So you're having a beach wedding, but it's more
Westport than Waikiki?
You're in luck! As you've doubtless noticed, there's almost a limitless supply of cool beach or destination-style favors on the
market.
But if you love to get hands-on ... and especially love the special vibe given off by a personal, hand-crafted gift ... there are lots of fun and attractive beach favors
you can put together yourself (or at least put your unique stamp on!).
Some you eat, some you can drink from, and
some give off a strange magnetic attraction ... while others shield your skin, or cast a romantic glow.
Kitchen Witchery
Happiness! Any bride who knows a mixer from a measuring spoon can whip up sweet, tempting beach favors
in the kitchen for next to nothing.
Clever Cookies. Try this Eastern shore classic: sand-dollar cookies, made from a chilled shortbread-style dough, which holds its shape
during cooking. All you need is a round cookie cutter. Poke around
the edges of the cookie with a fork. Make the pretty indentations all around
with the side of a spoon.
Martha loves to get crazy with shortbread,
and so do we. So don't forget you can make chocolate sand dollar
cookies ... or lavender ... or green tea(!), as well as regular vanilla.
Want a grand finish? Dip the bottom halves
in delectable white chocolate ... but only if the final destination isn't too
hot.
Or, use a star-shaped cutter to make adorable starfish cookies. Twist
the "arms" a bit after you cut them out for a lively look.
Rich, buttery recipes like these freeze perfectly,
so don't worry about slaving over a hot oven the night before your nuptials.
Seashell Chocolates.
Another popular and lovely idea: mold-your-own chocolate seashells,
starfish or even seahorses. They're easy and attractive, and you'll find so many uses for the results (wedding cakes or cupcakes, individual favors, or just popping in your mouth). Buy the molds online or at a craft store. Still, remember that chocolate is only practical if your reception will stay relatively cool.
Want an elegant hidden treasure effect? Try mixing up your chocolate shells with gold or silver Jordan almonds. Tuck in a treasure chest favor box and tie with a sheer organza ribbon. Lovely!
Beach Bubbly
So you grabbed a case of those
champagne flutes
that Overstocked Retailer practically flung out the door? Great:
now make them even better.
Hot-glue tiny shells around the flute (outside
only, please!) and tie a length of your
personalized ribbon to the stem. Simple but breath-taking. Your guests
will never crack open a cabinet again without remembering that lovely, lazy
afternoon they spent celebrating your love.
Flair in the Glare
Try treating your guests to more practical luxuries:
personalized sunscreen or sunglasses, for example.
Cast a Little Light
Lucky enough to live near the ocean, or at least a good craft store? You're in business! Here's some ideas for rousing that sleeping do-it-yourself queen:
Shell
Candle Favors. Make your own candles with medium-sized
shells, either the "spiral" or clamshell type.
Choose shells that can easily "sit" upright on a hard
surface, or hot-glue them on to a base. Pour in melted wax and
insert a wick. Try tinting your wax with wedding colors (or just leave that pretty translucent white).
Add a little glam by sponging the shells with a touch of gold
paint ... or leave au naturel.
Gel Candle Favors.
What could look more festive than a beach-themed gel candle with a touch of aqua blue? Create your own completely custom mix of glass containers, goodies (shells or beach glass, for example), and scents for a one-of-a-kind favor. But don't limit yourself to votive holders ... unexpected ideas like champagne flutes make great containers for gel candles, too.
Magnetic Attraction
Clingy Sea Finds.
The mysterious, lovely starfish barely needs any touching up. Still, a bit of bling and a strong
magnet lends a starfish a sense of occasion ... and a very practical purpose.
Tie a pretty, sheer bow to the arms of dried or plaster starfish, then hot glue a round ceramic magnet to the back (pick the larger, stronger magnets so your creations don't slide down the fridge). Want more glam? Sponge on a touch of sparkle paint.
Apply the same simple technique to sand dollars ... which you can easily personalize with a little calligraphy bearing each guests' name. Or, smarten up some
clam shells. Spice up the hollows with mini satin rosettes, bows, or smaller shells. For a super-polished look, coat your creations with clear acrylic spray.
Favored Presentations
The simplest favor containers becomes extraordinary when you hot-glue small seashells, sand dollars or starfish to the lids. Even glue
a little bed of sand beneath the shells.
Finally, tie it all off with a cute raffia bow, after you've filled your boxes with chocolate shells or more heat-resistant
saltwater taffy.
Spinning Out the Seaside Theme
For a pocketbook-friendly but evocative centerpiece, gather
terra cotta pots (paint white or ivory if you choose). Fill with
sand, and a cluster of tall, white tapered candles. If the
sand isn't enough to keep the tapers upright, pour a bit of plaster of Paris and insert your candles while it's still wet. Fill
the remainder of the pot with sand when everything's dry.
For whimsical, original placecards, check out
Martha
Stewart's cocktail umbrella idea — so cute and inexpensive!
You Might Also Like ...
