DIY: favoring our guests

You know how you get engaged and you make all sorts of plans immediately? And then two months later you change your mind entirely? And then 3 months from then you change it again? And again? And again? And then one more time?

Okay, so there's more decisive people in the world than me. But this was the situation in our case. I was so excited about the wedding that immediately started searching the internet for everything from escort cards, to the invitations to the dress. And every couple of months (or weeks in some cases) I would change my mind entirely. It was a pathetic process. Thankfully, one idea has stuck from day one: our guest favors.

This was one of the first photos I'd ever come across in my searching and I fell in love with the idea immediately.

What could be better than take-out boxes? So cute. So fun for the guests to fill their own. So cheap. Right? Um, no. Wrong. They are not cheap. Especially the kind in this photo. Okay, once again, in terms of wedding favors that the WIC tries to sell us, they are probably one of the cheapest options. But, personally, there was no way I was going to spend $5 on a set of 6 tiny take-out boxes. Unfortunately other than finding containers at outrageous prices, my online searching proved fruitless.

So I was depressed. For about 2 days. And then, in a random trip to one of the dollar stores in my area, I found take-out boxes -- exactly the same as those being sold online for up to $1.99 each -- in a set of 3 for $1. They weren't perfect since I had originally wanted all frosted white while these ones were frosted white, pink and blue. Not perfect, but they will do. When I thought about the alternative of not having them I decided to compromise. So I bought out the store's entire stock with a sense of relief.

In order to pretty them up, I've DIY designed some stickers using the artwork from our invitations and put our names in the center with the date of the wedding. I put in an order with an Etsy seller, SassyCat which was really easy. All I did was send her the design and she sent me back a proof and they should arrive in a few weeks (and although I haven't gotten the final product yet, I would recommend her since my communication with her was excellent so far).

For the less crafty bride, you can even order a custom design from this sellers and then order the labels elsewhere. Or some sellers -- like this one -- will put your name and date on one of their pre-made designs.

We're thrilled with this concept because it makes our dollar store, generic take-out boxes something more personal. Plus, our cost savings on the containers means our guests can fill them with tons of goodies from our candy buffet. More on that one later.