How to Make Beach Wedding Favors

This eHow article shows how to make easy beach wedding favors for both adult and child wedding guests. They reflect the beach wedding theme, are natural and eco-friendly, yet are classy gifts that even the guys can appreciate.

Adult beach wedding favors will be hand poured sea shell soy candles, and children’s will be sea shell collections wrapped in “fisherman’s” netting. See Resources below for more elaborate directions on working with soy wax, which burns clean and washes up with soap and water.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Gather your materials. Your beach wedding favors will be made up mostly of beautiful, natural shells. Obtain clam shells – one for each adult recipient. If you can’t collect and clean your own, they’re available at craft outlets. Also at craft stores, purchase soy candle wax (you’ll just have to estimate the amount), candle wicking, and an inexpensive aluminum container for melting wax – they look sort of like a metal pitcher. For the kids, purchase bulk sea shell assortments, fabric netting in a color of your wedding (you’ll need a 12x12 inch square for each child), and decorative string or cord also in a color of the wedding, one foot for each child.

2. Make the candle beach wedding favors. Lay the clam shells open side up on a work surface covered with newspaper to catch any drips or spills. Melt the soy wax as directed on the container you purchased at the craft store. In most cases, you’ll cut blocks of the wax and put them in the melting “pitcher” which is then put inside a larger pot of hot water. When melted, pour the wax into each shell and let it start hardening at room temperature. Retain just a touch of melted wax for touch ups later. Cut the wicking into pieces tall enough to have about a quarter inch of wick stick out beyond the candle (err on the side of being too long, you can always snip it off). When the wax is nearly hardened, heat an ice pick over a burner and make a hole for the wick. Insert the wick and fill in around it with a touch of remaining melted wax.

3. Make the kids’ shell collection beach wedding favors. Cut the netting to 12x12 inches. Put a handful of shells in the center. Look them all over and make sure they’re even in quantity and quality. Kids will notice if someone gets “most of the biggest ones” or “more of the cool miniature ones” or otherwise things aren’t quite even. Cut the string or cord into one foot long pieces, gather the netting around each handful of shells, and tie in a bow.

Tips & Warnings

• You can further enhance your beach wedding favors by searching for sea blue/green wax dye and a seaside appropriate scent to add to your soy wax at craft stores or online craft outlets.
• Author disclaims liability and offers article for educational purposes only. Parents are responsible for any activities involving their children. Author’s articles are registered with the national copyright office and protected with Copyscape

Resources

• More soy wax candle instructions for beach wedding favors
• More information on beach weddings

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on 6/18/2009 Cute ideas on How to Make Beach Wedding Favors.5