This article is part of our Let’s Go Local series.
Gifting a wedding favour is one of the ways wedding couples show their appreciation to guests who have taken the time to attend their celebration. It is almost always expected that at every wedding, guests would leave not just with a full belly (and a little drunk, probably) but also with an item in tow that they may or may not find useful – think the usual pepper and salt shakers, keyrings, bottle openers and so on.
For some couples, instead of going with these standard items, much effort is put into this aspect to ensure their guests take home something that is thoughtful and meaningful. It is after all a gift that speaks their sincere gratitude to those who have joined them on their big day. For others, they may choose to prepare a special gift for their bridal party who have stood with them throughout their lives and of course on this important day as well.
You may wonder what then makes a good gift? It is almost always something that is symbolic to the couple themselves. Some opt to donate, in their guests’ names, the sum of money originally meant to purchase the wedding favours or gifts to worthy causes that they support. Yet if you prefer for your guests or bridal party to have something to remember the wedding by, there are plenty of meaningful and socially conscious businesses that you can source your gifts and favours from. Here are some you can consider:
(Psst, we think some of them make for very good Christmas gift ideas too!)
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Box Green
Box Green’s motto – “snack good do good” explains their mission in four simple words.
Through selling snacks that are natural and free from artificial flavouring and colouring, they make sure you’re snacking good. They do good by bringing people together through their training programmes and employment opportunities – they provide ex-offenders with a second chance to contribute to the wider community and have also helped refugees find work that supports them and their families.
If you know your guests love to have some nuts go with their beer, Box Green makes a good choice as your wedding favour! Your guests would no doubt appreciate the low sugar, low calories and even vegan options too.
mori
mori is a marketplace for handmade products made by mothers from disadvantaged backgrounds in the Philippines. By giving these mothers the opportunities to work from home while caring for their children, mori aims to reduce poverty among them and provide sustainable employment.
Mori’s community of mothers are capable of stitching, sewing and crocheting. You can also reach out to them to get a customized product designed according to your wedding theme and preferences with price starting from $2.80 per piece.
MINDS Social Enterprise
Perhaps familiar to many, MINDS cookies and granolas have been a popular wedding favour of choice for many couples over the years. Besides the dainty glass jars that are filled with these sweet treats, each favour also comes with a customizable label. Price starts from $2.50 per piece.
Made with 100% love, these baked goods are made by MINDS Bakers that is part of MINDS Social Enterprise that focuses on training adults with intellectual disabilities. Their aim is to empower adults and provide them with work opportunities.
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Social Gifting
Founded by undergraduates from Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), Social Gifting provides job opportunities for crafters who wish to find employment but are unable to do so due to physical limitations or caregiving duties. By supporting their cause, you will be helping someone who is fighting battles in autism, suffering from cancer and mental illness, undergoing constraints of motherhood as well as seniors who are at risk of isolation.
With prices starting from $2.00 per piece, products made by these crafters range from cardholders, to reusable masks and purses. You can even build a gift box with them – making it a great bridesmaids or groomsmen gift!
Sowing Room
The Sowing Room produces beautiful fabric products such as reusable masks, pouches and pencil boxes. They are made by abused and at-risk women who are taught to sew and are paid a fair wage for their work at The Good Shepard Centre.
We had a great time browsing their catalogue of items. The unique and colourful fabrics used in these items are sure to brighten up your dinner table! Or you could get the reusable masks for your bridesmaids so you could all match for the bridal party photo shoot!
The Animal Project
The Animal Project sells animal theme-ed art pieces, dinnerware and stationery, made by animal-lover artists of special needs. These exquisite pieces start from $11.00 apiece and make for very interesting home pieces.
The profits from the sale of items goes into artists’ royalties and initiatives that support inclusion in the special needs community. By providing a safe and conducive worksite for these individuals, they are able to contribute economically and gain personal financial independence.
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The Art Faculty
The Art Faculty celebrates the abilities of people with autism and related challenges through sale of their artwork and products. Starting from $2.50, they have a large range of items, ranging from sustainable bamboo fibre go cup to reusable face masks, candles and even eco-friendly beeswax food wrap!
If you’re looking for something more customized that carries your names, wedding date or anything at all, reach out to them and let their artists personalize something for you.
Earnings from the sale of these artwork and products goes to the artists in the form of royalties.
Ugly Cake Shop
Here’s another food option if your guests appreciate a good yummy treat! Ugly Cake Shops bakes pretty cakes and other baked goods like brownies and cookies. The proceeds from their bakes goes towards supporting children through a nutrition fund in Timor-Leste.
Made with high quality ingredients and natural flavourings, their bakes can also be packed individually or in small packs with a logo. We’re sure your guests would enjoy those double chocolate cookies with sea salt flakes! Yum!
Voice for the Silenced
Voice for the Silenced is a project by Hagar, whose main aim is to support women and children facing gender-based violence and human trafficking. It may feel that human trafficking is an issue unheard of in Singapore but that is because we are perpetrator of it via slave labour and sexual exploitation.
Learn more about how to identify trafficking victims and how you can help through their website. You can also purchase their uniquely designed scarves by local designers inspired by individual victims.
There you go, a whole list of gifts and favours ideas! If you are going to spend on a gift for your guests, why not make it all the more worthwhile by supporting a cause that speaks to you at the same time? By doing so, the happiness you experience on your big day is further amplified and shared with those who have indirectly played a part for this special occasion!
If you are a social enterprise and carries products that you think would make delightful gifts to wedding guests and the bridal party, we would love to hear from you! Drop us a message at hello@thewedmag.com!
Feature image – Photo by Tetiana Shadrina on Unsplash