A bride may choose to make wedding favor selections based on the decor of the reception table. Placecards and placecard holders, though a common feature, have infinite variations to keep the table interesting. Placecard holders offer a variety of bases and detailing. An evening dinner is set aglow by placecard holders that incorporate votive candles. Small ceramic, pewter or stainless steel picture frames designed as placecard holders are a wonderful example of a wedding favor that will last a lifetime. Design options increase greatly when the wedding or the reception is based on traditional or non-traditional themes. Traditional design options would include cherubs, wedding bells, ribbons, bows and hearts. Additional themes could also be based on cultural differences such as Asian and Latino. Nontraditional celebrations would include beach themes, Viva Las Vegas, Celtic, Renaissance, fairy tale, sports and a wide variety of other interests the couple engages in.

Whether a wedding is intended to carry on traditions or a desire to have fun, the wedding favor choices don't have to be limited to the table decor. Many brides desire to provide guests with items that can be enjoyed long after the big day. Letter openers, bottle stoppers and openers, glassware, key chains, demitasse cups and spoons are beautiful utilitarian gifts. Distributing flower seeds as wedding favors has been a common trend. A unique twist on the flower seed idea, is having the seeds embedded in paper fiber and formed into ornaments shaped as bells and hearts. Each seeded ornament has a small thank you card and instructions for planting, to provide the guest with a living memory of the day.

A popular trend in providing wedding favors, is the creation of unique labels for otherwise ordinary food items. It's the label that sets the gift apart from those of everyday use. Chocolate bars, gourmet coffee beans and quality teas can be "branded" with a personalized label, featuring a design and statement from the bride and groom. Independent wineries and micro breweries aware of this trend, have provided a method for couples to order privately labeled spirits. Small candy makers can design special molds to create chocolate bars with images of the couple or an "engraved" message commemorating the wedding day.

The search for distinctly unique wedding favor ideas has many brides tapping into the talent of local artists. Many musicians are happy to create a special romantic music CD, complete with a privately designed and commemorative label. A local painter can provide framed prints, that invoke the spirit of the wishes a couple desires to convey to their guests. A graphic artist will create a specialized logo for the couple, that can be incorporated into otherwise common items, for one-of-a-kind wedding favors. A well designed logo can serve the same purpose as the European tradition of a family crest and be used through out the couple's lifetime.

What makes any wedding favor truly unique, is the creative thought behind it. The actual expense of the token, has little to do with how memorable it will be to the guests. Selection of the wedding favors can be the first opportunity for the bride and groom to publicly express themselves as a couple, to their community of family and friends.