Miss Cherry Pie, Seattle/Polebridge, Montana
Age and Occupation: 25, Marketing Communications Specialist
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Nurse Practitioner
Engagement Date: August 26, 2006
Wedding Date: September 2008
Blogging Since: April 1, 2008
Venue: A tiny town just outside of Glacier National Park
About Me: I think of life as a journey and I love the places it's taking me! I went to school to study Magazine Journalism, ended up with a second major in Japanese language, and now work at a company that makes software for libraries. I love writing, computers, photography, and the great outdoors. I spend most of my time playing Guitar Hero and Rock Band or geeking out online with Mr. Cherry Pie. I'm happiest when I'm on the road, especially traveling abroad, or just nesting quietly at home with my sweetie, who is a fabulous cook and bakes a delicious rendition of a certain cherry-filled dessert!
Montana-Flavored Favors
June 18th, 2008 @ 3:45 pm by Miss Cherry Pie
Now that you have an idea of what it’s like in Polebridge, maybe you can help me figure out which of the following favors from the funky Polebridge Mercantile would best serve as a memento for our guests.
Our maximum budget is $500, which equates to $5 per person (for 100 guests max), though it would be nice to spend less and still give a nice gift. We’ve got several options in or around that price range…
1. Homemade cookies!
The merc makes a LARGE variety of deeelicious cookies (not pictured). And at 3 for a dollar, they are a steal. We could easily package these up in some cellophane with a ribbon or a custom sticker and give them to guests. Everyone loves cookies… but they wouldn’t last long!
2. Photo Coaster
Personally, I like coasters, but I know they aren’t for everyone, and some people are very specific about using coasters that look good in their house. These photo coasters are cute souvenirs but at 5 bucks a pop, they are so expensive that we could only afford one per guest. Is one coaster kind of lame?
3. Body Products
A company in Whitefish makes a variety of body products that are branded by the Polebridge mercantile. They include shea butter balm, healing lip balm, and Jojoba bath bar. They’re all about $5 a pop, which is at the high end of our favor budget but we could potentially get a bulk discount. We could offer one type of body product OR an assortment and allow guests to pick one.
4. Photo Magnet
This $4.50 photo magnet is perhaps more accessible than the coaster. Everyone has a fridge, right? And it’s sort of a classic kitchy souvenir, but not particularly personal. I did buy one for myself before I left!
5. Drink Cozies
For only $3, our guests could have one of these Polebridge-branded beer cozies! Too bad we’re having kegs…
6. Polebridge Coffee
The merc offers a delicious Polebridge blend of coffee. I think this 8 oz bag was above our price limit, but we could potentially offer a slightly smaller quantity and stay in budget. We could also pretty easily add personal touches to these bags. Mmm, coffee.
7. Montana/Glacier Wildflower Seeds
I like these flower seed packages, even though they’re not Polebridge-specific. I believe that the mercantile sells a variety of these seed packets for $2.50 each, which would mean that each guest could be given as many as two packs.
Now, while I would love to give something purchased from the mercantile to be locally supportive, my wedding planner can get these flower seeds wholesale. The packets themselves would run between $1.10 and $2.50 apiece, depending if the price is retail or wholesale.
The retailer, Created by Nature sells a large variety of Montana and Glacier National Park-specific seeds that also come in mixed boxes for a discount and in lovely “seed garden” packages that I think would make great favors. The Montana one even sort of matches our color scheme!
I’m a little confused as to the pricing of the boxes and seed gardens though, they seem to be listed at two different prices on the retailer’s website ($6 vs $12 and $7.50 vs $15). I don’t know what’s up with that - maybe a 1/2 off sale? Needless to say, as cool as they are, they’re kind of pricey. Hmm.
My top three favor contenders are (in no particular order):
- Polebridge cookies, packaged in cellophane with a ribbon and tag
- An assortment of body products, probably just with original packaging
- Montana flower seeds, possibly a box/set (depending on price) or 2 packets repackaged in brown baggies with stickers
Those are my thoughts.
