Favor Cakes

As a blushing bride you want your wedding to be unique and memorable, just like you will be as you walk down the isle in your wedding dress.  There is no detail too small to be customized, and it’s the little extras that will make your wedding exceptional for your guests.  When it comes to choosing wedding favors the options can be absolutely overwhelming.  As a bride you want to give out something new that people haven’t seen before and yet what you choose still needs to be affordable and classy.

Favor Divas has a line of some of the most unique wedding favors available.  They’re called “Favor Cakes”, and not only are they wedding favors, but they can double as reception decorations and stunning table centerpieces.  Favor Cakes look like beautiful wedding cakes from afar and are available in two, three, four, and five layers.  It’s when your wedding guests get close to Favor Cakes that they realize there’s something special about them.  These Favor Cakes are not edible cake at all but are unexpectedly wedding favors!  Your guests will be pleasantly surprised to take home their very own slice of your Lavender Turrets of Love Favor Cake.

Two Ways to Have Your Favor Cake

What’s unconventional about Favor Cakes  is that you can choose to have them arrive assembled and ready to go, or unassembled in a do it yourself kit!

• The assembled version arrives with each pearl handled favor box containing Jordan almonds and a sweet love poem.
• The unassembled option comes with colored instructions and everything you need to easily assemble your Favor Cake minus candy.  This  option is great for the bride who went over budget on her dress and is trying to make up for costs where she can, or the bride who just likes to do it herself.

No matter which version you choose, and unlike most other high quality wedding favors, both options are affordable.  From a decoration standpoint the silk flower toppers are elegant and will make your reception feel classy and timeless.  The satin ribbons on each of the pearl handed favor boxes are the icing on the cake and add a stylish dash of color.

While the pressure will be on trying to get last minute preparations finished for your big day, a Favor Cake just may be the answer to your wedding favor prayers.  They’re unique, budget friendly, and will be memorable for your guests.

Topiary Wedding Reception Decoration

No doubt, your wedding reception centerpiece adds ambiance to your special day.  You can spent several hundred dollars for the centerpieces or save money by making them yourself.  One of the floral arrangements that can be easily made by almost anyone is the Topiary.  You can experiment with an infinite number of combination or adapt them to the seasons or theme of your wedding before choosing a final design.  Another plus to making topiary is that they can be made several months in advance and all you need is to ask someone to bring them to the reception venue.   The images above are pre-made topiaries that we have included in this post to give you inspiration in designing your own topiary or, if you’d rather buy than make them, follow these links:

Top row, 1st, 2nd and 4th topiaries: “Honolulu”, “Mini Rose” and “Romance”: Unique Topiaries
Top row, 3rd topiary: “Stargazer”: Etsy,  Second row, 1st topiary: “Rose Topiary Centerpieces”: Stump Prom Second row 2nd and 3rd  topiaries: “Rose Tree” and “Champagne”: Unique Topiaries

Container and Flowers

The first step in creating your topiary is to decide what type of look you are going for.  This will help you choose the right container for your wedding centerpiece.  For traditional topiaries, the most common container is a clay pot that is spray painted or wrapped in fabric  to match your wedding colors.  For a Victorian theme, a tea cup container could be used.  One important requirement for the container is that it is sturdy enough to support the balls or flowers without tipping over.  Once you have chosen your container, decide on the type and color of flowers for your topiary. You can choose one type of flowers and/or one color as in the “Rose Topiary Centerpieces” above.

Ball-Type Topiary

For the ball-type topiaries like most of the pictures above, you will need to buy foam balls or cones,  wooden dowels, glue or a low temperature glue gun, green moss and, of course, your chosen flowers.