Six Stylish Ideas for the Perfect Beach Theme Centerpiece
Planning Your Poolside Wedding
Style Guide to the Nautical (Preppy!) Wedding
Plan a Destination Dream Wedding
Pull Off a Hawaiian Luau Wedding Reception Anywhere — With Ease
Tags: 
January 18th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Jenn,
I think that would be very pretty! I believe it’s our wedding ou shoud have it look the way you want! If you want to bounce wedding ideas off each other you can email or im me. My im is amberdominiquedesigns andmy email is amberdominiquedesigns@yahoo.com. Good luck with everything!
January 17th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
blue pool would be the main color
January 9th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
I am getting married on the beach and I want all the men to wear orange shirts with Khaki so that it will match my bouquet. I want the women to wear a different color so that it’s not too much orange. What color can I get the women to wear that will go good with the orange?
January 7th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Hey Jenn,
I think you can put anycolors you want to together. Just curious which were you thinking making the main color and the accent color?
January 7th, 2008 at 1:17 am
I got my seashells for really cheap from Ebay. I also got tiny bottles with corks to fill with sand and sea glass as my favors. Does anyone have ideas on where to get the sparkers from and how to present them. I was thinking a few with a ribbon but i’m not sure how to handle lighting them.
January 4th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
I want to have a beach wedding. I was wander if the colors Pool blue and Palm Beach Coral would work together?
October 23rd, 2007 at 1:36 am
Hi Mandy, check out this article which covers some popular wedding themes and color schemes by month, it might really help. Let us know what you decided!
August 14th, 2007 at 8:54 am
I have had so much fun with my beach wedding. Instead of using rice or flower petals we are using sparklers (you know those cheap little ones you played with as a kid on the 4th of July) as the wedding is at sun down. The tables are decorated with sea shells, sand, and sea grass. And no matter what your favor is, if you are wrapping it in any way, little shells are great. I am using tule, then passing ribbon through a little shell to tie it off. The shells were free as I picked them up on the beach. If you don’t live on the beach try googleing “discount seashells” as there are several good wholesalers you can by from or if any relatives or friends live near the beach ask them to help you out. Even if they can’t go out and collect the shells they can buy them locally.
July 26th, 2007 at 11:11 am
Do you have any ideas for a summer wedding besides a beach theme? It’s so hard to find ideas for summer weddings besides beach and garden themes. I don’t mind making something myself but I’m not sure where to start. Thanks for your help.
July 11th, 2007 at 10:56 pm
Here’s what I did for beach wedding favors: I work in an engraving shop, so I collected quite a few of the small, round (half-dollar sized) clear plastic containers, that commemorative coins come in. On the lid of each one, I engraved the wedding date, the names of the bride and groom, and the name of the beach where the wedding was held. I gave one to each guest, and after the ceremony, everyone had fun filling their boxes with small shells, sand and “findings” from the wedding site. The boxes were a big hit, and the bride especially treasures the fact that she has saved the actual sand she stood on while exchanging her vows. These little boxes cost me nothing since I work in an engraving shop, but maybe you can adapt the idea and come up with something similar for your gifts.
July 11th, 2007 at 5:47 pm
We’re planning a destination wedding in Costa Rica. I want to give everyone who comes a little gift. I was thinking about a tote bag with some beach type stuff. I’m drawing a blank as to what sort of things I can put in them. It seems like a silly question, but I feel like I’ve started over thinking, and now nothing comes to mind. Can anyone help?
July 4th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
Does anyone have any ideas for an extremely small reception at a resort for about 8-12 people? They will provide a cake & champagne but I have no idea of what to do afterwards being that it will be at 11:00 A.M.
April 24th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
Flower petals are a common item used to shower beach couples or any small local flower, like using orchids in Hawaii! Florists often sell inexpensive local flowers in bulk and often offer flower petals the same way. To save money though, you can buy roses that are a little past their prime at a discount and remove the petals yourself. They store in the fridge very well for a couple of days!
April 22nd, 2007 at 7:30 pm
What do guests “throw” on the beach? Rice? Bird seed? Bubbles?
March 22nd, 2007 at 8:14 pm
Janet, try checking out the pirate wedding article, see if that helps.
March 22nd, 2007 at 2:09 pm
I am lookinf for a pirate themed cake topper for a grooms cake. Does anyone have any ideas?
January 24th, 2006 at 12:38 pm
I am looking for 2.5-3″ clam shells to use for the wedding favor idea I found on Michaels.com, any suggestions?? I would like nice ones but not too pricey.
December 30th, 2005 at 8:34 pm
A cute idea that I read about, was getting Sandollars and painting the couples names and wedding date on them and then tying a ribbon through the holes at the top. Or you could even make them into magnets. You can buy them in bulk on-line. Usually .50 cents to a dollar each, depending on the type you want.
December 30th, 2005 at 8:34 pm
Someone was posting about 4″ Tortuga rum cake “favors” from the Cayman Islands. Kind of pricey, about $8 apiece, but for a small beach-theme wedding I think this would make a great, really appreciated favor.