Table Names/Favours

stargazer 68

Hey Folks

Had a thought last night about naming our tables countries we have visited since we have been together and linking the favours to each country.

Either sourcing fridge magnets/keyrings from each country or making each table specific. So far we have:

USA - could get Yankee Candles
Italy
Portugal
Switzerland
India
Turkey
Mexico
UK
Norway

Any suggestions on items we could get? We have plenty of time so sourcing on the internet should be no problem.

tinkerbell

Honestly, favours are a complete waste of money and completely unnecessary. Most people will just bin them. Spend your money instead on buying people a toast drink or something.

Milly33

USA - could get Yankee Candles/ Stewie/Family Guy/Archer
Italy - Slice of Pizza/Parmessan Cheese/
Portugal -
Switzerland - Sounds of music/music box/emmental cheese/goats with bells/little windmills
India - Some bindis/nice charmed elephants/Some Spices/Henna
Turkey - hot men / Evil Eye but then this is a lot of places
Mexico - Tequila full bottles Ill sit at that table/ Little sombreros/ Mexican mouse like the cartoons/Cacti/
UK - Big ben/Black Taxi car
Norway

You could actually do something like get cheeses from all the countries yummie... Are you defo saying keyrings

stargazer 68

Just looking for ideas really. OH definitely wants to do favours. Meal has already been upgraded as has wine and there is a toast included too.

pooch90

You could always just get little flags of each country with "X+Y" and the date on them.
But honestly, nobody cares about the favours and you will put so much time and energy into making sure they are just right and nobody will notice.

Pistachios & cream

YOu could do mini bottles of alcohol from each country. though i'd say that would get expensive fast.

Mexico - tequila,
USA - Jack daniels
UK -Gin
Portufal - wine/Ginja
Switzerland - Schnapps
India - no idea!
Turkey - Raki
Norway - Aquavit (Or homebrew as thats what i drank a lot of in norway)

You could also try and source craft beers for the countries.

Otherwise i'd go for fridge magnets

stickybookmark

USA - Oreo cookies in little packets (you could make these yourself just buy a packet of Oreos and put 2 in a cellophene bag and curl some red, blue & white ribbons
Italy - how about those mini pizza jellies like jellies that are shaped like pizzas? again in a bag and with italian flag coloured ribbons
Portugal - national symbol is the rooster, flag colours are green, red & yellow.
Switzerland - Easy peasy - Chocolate (Lindt) !!!!
India - sticks of incense
Turkey - Turkish delight in little packets!!
Mexico - mini bottles of tequila or mini pakets of mexican spices (you could also use the spices for the India table)
UK - tea bags (I mean little packets of teabags, nicely decorated etc)
Norway

Milly33

I was just going to say the mini bottles. That would be a good idea.

Even if ye could not find all minis, ye could maybe just buy some nagens (haven't used that word in a long time) and buy some small bottles, print off the labels then and put them on yourself.

Or well for table names you could just print off the areas of the maps, tea stain them and put them in little photo frames..

Could do cars also associated with the countries.

Hats of the country
Music - could do a few songs on a cd that ye would feature through out the day, you can get labels to print off..

Sweets also could do mini sweets for each country, or just get choco bars printed with the something to do with the country on the label

stargazer 68

Wow folks you are full of great ideas! Its all just in discussion mode at the moment but will certainly keep these lists. Thanks xx

stickybookmark

I was also going to name our tables after the countries we've lived in together etc but then the venue told me they'll do the table numbers (just plain) if I don't want to do my own customised ones so I was just like - a job I don't have to do - 'ok'! They're also printing the menus for us. But I have to get the table plan printed for the easel myself alright :-(

I'm not bothering with favours either but I'd say you could have great fun if you do them the way you've suggested!

stargazer 68

stickybookmark wrote: »

I was also going to name our tables after the countries we've lived in together etc but then the venue told me they'll do the table numbers (just plain) if I don't want to do my own customised ones so I was just like - a job I don't have to do - 'ok'! They're also printing the menus for us. But I have to get the table plan printed for the easel myself alright :-(

I'm not bothering with favours either but I'd say you could have great fun if you do them the way you've suggested!

The venue will do table numbers or whatever we want. I viewed their room just before a wedding came in and they had photo frames with their table names which they had done themselves and looked lovely.
I wasn't going to bother with favours but OH says he wants them so best let him have his way on this one :rolleyes:

They will print the menus too but in A4 booklet and only 2 per table. OH wants an individual card for each person - we saw it at another venue and it looked lovely. Sheesh he's getting far too involved in this! :eek:

stickybookmark

Dovies wrote: »

They will print the menus too but in A4 booklet and only 2 per table. OH wants an individual card for each person - we saw it at another venue and it looked lovely. Sheesh he's getting far too involved in this! :eek:

Uh oh didn't even think about that! The thought never crossed my mind to ask how many menus or what format.....maybe I'll just pretend I didn't see that post haha I've enough stress

Toots

I wouldn't be too fussed about this, I don't think I've ever been at a menu for each person at the table. Depending on how many are at the table it's usually 2 or 3 and they're passed around.

stargazer 68

Toots wrote: »

I wouldn't be too fussed about this, I don't think I've ever been at a menu for each person at the table. Depending on how many are at the table it's usually 2 or 3 and they're passed around.

