Choosing The Right Paper
My Guide To Cardstock for Favor Tags
Event planning can be a lot of work, and on top of that it can be expensive! When trying to keep your baby shower, birthday party or even your wedding within budget, choosing to DIY some elements can be a big help. I know this may seem slightly overwhelming, but I promise it is not as hard as it sounds.
When my husband and I got married in 2015 I had DIY’d about 90% of our wedding, where possible. From Save The Dates to our gifts to the wedding party, framed signs around the reception, programs and even our favors – and we had two. I have been crafting and DIY’ing since I was young, and once thing I’ve learned is it usually comes out better than you think it will, and even if it doesn’t you’re always you’re own worst critic.
So, with all of my years of experience behind me, and helping to create some favors not only for my own wedding events, but for friends and family as well, I thought I would compile a little information for you on choosing the right paper for your favor tags.
If you didn’t already know, I have an Etsy shop called CreateCapture, where I sell digital downloads for all types of things from invitations to favor tags and labels. I get asked all the time, “Now what? What type of paper do you recommend? How do I go about assembling these?”. It’s time to answer the most frequently asked questions!
*Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Thank you for your support!
Kraft Cardstock
Metallic Cardstock
White Cardstock
Pearl Cardstock
CARDSTOCK
Let’s get down to the basics of choosing the right paper. There are tons of different types of paper out there, which are designated by weight. What we are all most familiar with is the copy/printer paper that is used in offices and homes. This type of paper is generally 20 lb. weight, so that’s a good place to start when it comes to referencing paper weights. Cardstock is generally anywhere from 60 lb. to 80 lb. weight, but can go even higher if you’re looking for a thicker paper. Many at home printers will struggle with weights as you get closer to 100 so if you’re printing at home, make sure you look into what your personal printer can handle.
COLORS & FINISHES
This is the fun part. When choosing the color or finish of the cardstock for your event or wedding favor tags, think about your theme. This doesn’t always need to be as obvious as pulling one of your wedding colors – ours were yellow and blue. In our case, the venue was a renovated barn and the theme was a rustic chic with a french country sort of twist, so we chose to use a brown kraft paper cardstock for our favor tags. Tied on with a simple piece of jute, these tied the rustic theme in to our infused olive oil favors perfectly.
If your event or wedding theme is more modern, maybe a crisp weight cardstock would be best, or even a pearl or metallic finish. Keep in mind what your actual favor is while thinking about your color and finish as well. For my friend’s wedding, she chose skeleton key shaped bottle openers for her favors, and so I printed the tags out on a light silver cardstock to match the favor and her more modern silver and purple wedding theme.
When in doubt, check Pinterest! I have a few boards on wedding inspiration you can always check out if you’re in need of some ideas!
Paper Trimmer
Hole Punch
Jute Twine
Satin Ribbon
SUPPLIES
Once you have chosen your cardstock, you might be thinking “How the heck am I going to cut all of these tags out?”. My recommendation is to use a table top paper trimmer to keep your lines straight, and help the process go a little faster. If you’re not looking to invest in one of these, see if a friend has one you can borrow! They come in handy for a lot of things – I love mine – and you can find them at varying price points that won’t break the bank! These trimmers are so helpful because they have a ruled guide that helps you to cut straight lines, and it allows you to cut each row of tags quickly, and then trim individually again with the trimmer or by hand with scissors.
TIP: Do your best to cut INSIDE the lines rather than right on them or on the outside. This will create a cleaner look and make sure that no black outlines show on your finished favor tags.
All tags have to be tied on somehow, so each of my favor tags come with a hole parked in the top center of them, perfectly sized for a single hole punch. These are inexpensive and easy to find, and having the outlined guide on the tags ensures that your holes are centered every time.
FINISHING TOUCHES
Now that wasn’t so bad! Once you’ve chosen your paper, printed your tags, trimmed them and added the holes, all that is left is to tie them on to whatever favor you have chosen, and marvel at the beautiful final product! Choosing the material to tie on your favor tags will again depend on your preference and theme. There are so many options out there that are readily available, from jute and rope style strings, to beautiful satin ribbons, colorful bakers twine and even velvet ribbons.
TIP: Test out the material you have chosen to tie on your favor tags with a sample favor. Play around until you get the length that works for you, enough to be able to tie the knot or bow that you want, but not too much that leaves long tails you have to trim therefore wasting materials. Once you’ve found your ideal length, go to town and cut all of them at once and start and assembly line! Invite your friends and family over for pizza and wine and put them to work! You’ll be surprised how quickly you can complete 150 favors when you have a little help.
I hope this information has been helpful in choosing the right paper, and erased any fear you may have had of the DIY wedding favor process. If you have any questions leave them in the comments below and I will get back to you with my best advice!
SHARE THE LOVE
It is so interesting to see how everyone customizes my favor tags to their own unique event and vision. Share photos on social media and make sure to tag me in them, I would love to see what you come up with! Good luck!
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