• Insert a wooden dowel into the foam and then place the stick into a pot that is filled with florist clay.
• Using a low temperature glue gun you can then stick the silk flowers onto the foam until the foam is all covered with flowers or foliage
• Wrap the dowel in pretty ribbon that match your wedding colors or, for a natural look, leave the dowel in its original color and loosely wrap an Ivy garland around the dowel.
• Cover the florist clay with green moss and add smaller flowers on top of the moss for additional accent.
• Tie a ribbon around the top of your container for a finishing touch.

Real Easy Topiary for Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Brides

Here is the direction for one of the topiaries I made for a wedding reception.  For each of the topiaries, I

• Stuck the stem of a large blue silk hydrangea flower into a painted terracotta pot filled with florist clay.
• Covered the clay with moss and stuck small Queen Anne’s Lace flowers in the moss.
• Tied a pretty blue ribbon around the top of the container and I am done.

The trick is the hydrangea is already round.  With a flower head that measures 8″ in diameter and stands 27″ tall, I did not need a dowel, a styrofoam ball or glue. It is that easy!  If I can do this, you can do this to.  All you need is a little inspiration and a touch of creativity.

Matching Wedding Favors

Miniature Topiary Cardholder

Once you have chosen your topiary centerpiece, complete the ambiance by bringing Topiary Photo Holder/Place Card Holder to your wedding reception tables.

Each of these miniature topiaries can hold an engagement photo of the bride and groom or a place card with the name of the guest and the table number to guide him or her to your elegantly decorated reception table.

Have a happy wedding reception!

Sweet Wedding Favors

Jordan almonds are a long-standing wedding tradition that has been around for more than 3,000 years. In France and the Middle east, they are called dragees. In Greece they are Koufeta. Whatever name you call them, these candy-coated almonds offer the same symbolism. The almond itself is bittersweet in taste. This represents both the good and bad in marriage and life. It is no secret that any long lasting relationship surely has both bitter and sweet moments.

To emphasize the good times, and sweetness in the new marriage, these almonds are coated in sugar or candy coating. You can find these coated almonds in a variety of colors to match your wedding theme. However, the most traditional color is still white. This symbolizes purity. The actual shape of the almond is thought to symbolize love.

If you select Jordan almonds for your wedding favor, there is one more detail you should attend to. These treats are traditionally distributed to the guests in odd numbers. This represents the union of the bride and groom. By giving guests an indivisible number of almonds, your favors are demonstrating the fact that you as a new couple are also indivisible. In the Middle East, the number of almonds is even more precise. This tradition dictates that your guests each receive five, to represent five blessings – health, wealth, happiness, fertility and longevity.

Today you can present this classic wedding favor in a very decorative and modern way. The almonds can be wrapped in tulle, satin, or a small bag tied with colorful ribbons. You can order your Jordan almond favors fully assembled or your can make them yourself.  Watch the video below to see on how easy it is to make them.

For written instructions and/or ordering the supplies or ready-made Jordan almonds favor, go to this website: www.jordanalmondflowers.com.

For the Do-it-yourself bride, here is a list of products that you may collect and pack into an organza or silk bag big enough to hold all of the products.  You can also use a good sized make-up train case to carry all your wedding day emergency products.

• Cosmetics: For make-up touch ups, pack oil-absorbing blotting papers, lip gloss, baby powder cotton swabs and a compact mirror. For your hair, carry a comb, hair brush, bobby pins in your hair color, and hair spray to put those unruly curls in place. A clear nail polish to stop a run in pantyhose
• Hygiene: Keep these supplies handy: dental floss, hand lotion, minipads, deodorant, tampons, maxi pads, tooth brush, toothpaste and breath mints.
• Medications:Don’t forget your prescription drugs, Tylenol, Advil or other pain relievers for headaches, band-aids, chewable antacids, allergy pills, diarrhea or constipation medication.
• Sundries: Miscellaneous items that you might need: hem tape, safety pins, stain remover pads, Kleenex pack, lint roller, sewing kit with thread, needle and scissor, snaps, super glue, static guard and mini snacks.

With your bridal survival kit packed, you are ready for those wedding day emergencies.