StitchBride, I didnt want to give favors away at my vow renewal. I had been to plenty of weddings & vow renewals where nothing was given away, and that was perfectly fine with me. To the events that I had attended where something was given away, I wound up throwing the items away. I would have preferred that the bride & groom kept their money and spent it on themselves.
Now, with that being said, in the final moments leading up to my vow renewal, Disneys third-party vendor had suggested that a few items be added to my event strictly for fun:
Mickey Krispie Treats, Runts candy, Ruby Slippers, disposable flash cameras, and small organza bags. The
Mickey Krispie Treats would double as place cards; the
Runts candy would add color as well as double as place cards; the
Ruby Slippers would enhance the Land of Oz theme; the
disposable cameras would be a fun touch at the Handprint Ceremony (as well as throughout the evening); and the
organza bags would hold everything at the completion of my event.
Since there were only a handful of days before my event began, I had to think long and hard about adding anything to it at such a late date. I eventually gave the go-ahead since the items were indeed fun, and, if nothing else, would become conversation pieces. And that is exactly what happened.
As my guests boarded the motor coach that was taking them to the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park for the dinner party, each of them was handed a small gift bag that contained a disposable flash camera. In this photo you can see my sister holding her gift bag:
click here. The gift bags were made of silver-colored organza and they closed with a satin drawstring:
click here. As my guests sat down in their seats, they quickly began firing up their flash cameras and taking pictures. It was fun listening to them chatter amongst themselves, especially those guests who needed help with their flashes (not everyone realized the cameras had built-in flashes).
At the dinner party, I wasnt sure how the Mickey Krispie Treats were going to work out. But when I sat down at the table in the Western Area, this is what I saw:
click here. As promised, a place card was firmly attached to the treat. It was a cute & homey touch (and delicious, too).
When it came time to move to the Land of Oz for dessert, this is what each place setting looked like:
click here. Clear, mini-purses were filled with Runts candy, and atop them sat a place card:
click here. The Runts were definitely a colorful touch that fit in beautifully with the table linens. As to the ruby slippers, a pair of white chocolate slippers (colored red, of course) were placed inside a cellophane bag, and that bag was tied with a sparkly red ribbon:
click here. As you can imagine, the slippers were a big hit with my guests. After all, what would the Land of Oz be without a pair of ruby slippers?
I think my favorite favor, however, was one that I had requested just a few days prior to my vow renewal. I asked my Event Manager to get
Mickey Mouse Ears for each one of my guests, but I wanted those ears to be a surprise. They were to be hidden from sight until after my ceremony had completed. As my guests were being posed for the group photograph, I wanted the ears brought out. And that is exactly what my Event Manager did. And what a hit those ears were. They took everyone completely by surprise. Here are a few photographs:
Mouse Ears # 1
Mouse Ears # 2
Mouse Ears # 3
Mouse Ears # 4
Mouse Ears # 5
Here is my all-time favorite Mouse Ears photo:
click here. I loved that photo so much that I used it as the cover of a Valentines Day card that I sent to my guests:
click here. That greeting card was my way of saying thank you for attending my vow renewal:
click here.
So, even though I didnt want to give favors away at my vow renewal, Im awfully glad I let Disney gently twist my arm into doing so. Those items may have long since been thrown away, but their memories linger on in my heart.
).
