making Paper Flowers
You will need crepe paper, 18-gauge cloth-wrapped floral wire, floral tape, and our petal template. Trace template, and cut out petals (12 to 15 per flower), making sure grain of paper is vertical. For stamens, cut wire to 6 inches. Then cut a 3-inch square of paper, and fold it into a triangle. Bring tips in together; twist. Secure tips to end of wire with floral tape. Cup each petal by holding at center and tugging gently outward; curl top edge outward; and pleat base. Tape petals to stamens, wrapping inner petals low and raising subsequent rows slightly, overlapping them. Fluff out petals.
From Martha Stewart Weddings, Fall 2002
