How to Make Bridal Shower Craft Favors

Combining your bridal shower with making wedding favors saves time and money.

Combining your bridal shower with making table favors for your wedding day can help break the ice between guests--as well as save you time and money. Homemade favors add a personal touch to a wedding, and crafting together will help guests bond for your big day. Two handcrafted favors are easy to make, so all your bridal guests can contribute regardless of age or craft expertise. They will also help decorate your wedding tables and become a touching gift for people to take home. Divide your bridal shower guests into two groups: one to make candle holders and one to make potted herbs.

Things You'll Need

• Glass votive cups for tealight candles
• Measuring tape
• Stiff cardboard
• Double-sided adhesive tape
• Decorative paper
• Pencils
• Scissors
• Tealight candles
• Terracotta pots, 2 inches in diameter
• Decorative ribbon
• Superglue that works with terracotta
• Soil
• Small lavender plants

Instructions

Candle Holders

1. 

   Measure the circumference of a glass votive cup with a measuring tape, and add ¼ inch to the length. Then measure the height of the cup. Draw out several rectangles using these dimensions onto the stiff cardboard, and cut them out as templates for your guests.

2. Give the templates to your guests, and instruct them to carefully lay the template over the decorative paper and draw around it with pencil. Give them scissors so they can carefully cut out strips of paper the right size.

3. Instruct your guests to stick a piece of the double-sided tape along one edge of their votive cup, leaving the peel-back op layer of the tape on for the moment. Tightly wrap the paper around the cup, keeping its bottom on the table to ensure the strip is being wrapped straight. Carefully peel off the top layer of the tape, and press the remainder of the strip over the adhesive.

4. Drop in a tealight candle, and keep the candleholders in a safe place.

Potted Herbs

1. 

   Potted lavender looks and smells sweet at a wedding reception.

   Instruct guests making the potted herbs to loosely tie the decorative ribbon around the circumference of the pots, and tie in a small double bow to measure how much ribbon is needed.

2. Unravel the bow, and cut it to the right length. Then put the ribbon flat on the table, and apply a thin line of superglue in the middle of the strip--long enough to stretch around the circumference of the pot.

3. Glue the ribbon across the middle of the pot, and tie it in a double bow again, using a small dab of glue while tying the bow to ensure it doesn't unravel.

4. Fill the pots with soil, and plant a small sprig of lavender in each one. Water well.

Tips & Warnings

• Make name badges for your guests, and try to get them to sit with people they don't know.

• Explain to your guests what making each table favor involves so they can pick which craft best suits their skills.

• Remember to thank your guests for their help. They're saving you a lot of time and money.

• Remember to water the herbs regularly until the wedding.

References

• Brides.com: DIY Votive Favors
• Get Married: Wedding Video
• The Knot: Pretty Floral Wedding Favor Ideas
• The Garden Superstore: Plant Pots