Fabulous Favor Idea: Cookie Bar

Candy bars have become a huge trend in the wedding industry over the past two years. The bright, cheery colors allow brides to customize the candy bar setup to their wedding’s decor scheme, which helps their favors tie beautifully into the rest of the event.  The only downside to the candy bar trend is that so many brides are doing it that it has begun to lose its novelty.

If you want to incorporate some type of dessert favor into your wedding, consider creating a cookie bar. Cookies have such warm, nostalgic connotations that a freshly baked batch immediately puts people in a happy mood.  Childhood memories of twisting apart Oreos, dunking a chocolate chip cookie into a tall glass of milk and licking the unbaked batter off a spoon are all part of our innate love of cookies. By creating an old fashioned bakery-style cookie spread, guests will be taken back to a simpler time when life was savored and calories were left uncounted. It’s such a sweet way to end an evening and is sure to make your wedding favor one of their favorites.

Creating the Cookie Bar  

To create an old fashioned bakery setup, begin with a long 8 foot table. You can either have it covered in linens that correspond to your color scheme or purchase a few yards of patterned fabric at the local fabric store to add color and character to the table.  Next, you’ll need a selection of cake platters, dessert stands, large glass jars and long serving trays to mimic the look of a traditional bakery.

Play around with the cake stands and platters to create the perfect layout at home, and take a picture of the final placement of all the items to ensure quick, accurate setup on the day of the event. If you have hired a wedding planner or coordinator, be sure to give her a large printout of the layout picture so she can set it up correctly.  Finally, order a wide selection of cookies, and order enough that each guest can taste four to five cookies (unless they are very large cookies, in which case you will probably only need about two to three per person).

If you’re feeling very ambitious (read: masochistic), or have a large family of talented bakers, we strongly recommend buying the cookies for your cookie bar.  Baking batch after batch of cookies in the days leading up to your wedding is a recipe for a super stressed out bride.  Either choose a local bakery that you know has a wide selection of yummy cookies, or order from a national bakery online.

One of our favorite cookie bakeries, Mrs. Beasley’s, delivers their unbelievably tasty cookies across the U.S.  If we were crafting a cookie bar for 100 guests, here’s what would be on our order list:

• 2 Orders of Mrs. Beasley’s 100-mini cookie assorted mix – $132
• 2 Orders of Mrs. Beasley’s dessert bar box (36 large bars; cut into fourths to make bite sized) – $76
• 1 Order of Mrs. Beasley’s brownie crate (24 large brownies; cut into fourths to make bite sized) – $75

Grand Total for Cookie Bar Favors: $283 for 100 guests; $2.83 per favor per person.

Write the names of each type cookie on a tented place card so guests know what they’re eating, order glassine bakery bags in bulk from an online gift wrapping store. Add mini shot glasses filled with milk to wash down the cookies and you’re all set. A beautiful bakery setup that will add charm and character to your wedding, and a delicious, useful favor that guests will adore.

*Top image via Martha Stewart

Looking for the Perfect Favors? Bite Me.

Common wedding wisdom dictates that if guests can’t eat (or drink) the favor, they probably don’t really want it. So why spend money on heart-shaped candles that are likely to get tossed? Give your guests what they really want – the gift of grub.

There have been many adorable do-it-yourself twists on the edible favor theme, including heart-shaped marshmallows in a little baggie paired with hot cocoa mix for the perfect winter treat. Another huge trend in the edible favor department are the now-ubiquitous candy bar, cookie bar, and cupcake bar. They work because guests really do adore being able to pick and choose amongst their favorite treats, and will love you for sparing them from another useless 2″ x 2″ picture frame.

For brides who don’t have confidence in their crafting skills, or those too busy to take on time consuming DIY tasks, The Knot has a respectable selection of unique edible wedding favors. One of the more unique items is the Personalized Hot Sauce bottle, which begs for cute puns on hang tags like “Keep It Spicy”, or “Turn Up the Heat.”

Another edible gem is their Personalized Bloody Mary Mix that also comes in a cute personalized glass bottle. It’s a unique, substantial looking favor that your guests will appreciate much more than a candle.  If you really want to spoil your guests and have a group that likes to party, add in a few packets of Personalized Cocktail Mixes. These would also be a great item to put in a welcome bag for out of town guests with a mini bottle of vodka.

More benign, but equally cute, are the Martinelli’s Sparkling Cider Mini Bottles that come with a custom label. Everyone loves Martinelli’s, which makes this a great favor for dry weddings.

What’s the best edible wedding favor you’ve ever received? We’d love to hear about it!