Do you think that wedding shower favors are just cheap little trinkets that you buy as a token gesture for your wedding shower guests? Think again. While this might have been true years ago, today’s brides and wedding planners know that bridal shower favors have an increased significance. While a few decades ago, bridal showers tended to be small, minor affairs, today more than ever, they are major parts of the wedding month. In fact, in some circles, the shower is second in importance to the wedding day itself. And just as the bride wants family and friends at the wedding to share her happiness, she wants them to share this special day, too. Therefore, she understands the importance of showing her love for these guests by providing meaningful bridal shower favors.

Ask your grandmother and she’ll probably tell you that showers and shower favors weren’t quite the elaborate affair when she got married. Times were simpler back then, and so were their “big events.” Back then, you almost knew that the wedding shower favors would include perhaps some candy or flowers. Don’t misunderstand: These still make for nice gifts today. But in the 21st century, even these have gotten a face lift. They’re given with a bit more pizazz today. They’re customized or come in packages that can be kept permanently. In fact, whether the wedding shower favors are old stand-bys or new contemporary ideas, there are ways to present them in a totally memorable way.

Today’s wedding shower is a big event in and of itself. It is something of the “pre-wedding party,” more than just a ladies’ get-together. As a result, the wedding favors given away to the guests are much more important. In fact, wedding shower favors have become as important as the wedding favors given away during the wedding reception. And just as you want your guests to have fond memories of the reception you also want them to have good memories of the shower. This means you need to be careful about the bridal shower favors that you give them in appreciation. These favors should accomplish a couple of things: they should evoke fond thoughts of the wedding, they should serve as a reminder of the wedding, and they should be useful enough that the person wants to hang onto it.

Here then are some real-world ideas that manage to accomplish all three of these things: Satin purses (practical enough that the guests will keep them, yet flexible enough to have a message that will remind the guest of the wedding); heart-shaped cookie or pancake cutters (again, useful and at the same time, evocative of the wedding); wine glasses (something everyone is sure to keep, yet wine reminds people of weddings); bottle openers (useful, and because of the wine and champagne at weddings, reminds people of the wedding). Those are just a few ideas. There are literally hundreds more.

So start brainstorming. Pull out some paper and pen and write down your thoughts. How do you want people to remember your wedding? Is there something about the couple you want the wedding shower favors to communicate? Perhaps you’d like to coordinate the gifts with the wedding theme. Jot down all your thoughts and then have a friend help you select the best one. Then put them with a nice card from you and the groom. With determination and creativity, you can come up with bridal shower favors that will have all of your guests fondly recalling your shower for years to come.