Beach Wedding Favor Ideas

by Lisa Milbrand

Overview

Beach weddings can inspire plenty of wonderful favors, from the practical to the simply pretty. Even if you go for a more standard guest gift, such as candy or candles, your wedding locale can inspire the packaging.
Choose Something Practical

Consider a gift that guests can actually use at the party itself. Colorful paper fans or parasols can help keep guests cool at a beach wedding and at other summer events down the line. Or give out flip-flops, colorful pairs of sunglasses, pretty bottles of sunscreen or bug repellant, or even sleek and simple wraps for the ladies, if it may get cool later in the evening. Beach towels could be nice gifts they could use for a little sunning and relaxing the day after your event. Younger guests might appreciate pinwheels or cute little buckets and shovels they could use to play in the sand.

Share Your Good Taste

Look for food gifts that fit your shoreside theme. Saltwater taffy, sea-blue rock candy, starfish- or shell-shaped chocolates, or sand-dollar sugar cookies are all sweet choices. Or consider jars of Old Bay seasoning, macadamia nuts or other foodie treats that come from your beach location.
Use Sea Life as a Motif

Shells and starfish make a perfect, elegant motif for a beach wedding, and you will find candles, soaps, candies, cookies, key chains, picture frames, magnets and Christmas ornaments adorned with or shaped like shells or starfish. Or look to other sea creatures for inspiration---whales, turtles, lobsters or simple fish could be incorporated into your favors.
Choose Clever Packaging

Tiny, brightly colored tin pails make charming favor containers (and bring to mind the pails kids use in the sand), or you can adorn each gift box or bag with a few tiny shells or starfish. Even tiny tin or wooden boats can hold small amounts of candy or other little treats.
Consider the Local Vibe

Beaches have different personalities, depending on where they are---a seaside wedding in Cape Cod will be vastly different from one in the Caribbean or in Hawaii. Infuse your favors with some of the local flavor: Give out flower leis in Hawaii, mini bottles of rum or small packages of Jamaican coffee in the Caribbean, tiny Key lime pies in Key West, and small lighthouse-shaped ornaments at a Cape Cod wedding.