Wine Wedding Favors

Whether you plan your wedding at an upscale hotel or a family vineyard, a gift of wine is one your guests are sure to appreciate. They can raise a glass to you after your nuptials and remember the festivities fondly as they sip or use a wine-themed accessory.

Mini Bottles With Custom Labels

If you plan to serve wine at your wedding, are hosting at a vineyard, or simply love wine, giving your 21+ guests their own mini wine bottles is a wonderful idea. Purchase mini bottles with customized labels that match the rest of your wedding scheme.

To personalize the favor even further, consider giving out the same make and type of wine you serve at the wedding.

Order Wines With Labels

Get everything done in one quick order by purchasing wines with labels included.

• Korbel allows you to choose between Brut and Sweet Cuvee and then customize the labels you would like added to the bottles. Pricing is under $90 when buying by the case of 24 187 mL bottles or about $4.50 for individual bottles, plus shipping.
• Favors by Serendipity sells mini 187 mL bottles with personalized labels for under $6 per bottle (plus shipping, with a minimum order of 24). Add your own personalization and graphics to match the wedding. Red and white wines are offered along with M&Ms and Jelly Belly's for kids.

Note you'll need to allow plenty of time for wine orders to be processed and shipped -- usually several weeks.

Wines From Your Wedding Location

If you're hosting your wedding at an actual winery/vineyard or utilizing one specific brand, you may want to hand those out as favors. For example, in New Jersey, Tomasello Winery offers three options for celebration wines (red, white, rosé splits) for about $5 each that you can add custom labels to for giving as favors (minimum order of 24). Expect to pick up the wine favors in person, however.

Check with your location to see if this is an option for your wedding.

Add Custom Labels to Shelf Wine

The easiest way to create mini wine bottle favors is to purchase mini wine bottles off the shelf of your liquor or grocery store and then add customized labels yourself. You can select mini bottles that are on sale or offer a variety of brands and types. You can create labels at home using your own graphic design program, or you can use free printable wine bottle labels you find online.

Buying the labels is always an option, too. Places to purchase include:

• evermine - Select from over 80 different labels that come in various shapes, colors, and designs; you can even add a photographic image! Pricing starts around $10 per sheet and goes up from there, with savings accumulating as you purchase more.
• BottleYourBrand - Over 70 different wedding-themed options are for sale with graphics ranging from floral wreaths to beachy themes to classic black, white, and gold striped designs. Pricing starts at less than $1 per label and goes up from there.
• Kate Aspen - Classic designs feature lace, flowers, chalkboard designs, and monograms, with pricing starting around 60 cents per label. The site also features some matching table bottle number labels, too.

  

Bottling Your Own Wine

Bottling your own wine is the ultimate personalized favor. By the time you add up the cost of wine and labels, you may find yourself feeling it's best to just use your own equipment and make the wine. If you have the equipment supplies all ready, you will only need to purchase ingredients for the actual wine -- which could run around $2 to $7 per full bottle depending on your recipe preferences. This is quite reasonable when compared to buying the bottles off the shelf. If you are using mini bottles, this will cut the costs down considerably. Be sure to factor in the cost of all the empty bottles, though, when you make your own breakdown with your recipe, quantity needed, and other supplies you need to purchase.

However, you shouldn't decide to start wine making just because you want to give out wine favors. Investing in the equipment for just the wedding may not be the best idea; it can cost a couple hundred dollars before you include the labels, bottles, and additional ingredients to make enough for everyone at the wedding. Additionally, the wine will need several months to ferment, as well as a place for storage, until the wedding date.

Alternatives for Those Under 21

If children are attending, you'll want to have alternatives available for them; consider a brightly colored juice bottle with a whimsical label they color themselves at a craft table. Be sure you have a designated person handing favors out to ensure everyone receives the appropriate favor.

For older teens and adults who don't drink, you can purchase sparkling grape juice or non-alcoholic sparkling cider to hand out with customized labels. Filling wine bottles with candies, chocolates, or bubble bath is also a great idea for guests who can't or don't want to imbibe.

Additional Wine-Themed Favors

If you want to give a wine-themed favor, you're not stuck with giving guests just wine itself. Instead, look for themed favors that don't need to be sipped for enjoyment.

Crafty Ideas

Planning early and recruiting friends/family to save their wine bottles, corks, and glasses will help you make these crafts. Keep in mind the more difficult the craft (and the more guests you have), the longer it will take.

• Bottle cork hanging - Use a hot glue gun to fix corks into the shape of wine bottles, grapes, or wine glasses. Add a ribbon for hanging to the backside and a favor tag.

  

• Wine glass candle - Wine glass candles can be given out as favors in addition to serving as the centerpieces. Simply make smaller options and put one by each place setting.
• Liquid wine bottle dispenser - Use mini wine bottles and etch a design on the front to do this fun wine bottle craft. Then add a bottle pourer, and you have the perfect container for filling with soap or an olive oil blend.
• Decorated wine glasses - Decorate cheap wine glasses to match your wedding theme. For a country themed example, you can wrap burlap and lace around the glass and twine or jute around the stem, then add an embellishment.

  

Items to Purchase

Of course, you're not limited to giving crafty items or actual wine as a favor. Instead, pick up something like the following:

• Wine-themed socks - A pair per person will keep their toes as toasty as their glasses. They are about $6 a pair.
• Wine-infused coffee - Give couples (or all guests at a small wedding) a bag of wine-infused coffee. Each bag is about $16.
• Wine-flavored jelly - Pick up a jelly made with your favorite wine flavors from Merlot to Shiraz. Each one costs about $8.
• Wine refrigerator magnets - Split this set of four magnets up for an affordable favor. The set costs around $10.

  

Wine Favors Create Winning Impressions

Create a winning impression when you hand out your wine-themed wedding favors. Whether you're going with fun socks, bottles with a custom label, or a kitschy craft, guests are sure to be won over by your wine.