Just what to do with favors?!

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Being that I had so much time between engagement and wedding date, I had a lot of time to think about wedding favors. Believe it or not, this was not an easy decision for Mr. Yankee and I to make. We didn't want to be cookie cutter- no coasters, CDs of our favorite songs or bride and groom themed anything (of course for those who pick something like this, rock on! But I do believe everyone has their own taste and something like that just wouldn't work for Mr. Y and I), but we also didn't have a very large budget so it wasn't like we could gift everyone a silk scarf, either.

So what to do?! Well my first thought was to do something that played off of the season we were getting married- fall. It's a beautiful time in california and there are a lot of options we could choose from, as you can see:

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And while those all look lovely, nothing really pulled at my heart strings. Then I thought of what I believed was the most ingenious idea ever- caramel apples! They fit in with the idea of fall perfectly, are a tasty treat and can be displayed in a way that isn't so cheesy. I even looked up and bookmarked some websites that I thought were really reasonably priced like Daffy Apple . I was really excited about this idea for a long time until I realized that the logistics just weren't there. My mom, Mr. Yankee and I were all going to be so busy the morning of the wedding that there would be no one to actually transport those things to the venue and watch after them. And what if people don't like them and we're stuck with a bunch of apples?! Granted, the second scenario wasn't very likely, but we realized that caramel apples just wasn't going to happen.

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But once I had the idea of serving something sweet as a wedding favor, I was hooked. So I jumped on the biggest wedding fad to date- candy buffets! What I had once thought of as silly and over reaching, soon became the idea to end all ideas. Of course we would have a candy buffet! Hello?! I am a huge sugar freak (and Mr. Yankee is known to have his sweets from time to time) and this would be a great way to incorporate our colors throughout the whole wedding (I was really worried about pulling our colors throughout the entire evening at this point). So the search was on for the right supplies- at the right cost- for a candy buffet. I browsed the net for bulk candy dealers, jars and bowls on sale at craft stores and on craigslist and started making a list of all the candy I thought would be nice to include in our buffet. Then I researched just how much candy I should buy; some websites said 1/4lb per guest, others said 1/2lb per guest- roughly speaking over 50lbs of candy. And while that doesn't sound like a lot- it can get quite expensive. And fast. So the idea of a candy buffet, like the one below, was out.

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So it was once again back to the drawing board. What could we do for our guests that would be meaningful and show our appreciation for the time they chose to spend with us celebrating our marriage?! And then it hit me- make a donation! Mr. Yankee and I have both lost loved ones to cancer and it's a terrible disease that affects almost everyone. The disease has hit me especially hard as it has taken all of my grandparents. And it saddens me deeply that my Nana and grandpa Willie never got the chance to meet the greatest man I've ever known. Not to mention The American Cancer society estimated that over 1.4 million* new cases of cancer were going to be diagnosed in 2009 and yet we are no closer to a cure for many types. We felt it was the perfect way to both honor or guests and honor those who could not be with us. Now at the wedding, there will be a menu card for the guests to read that will inform them of what they're eating and that we have made a donation in their honor and we think that it fits perfectly.

What about the brides out there? What was your wedding favor evolution? Did you end up with something completely different than what you originally thought?

*Figure from the American Cancer Society's Cancer Fact and Figures 2009