Wedding Favors Archives - Kathy by Design

Nautical Themed Wedding Favor Boxes Tutorial for Throwback Thursday and Wedding Recap

Hello, Friends! The long-anticipated wedding is past, bags are unpacked, and now I can finally share this Nautical Themed Wedding Favor Boxes Tutorial with you. I’m still trying to get caught up on all the things that didn’t get done here on the home front prior to the big day. And I’m still basking in the happiness of what could only be called a perfect day!

Wedding Photos

I thought you might like to see a few photos of that perfect day. You can find more on my Kathy by Design Facebook page. But I’ll share a few here before we get into the tutorial for the boxes.

Here’s our gorgeous daughter and her new husband…and yes…Liz and Chris DID wear their wedding finery out into the surf after the reception was over. This photo sums up their adventurous, fun-loving relationship perfectly!

And here’s Liz with my sweet husband Dale. The only thing trickier than walking in the sand was making it down that long, steep flight of stairs to the beach! Liz is wearing my mom’s pearl necklace.

And this is our new family! All three of the grandgirls were in the wedding party, along with our daughter Kimberly (back row left). Chris’ brother is a Navy chaplain, (front row, second from left) and he performed the ceremony, which made it extra special. I fell in love with his wife, Lisa (front row first left). Our son Peter is in the cowboy hat and his wife Mindy is beside him. Chris’ mom is in front of them. Our youngest son Joel is beside me and his beautiful wife Melody is beside him. Sophie is in the front right and the Littles are in front of Liz and Chris. We did not know that the groom and the groomsmen would be wearing blue suits when Dale and I chose our blue outfits, but isn’t it nice how that all worked out?

Peter made the gorgeous cake plate with the copper hoop. Instead of a big cake, they opted for a 6″ version with cupcakes and donuts for the guests. It was a good decision!

Nautical Themed Wedding Favor Box Tutorial: Assembly Line Method

When you have to make 82 table favors, you have to have a plan. I chose to use an assembly line method that I developed back when I was making souvenir menus for BMW corporate banquets. It really helps to have a designated box or storage spot when you are making in bulk. Keep all your tools, papers, paint, dies, embossing folders, etc. in that box. That way you don’t have them scattered all over the house.

Here’s how I tackle this sort of task:

First, cut all the box bases. Box tops measured 5 3/8″ square while box tops measured 5 1/2″ square.
Next, emboss all the box tops. I did these 10-20 at a time, as I found a moment here and there.
Then, dry brush all the box tops and set aside to dry.
While the box tops are drying, score, fold, cut and assemble the box bottoms.
Now, score, fold, cut and assemble the box tops.
Next, cut the liner sheets for the box bottoms.
Then adhere all the liner sheets for the box bottoms.
Stamp the shell image once, scan into your computer and size to fit the project. Then you can copy/paste and print out a whole page of stamped images instead of stamping the same image 82 times!
Compose and size the message in the same way, then print on vellum.

Once you have all the pieces prepared, the assembly goes pretty quickly. Muscle memory allows you to go faster and faster when you repeat the same task over and over.

Nautical Themed Wedding Favor Boxes Tutorial on YouTube

The tutorial for the box we are making today is a bit more elegant than the ones I made for the wedding, and takes just a bit more time. I decided to create a box with an interior folded edge for two reasons. One: it looks better, and two: it’s sturdier. I wish I had thought of this before the wedding, but it actually dawned on me at the wedding reception. Next time I’ll do better!

Of course, you can use any color cardstock for your box base. If you don’t want to emboss, you can just cover the box with pretty paper, or leave it plain and dress it up with ribbon, flowers and a little tag. The possibilities are endless!

Well, my dryer just buzzed, so I’d best go get another load of laundry going. At least I am never bored!

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy