Green Elegance Weddings Newsletter

Wedding Favors that Favor the Planet
Do-It-Yourself and Custom Wedding Favors	Return to Create It Yourself

Today's wedding favors have evolved from the centuries-old custom of giving gifts to wedding guests as a couple's gesture of gratitude for joining in the joyful celebration of their new life together. Show your gratitude to the planet as well by making your own eco-friendly wedding favors.

You'll find five designs below to make as-is or use as inspiration for your own unique ideas. We hope you'll have fun with them!

If making your own favors doesn't work for you, look for ready-made wedding favors made of natural materials such as our Plantable Seeded Wedding Favors. Or work with a designer to create custom favors. Read about CocoaVino, a company that blends environmental and social responsibility with organic chocolate to create personally designed wedding favors.

Create Your Own Favors

These favors are easy to make and easy on the planet too! They're all made of earth friendly materials, and the eco-goodies inside will make your guests feel very special. Click on images above to view details, instructions, and a guide to finding materials for putting each favor together.

		Pyramid Favor Box This classic pyramid box is the perfect container for organic chocolate truffles or other small treats! Our 3" box is made from handmade paper containing flower petals and is closed with a ribbon bow and tag. How To: Using the Pyramid Favor Box Template, cut paper on solid lines. Fold in on all dotted lines, and run a ruler or other flat object along each edge to get a crisp fold line. Apply glue to the surface of the two tabs marked "fold in and glue" and glue them to the inside of the pyramid base on the edges marked "glue tab to inside here." When the glue has dried, punch a small hole in each of the two places indicated on the template. Run ribbon out through both holes. Fill with treat, tuck flaps in, and tie. Attach tag and finish with a bow. Tips for Designing a Personalized Tag or Label Solid colored, printable recycled or handmade paper will make a nice tag or label. Experiment with typing your names and wedding date in various font styles and sizes until you come up with text that looks good and will fit into the size of your tag. Then copy and paste as many as you can on a page (being sure to leave adequate space between them), print out, and cut. For tags, punch a small hole in the upper left corner to run a ribbon through. What's a Good, Eco-Friendly Glue? We're crazy about Yes! Glue. It works beautifully for adhering paper, fabric, dried flowers, cloth and just about anything else. It sets slowly and dries clear. Yes! is made from corn and wheat - it's water-based, non-toxic, and acid free.
	Where to Find: Handmade Paper, seen here in Maroon with Navranga Flowers Paper Origins Silk Double-faced Satin Ribbon, 1/4" wide Hand Dyed Fibers Organic Chocolate Truffles Sjaak's Organic Vegan Truffles (similar to photo)

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		Personalized Organic Chocolate Bar Who doesn't love chocolate? This favor is easy to make and truly delicious! Wrap a delectable organic chocolate bar with a strip of handmade paper or tie with natural ribbon or raffia. Personalize with your names and wedding date on a label or tag. How To: We started with chocolate bars from Theo Chocolate (aka 3400 Phinney) because we're so excited that they are the first roaster of Fair Trade and organic cocoa beans in the U.S! Their chocolate is yummy, and their wrappers display colorful designs by KittenChops. There are also several other fantastic organic chocolate bars to choose from, so pick the one that suits you best. Paper wrap with label: Cut a strip of paper 2-1/2" wide and long enough to wrap around the chocolate bar plus an overlap of 1/2" (ours is 5-1/2" long). Wrap paper around the bar and glue in place. Design a label (2" wide by 1" high) and glue it on top of the paper strip. Ribbon bow with tag: Tie natural ribbon or raffia around the chocolate bar. We used Cream City Ribbon's biodegradable non-woven cotton ribbon in "mocha chambray." Create a tag (approximately 2-1/2" wide by 1" high) and punch a hole in the left end. Run ribbon or raffia through it, and tie. Curl ribbon or make a bow.
	Where to Find: Indian Handmade Paper, seen here in green stripes ClearEnvelopes.com Biodegradable Non-woven Cotton Ribbon Cream City Ribbon Paporganics Organic Chocolate Bars Theo Chocolate (call to order) Dagoba Organic Chocolate Green & Black's Terra Nostra Organic

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		Silk Favor Bag This elegant little bag can be filled with any number of delights such as nuts, candy, soap, or candles. Ours is filled with organic pistachios and tied with a hand dyed silk ribbon bow. Stitch the bag in natural silk organza (almost all organza favor bags being sold are made of synthetics). The bag can also be made in a solid dupioni silk or hemp/silk satin to create a truly opulent effect. How To: For each 4" x 5" bag, cut a piece of fabric 4-1/2" wide by 11" long. Fold in half length-wise, and stitch up each side with a 1/4" seam allowance. Turn right side out and press. Turn top edge under 1/4" and press. Turn under again and sew a narrow hem around the top of bag. Fill the bag 2/3 full, tie with an 18" length of inch-wide ribbon, and make a bow. Trim ends of ribbon at an angle to prevent raveling.
	Where to Find: Silk Organza Silk Road Hanah Silk Ribbon, shown here in Fresh Celery Of the Earth Organic Pistachios OrganicPistachios.com

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		Natural Gift Box This pretty box can be filled with a candle, nuts, candy, or any other natural treat. It's the layering and contrasting textures that make it stand out. How To: Start with a box made of recycled paper - ours is 3" x 3" by 2" high. Place your gift in the box on a bed of natural excelsior or recycled tissue paper. Cut a strip of recycled silk fiber paper 1-1/2" wide and long enough to wrap around the box plus a 1/2" overlap; glue to secure in place. Cut strands of raffia twice as long as the distance around the box, tie a knot, fan out, and trim to desired length. Glue leaves and flower in place - we used a red potentilla, but you can choose any flower that fits with your wedding's color scheme.
	Where to Find: Kraft Gift Box Paper Mart (similar to photo) Recycled Silk Fiber Paper, shown here in Khaki Silk Paper Origins Raffia Loose Ends Flowers, naturally dried and pressed Bloomin' Delights Soy Candle Beanpod Candles
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		Organic Cookie in Cellophane This one is super easy! Fill a cellophane bag with an organic cookie (or two!), tie with a ribbon, and affix a personalized label. Be sure to use a bag made of biodegradable cellophane produced from trees that are sustainably farmed and harvested. Most "cellophane" bags are actually made of petroleum-based polypropylene. How To: Purchase or bake organic cookies within a week of your wedding date. Make labels from handmade or recycled paper, each 1-1/4" wide by 3/4" high. Glue to the center of a coordinating piece of paper, 2" wide by 1-1/2" high. Glue this to the center of a gusset-pleated cellophane bag - ours is 3-1/2" wide by 8" high. Place cookie(s) in the bag, and tie with a 10-inch length of 1" wide ribbon. We used cotton grosgrain ribbon, but silk would also be pretty.
	Where to Find: Biodegradable Cellophane Bags Green Earth Office Supply Indian Handmade Paper, shown here in Lavender with Lavender Brocade ClearEnvelopes.com Cotton Grosgrain Ribbon jcaroline creative Organic Cookies EcoExpress Lavender Shortbread Cookie Mix Homeless Garden Project Online Store
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Custom Designed Favors

We know that not everyone has the time to make their own wedding favors, but they still want to give their guests something truly personal. If the word "personalized" means more to you than having your monogram stamped on production line wedding favors, a custom designed favor may be the solution for you.

I talked with Alisha Lumea of CocoaVino, a Brooklyn-based company that produces handcrafted bonbons and confections made with organic and sustainably produced ingredients. Lumea and partner Avril Pendergast-Fischer launched the company in February 2005. They had worked together at a humanitarian organization, where their experience in international humanitarian aid and development led them to an understanding of how consumers' choices can affect farmers in the developing world as well as at home. Both also studied at the French Culinary Institute in New York - Lumea holds the Grand Diplôme in Pastry Arts and Pendergast-Fischer graduated from the Fundamentals of Wine program. They decided to combine their experience and talents to create a sustainable and fair trade for-profit company.

CocoaVino's chocolates, many containing artisanal wines and liqueurs, met with rapid success and they began to design custom favors for a variety of events. Lumea told me that this summer will be their first real wedding season, and that "interest is definitely growing." CocoaVino works with each bride and groom-to-be to design favors that "fit with the couple" by asking them about the feel of the wedding - is it formal, informal, fun? They often incorporate colors and design elements from the wedding invitations into the favor designs. One of their favorite designs is the favor they created for a wedding reception at a French bistro, seen in the photo above. They paired a map of Paris with a black satin ribbon to lend a crisp modern feel to the restaurant's vintage cabaret atmosphere.

Why is it important to CocoaVino to use organic ingredients and to source products locally whenever possible? Lumea explained that "a big issue for organics is human rights. Eating organics is not just about what's good for your own body. When chemicals are used, someone bears the consequences in the human interaction with pesticides." She cited one of the disturbing consequences - children have developed endocrine disorders from pesticide exposure. CocoaVino uses chocolate from Green & Black's, creators of the first fair trade certified organic chocolate bar.

With regard to buying locally, CocoaVino attempts to "make a direct connection" with their suppliers, trying whenever possible to support small farms in an effort to curb the rapid rate of disappearing farmlands. Organic cream comes from family owned Ronnybrook Farms in upstate New York, and last summer's raspberries were sourced from a farm in New Jersey.

CocoaVino works with couples in person or via long distance, but if you are seeking a custom designer in your own area check your local wedding listings. If you know of designers that you would like to see listed in our resource directory, please ask them to contact us.

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