Me neither bu OH liked the individual ones we saw at another venue. He might forget about it though

pooch90

What I found with OH whilst planning was that he just came up with ideas without thinking it through. So, whenever he came up with an eye roller of an idea, I just said, ok I'll leave that with you to take care of. It soon got forgotten.

seamus

tinkerbell wrote: »

Honestly, favours are a complete waste of money and completely unnecessary. Most people will just bin them. Spend your money instead on buying people a toast drink or something.

+1
My wife's cousin got married. On every place setting there was this round hard disc thing, nicely wrapped, with the Bride & Grooms' names, and the date on it.

Nobody knew what they were. By the end of the night there was a pile of them sitting in the middle of most tables, many people were using them as coasters because that's exactly what they looked like.

Turned out they were the wedding favours; they were chocolate, and the idea was that you'd unwrap the paper and have it with your coffee at the end. And they weren't cheap, they spent about €300 on them. But nobody realised they were chocolate and thought they were just some "thing" as part of the setup and they virtually all went to waste.

stickybookmark

i thought of one for Portugal while walking home from work! Those little custard tarts! First time i tasted them was in Lisbon and i think you used to only get them in portugal but i've noticed places in ireland selling them recently - like butler's choc cafe has them.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1812636/portugese-custard-tarts

in cellophene bags with ribbons in portugal flag colours

Milly33

Actually sounds nice that he is getting involved Dovies, sure let him have what he wants let him at it... men often get left behind in the planning so nice to hear he wants too..

Id kinda be the same with the menus I must say. even though I know it is a waste, but I hate sitting at the table waiting for someone to hand you the menu, there is always someone who will take the two for themselves and not pass it on... Was thinking of putting maybe a paper aeroplane layout on the back of ours, so that after people are done with it they can then make paper planes out of them (yes its a kids party) but just to do something with them..

Spices could work very well actually another thing that well wouldn't be wasted as if people didn't take them, ye could collect them later on and just use yerselfs in cooking..

dori_dormer

We did countries as our table names too. Our honeymoon destination was our top table . I just printed off the names myself and had them laminated. Very simple and cheap. The hotel stood them in these tall things with clips on the end. The photo frames take up a lot of space on the table too and can be hard to see.
I would either go with something sweet at every table or alcohol at each table, to keep some, sort of theme. You'll have tables swapping anyway!. I beg of you not to put Yankee candles or incense any where near food! Those things even when unlit stink to high heaven and will put the whole table off their food.

I personally would be gagging just with them in the room....

kandr10

I agree a theme would be good. Something simple like alcohol or sweets too. I personally didn't go for favours but if you have the budget why not! I can't get over the people at that wedding mentioned above that no one thought to open the wrapping on the sweets. Curiosity would've gotten the better of me if you're listing countries youve been to, it could be a nice thing to mention in the speech too and you could mention why the favours were chosen.

stickybookmark

Milly33 wrote: »

Mexico -Cacti/

Have to say I Love this idea! Those little cacti you get in small pots at garden centres/flower shops. Only thing is I'd nearly wrap them in cellophane as well or they could be used for devilment....

tinkerbell

Cacti as favours? :eek: Do not get cacti as favours. Who the heck is gonna put a cactus in their handbag (wrapped in cellophane or not) at the end of the night?!!! :eek:

stickybookmark

tinkerbell wrote: »

Cacti as favours? :eek: Do not get cacti as favours. Who the heck is gonna put a cactus in their handbag (wrapped in cellophane or not) at the end of the night?!!! :eek:

Gardeners would

deisemum

dori_dormer wrote: »

I beg of you not to put Yankee candles or incense any where near food! Those things even when unlit stink to high heaven and will put the whole table off their food.

I personally would be gagging just with them in the room....

+1, they're rank and are stomach turning.

Something they can eat or drink would be better. I was at a wedding yesterday and there were net bags with a couple of chocolates in them.

spottybananas

stickybookmark wrote: »

Gardeners would

They really wouldn't. My mother and grandfather love gardening and I do a bit myself, if presented with a cactus as a wedding favour we would just say wtf am I supposed to do with this? Nobody will put a cactus in their bag or carry it around with them when the tables have been dismantled. Apart from the fact that cacti can't go in gardens, they're indoor plants here.

More likely that some "jokers" will try to get friends to sit on them late in the night when drink makes people thick.

Milly33

have to disagree what is the problem with putting something in your bag, cacti come in all different shapes and sizes not all of them are prickly and I know its an amazing idea but they could carry them :0 I know mad idea

Milly33

they can go outdoors too you just need to know what you are doing

Roselm

tinkerbell wrote: »

Honestly, favours are a complete waste of money and completely unnecessary. Most people will just bin them. Spend your money instead on buying people a toast drink or something.

Maybe you could get a bottle of drink from each country for the table? Or miniatures-one for each guest?
Edi: I see this has already been suggested oops

CaraMay

Roselm wrote: »

Maybe you could get a bottle of drink from each country for the table? Or miniatures-one for each guest?
Edi: I see this has already been suggested oops

That will turn into a whole other seating headache - now would Johnny drink tequila or limoncello? Do I sit Mary at the aquavit or Beaujolais table?

If you are insisting on spending money on 'favours' you could donate to charity on behalf if your guests. I would rather someone give €5 to charity then get a bag full of sweets.

stickybookmark

Non prickly cacti- perfect!
I don't think whether people will take the favours away or not is really important. The whole idea behind this theme is to have a bit of fun, the favours will be an ice-breaker/talking point

Milly33

nicely said sticky, I don't think the op was looking to know whether favours are wanted or not, they were looking for ideas