How to Find Lasting Wedding Reception Favors

Really, the way to find lasting wedding reception favors is a process of elimination. Discard the choices that are likely to die, break or fail, and what you have left should be an excellent candidate for a lasting wedding favor. Even some less sturdy materials can be made into lasting gifts with a little preparation.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Search for wedding reception favors that are not made of living material. If it lives, it will eventually die and wither away into nothing.

2. Stay away from fragile materials, such as balloons or tissue paper. Easily broken or damaged materials are less likely to last through the years.

3. Avoid consumable materials, such as foods. Also in this category of what not to buy are things like candles, which burn away to nothing.

4. Protect things like personal photographs with a frame. Make sure that the picture itself is covered by glass.

5. Include heavy protective envelopes with favors such as cards. The envelope protects the card against fingerprints and UV light while in storage.

6. Make sure that photos and cards are printed on archival-grade paper, which has a lower acid content for longer life.

Tips & Warnings

• One exception about living materials: small potted plants, if properly cared for, can make a lasting wedding reception favor. Do not hand these out unless you know that the guests at your reception have some modicum of gardening skill.
• If all else fails, go for a rock. A polished stone engraved with a personal message is a lasting wedding favor and a heck of a paperweight.
• Although diamonds last forever, getting enough of them for an entire wedding reception can put a dent in the fattest wallet.