It is an honor to receive a wedding invitation.
The happy couple wants you to celebrate their big day with them and witness their union! It is truly an honor and gift to be invited to a wedding.
In recent years, couples have started getting very creative with guest books and favors. Guest books in 2022 are truly works of art.


Wedding favors may have started as personalized mints or match books. My favorite modern wedding favors include:
- Mini Succulents
- Local honey jars or maple syrup
- Plantable Pine Tree seedlings
- Calligraphy Coasters (I am actually doing this for my wedding!)
- Dog treats (with the couples pet on the baggie:))))


These details are sure to WOW your guests and make them feel special. However, these creative details come with a cost.
Here are some ways to personalize your guests’ experience for little to NO money:

- FREE: Ask for DJ song requests on your RSVP cards or on your website. My fiance and I did this! We are going to put all the requests in a bowl for our dj to randomly pull and give a shout out to the person that requested it. I think this is such a fun way to include your guests in the party playlist!
- Funny Photo escort cards. Head to social media to find funny photos of each guest. Print 4X4s at Walgreens for .39 each. Lay the cards out with the table place settings, or on an escort card table. This will make guests laugh and they can keep it as a favor. Also Walgreens always has a coupon/discount code out there.

- FREE: personalized Thank You notes. This only costs your time. Writing personal letters to each guest thanking them for their presence and what it means to have them in your life is a very heartfelt gift. Place in envelopes at each place setting or at the guest book table.
- Party sticks: $12.99 for a pack of 100 on Amazon. Glow sticks are always a great addition to the party and loved by all ages! These also make for great dance floor photos!

- Date Bowl Guest Book. Ask guests to write date ideas for you and your fiance to pull at random throughout your first year of marriage! It’s a win/win. You get fun and unique date ideas and your guests get to create them! Get a clear bowl and some blank index cards. This maybe costs $5.
- Wedding Cookbook as Guest book. Have guests contribute a favorite recipe to create a binder of dishes! They could bring it in person, email them to a email address created for the wedding, or mail in with their RSVP. If you collect it before the wedding, you can share the cookbook with guests at the reception. You can even go as far as to print copies for each guest.

- Shared Spotify Playlist of the couple’s favorite songs. You can print the unique barcode for guests to scan like a QR and add to their Spotify accounts. Print it out, pop it in a cheap frame, done.
- Pay it forward: In lieu of party favors, make a donation in each guest’s name to a charity organization that means something to you as a couple. Leave explanation cards on each dinner setting letting guests know of your gift. Some ideas for charities can be:
- Your local animal shelter or children’s hospital
- A research foundation in honor of a loved one who experienced a disease: Pancreatic Cancer, Alzeimers, American Heart Association, ALS Foundation, etc.
- Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund
- Wounded Warrior Project
- Doctors Without Borders
- A living tribute (plant a tree in a National Forest in honor of your wedding guests)
- There are so many ideas!

No matter what you decide to do (even if it’s small or nothing at all), your guests will just be happy to be part of your day! And remember, It’s your day do whatever the hell you want;)
XOXO,
Haley