Favors Ideas Fit for Foodies

While a relatively small part of the big day, favors can be a big planning conundrum, as brides and wedding pros alike often rattle our brains searching for a unique and cost-effective idea. When I got married in 2008, it literally took me months to find something I both liked and felt like fit into our celebration, finally settling on petite jars of olives (grown in California, my hubby’s stomping grounds, but cured in Idaho, my family’s homebase). Food favors like olives can be extremely effective on both levels, often available in bulk or small quantities to help keep costs down, and in a foodie town like Seattle are readily available and delicious to boot. So we went on a little search for oh-so-Seattle food products that would make for fun favors or gifts for out-of-towners: 

Marination Mobile’s Nunya Sauce & Pickled Peppers

Confession: I picked up a jar of Marination’s new bottled sauce a few weeks back and proceeded to devour the entire jar over staff lunch (there may have even been licking utensils involved). Available at the big blue truck or at Delaurenti’s in Pike Place Market, the rich and flavorful Nunya and famous pickled jalapenos (both of which are used in their delicious tacos and quesadillas) will delight your guests.

Skillet Street Food’s Pumpkin Sauces and Bacon Jam

Forget ketchup, this will soon be everyone’s favorite new dipping sauce. From the Skillet Street dudes who brought us the original bacon jam comes three new pumpkin sauces, from smoky chipotle pumpkin to a sweet and rich coconut variety. Get both in their online store.

Cyprus Pyramid Seasoning Salt from SugarPill

Capitol Hill’s new modern-day apothecary, Karyn Schwartz’s SugarPill is filled top to bottom with scent-sational herbs, bitters (for signature cocktails) and spice-infused salts. Spice up the party with beautiful jars filled with seasoning salt; the scented crystals can be bought in bulk.

Scrappy’s Bitters Flavored Bitters

Made with natural, organic ingredients, this scrappy little local business is creating buzz with their unique and unusual flavored cocktail bitters with concoctions like lavender, celery and grapefruit. Grab a bottle, snag a recipe off their website and write it out on a pretty card and voila! Available at Ballard Market, Picnic and other local markets.

Orcas Alchemy’s Infused Sugars

Based in the San Juans, family-run Orcas Alchemy crafts their artisan sugars in alluring flavors like Tahaitan vanilla, carmelized onion and star anise (they also offer specialty infused salts and unique spices in their Etsy store). Pack the sweet treat into handmade satchels, or display at tables in jars.

Boat Street Pickles

Renee Erickson, owner and chef of Boat Street Café and Boat Street Kitchen, has become famous locally for her pickles. Even if they don’t have time to make it to the restaurant, give them a taste of her pickled veggies and fruits (raisins, figs and of course, classic cucumbers) to take home as a fun remembrance of their time in the Emerald City.

Photos courtesy of Marination Mobile; Skillet Street; Hayley Young; Scrappy's Bitters; Orcas Alchemy; Boat Street Pickles