Coffee Wedding Favors (and Great Theme Ideas)
We don't like use the word "addict." Not to describe people that show up at Starbucks on a daily basis (not counting that occasional afternoon slump) to indulge their passion for a drink that involves perfectly-balanced bitter and sweet, and involves ten adjectives and four hyphens to order: I'll have a half-caff double-shot low-foam non-dairy hazelnut Venti latte, please.
No, better words for us would be aficionado or enthusiast, devotee or habitué (we'll ignore the entries in the thesaurus that read "nut" or "junkie").
The fact is, we know what we want — and we know we want it at our wedding. Coffee comes in so many delectable forms, and the rituals surrounding it are just as sweet.
Perhaps we can't manage a wholesale transplant of that atmosphere that comes from 20 caffeine-powered laptops clicking away through the WiFi network, eight shelves filled with imported chocolate, two beaten-copper ceiling sculptures, and five baristas whipping up triple-shots for all they're worth. But we can bring our object of desire to the reception — and the out-of-town gift baskets, and wedding party presents.
First, there's the coffee itself — the personalized foil packs that are so
handy and adorable to place on a plate or stack, standing up, near the entrance.
(Stain a vintage-look wooden box and paint with an old-timey message, such as
"American Coffee Co." or "Howard's Fine Coffee." Display
your coffee packs there with some wood curls for great presentation.)
Then, there's the coffee containers we love so well. Coffee mugs to make wonderful favors, especially for a cool or cold-weather wedding. Mugs make an especially frequent appearance at Christmas and Alpine affairs, sometimes accoutered with delicious chocolate-dipped coffee spoons, chocolate kisses, small packets of chocolate-covered espresso beans, or personalized coffee or cocoa packs.
If you want to hand out plain or Christmas-themed mugs, haunt the dollar stores, where you'll often find them. But if you want something more personalized, try a "promotional products" company like Branders.com, which allows you to print your own message, logo or image on mugs for a surprisingly reasonable price. (Branders loves brides and gets high marks for helpfulness.)
Just resist, if you can, the temptation to personalize the mugs with your wedding date and names. While your closest friends and family will appreciate it, other guests usually prefer a more universal design.
Then, you have the coffee accessories that accompany our daily love affair. The elegant Venetian or tender heart-shaped coffee scoops. The dainty bridal porcelain cups. The chocolatey "swirl spoons." The mini sugar scoops. And to continue the sweet theme, delightfully feminine frosted sugar cubes.
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Yes, coffee can make its way into the ceremony itself. Try an unforgettable bridal bouquet of white roses or Calla Lilies mixed with coffee berry stems (they're actually related to the rose, but visually they're just right).
Don't forget that coffee colors, such as mocha and espresso brown, are all the rage this season both for best men attire ("brown is the new black," as bridal shops trumpet all over the nation) and wedding color combos in general. Brown and pink are simply smashing together. Try dressing your bridesmaids in mocha with pale pink sashes and roses — either silk ones sewn to the sash or real ones tucked in their hair (and carried down the aisle).
Wedding cakes for coffee addicts come in many forms: espresso-walnut cakes, tiramisu flavors, mocha cream fillings, coffee-flavored buttercream frosting. Try having yours decked out with contemporary abstract squiggles, and top with some glossy chocolate-covered espresso beans.
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Having a pre-wedding cocktail hour? Amp it up with classic coffee house prints.
No other subject has so many irresistible Art Deco posters designed in its honor
as coffee. See if your venue won't let you hang some of these classic prints
(in simple black frames). If they have a chair rail, you might even be able
to prop them up.
And since you're going that route, you'll want to further combine your fondness for coffee with that for your guests by including a catered espresso bar. Caterers that specialize in this sort of thing not only come equipped with a complete line of syrups, they often offer special touches like fresh whipped cream, chocolate shavings, rough-cut sugar, and perhaps a little "latte art".
They'll also typically lug in a giant, brassy espresso machine that's a treat just to look at.
A "haute" and modern decorative trick is to caffeinate your centerpieces. Remember those tired old vase gems we used to fill clear glass bowls? Replace them with coffee beans, and plunk a crisp pink or white pillar candle in the center. Tie the whole thing with raffia for that coffee-shop look.
Need some table names? Use those international favorites: Kenya, Columbia, Kona, Sumatra, Ethiopia, Yirgacheffe, Guatamala.
A small jazz or swing band will give your affair an authentic coffee-house feel.
And yes, you can even tuck your place cards into coffeepot placeholders.
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