The Wedding Lens Blog – Wedding Planning Tips & Advice

In case you didn’ t know, The Wedding Lens Blog accepts Guest Posts.  Do you have an idea for a guest post? Email us at editor[at]theweddinglens.com.

Here is a guest post by Susan Hawkins on Rehearsal Dinner Favors.  Enjoy!

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Fabulous Rehearsal Dinner Favors Are Ready for Their Debut!

You’ve been to rehearsal dinners, and typically they’re more laid-back than the wedding itself.  Most of them are held someplace close to the ceremony venue, so they can be easily reached after the rehearsal. And some aren’t. A few of the rehearsal dinners I’ve attended in the past have been backyard barbecues, a New England clambake and a picnic in the park. I don’t recall the favors, but I do know favors are as important at the rehearsal dinner as they are at the wedding. There are, however, designers that think outside the gift box to create unique party favors for all kinds of events, including those really cool rehearsal dinners. I found three favors that are real beauties to cover the rehearsal dinners I mentioned!

Backyard barbecues are always a lot of fun, and you need a fun favor to knock the socks off your guests. For example, I found a tea light candle holder that looks just like a grill.  They are so detailed, they even have tiny, black wheels and the handle!  And the one I found is not just a tea light holder-it’s a place card holder or photo holder, too. It even comes with the cutest hot dog- and hamburger-shaped place cards. This is a smokin’ favor!

I went to a New England clambake rehearsal dinner in Maine a few years ago for my cousin’s wedding. They dug a fire pit and filled a canvas tarp with lobsters, crabs, mussels, King crab legs, potatoes, corn on the cob and more that I just can’t remember. The dinner was at night, and they had tables set up with lobster bibs, plates and utensils and disposable cameras. They could have used small glass candle holders, shaded in light frosted colors – blue, green, and white — to create an incredible ambiance with tea candles. Afterward, the guests can take them home and bask in the glow of the memories. Oh-and the dinner was beyond delicious. I still dream about it.

Picnics in the park are made for two or two hundred of your closest family and friends. When it comes to the food, almost anything goes-fried chicken, sandwiches, burgers and dogs, steaks, grilled chicken and all the luscious sides that go with them. And, yes, you’re right! The tea light candle holder that looks just like a grill would work beautifully here, but how about a mini bench that has a slot so it can be a place card or a photo holder? Pretty perfect, right?

If you have an idea for an unusual type of rehearsal dinner, let me know. I bet I can come up with the absolutely ideal favor for you!

- Susan Hawkins

A happily married world traveler with her heart and home in America’s Southland, Susan Hawkins is a writer for MyWeddingFavors.com. She writes on a variety of wedding-related topics, with specialties in wedding favors, destination weddings, wedding reception decorations and unique wedding ideas. Susan lives in Atlanta, GA with her husband and a houseful of German Shepherds.