37 Responses to “Montana-Flavored Favors”
Have you considered using some of your own lovely photos of the area? You could get them printed as magnets online. Getting them in bulk should keep you below your budget. Coasters might be more costly, but I’m not sure. Anyway, that would be my vote 
My top 3:
- Flower Seeds
- Homemade Cookies
- Coffee
I think they’d all look soooo cute all packaged up for presentation. Oh - and as for the cookies, I wouldn’t worry about them needing to last long. I don’t think many guests would hold out on eating them!
The photo magnet and cookie would my preferences. I would definitely eat the cookie (probably on the way home) - but then it would be gone! The magnet would stay on my fridge and remind me of good times in MT.
as much as i love the idea of flower seeds, i think most guests will toss them and not plant them as i’ve received flower seeds as a favor before.
and body products… i have sensitive skin so i prolly wouldn’t use anything other than my basic products
you just can’t go wrong with food.
I’m a bit biased, but we did beer koozies for our favors, and everyone loved them. The few that didn’t get taken by the intended guests were snapped up by others. My thoughts are: they are not something that you keep out of guilt but doesn’t have any functionality, since they are intended to be used; and they are totally us - fun and laid back (at least we like to think so!). And we did kegs too - my sisters put their keg glasses in the koozies. People are very creative. 
Otherwise, I think the cookies are a fabulous idea. Yum!
I’m against favors in general, but I bought the huckleberry lip balm from the merc a couple years ago and it lasted a long time, and every time i used it i thought of polebridge.
I vote for the cookies, most favors that aren’t edible get thrown out. However I love Miss Gingerbread’s idea….make your own magnets from zazzle.com or vistaprint.com. Then you could even personalize them with your wedding date etc. You might be able to do both!
I think edible is the only way to go. And a cute packaged cookie would be loved by all! And it seems to fit your budget perfectly. If I received most of the other things they would end up as clutter that I do not want.
Your guests will buy other Montana souvenirs that they personally select if they want them.
I love either the cookies or coffee– both things that I think people would really enjoy!
for your budget, you could get the flower seeds and a cookie - then you are doing three things: supporting the polebridge shop, giving something that they can eat right awaym and something to take home. The bonus to those wildflower seeds is that they are basically made to just throw out on a patch of dirt and start to grow. Nature doesn’t make a habit of raking a nice thin coat of top soil approximately 1/8″ thick over wildflower seeds - so even people who don’t regularly garden could “plant” the flowers.
use a flower seed packet as decor for a couple of cookies? I’m partial to the idea of giving the widlflower seeds (especially for your gorgeous rural locale), but cookies are a guaranteed hit…
oh- great minds- didn’t see that gji7 had already said that! Good idea, gji7, I’m with you
I love the idea of the seeds, but wonder if sending guests from around the country home with Montana native-plants is (1) even feasible - e.g. may not grow well in other places, and (2) potentially environmentally problematic because they’re non-native, may oust native plants, etc (I live in the south where the Japanese kudzu is quickly killing off lots of local species). But the cookies sound fabulous!
Definately cookies or coffee….just think if you go with cookies, you might actually end up UNDER budget…how nice would that be?
Anything that won’t have to be packed home is awesome…so cookies get my vote.
I’m a personal fan of cookies and the coffee. Also, not to add more ideas, but what about Huckleberry jam or candy. If you type in either “Made In Montana” or ” Huckleberry Jam/Candy” your sure to find something that will work in your budget!
[…] Everyday Randomness wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerpt Now that you have an idea of what it’s like in Polebridge, maybe you can help me figure out which of the following favors from the funky Polebridge Mercantile would best serve as a memento for our guests. Our maximum budget is $500, which equates to $5 per person (for 100 guests max), though it would be nice to spend less and still give a nice gift. We’ve got several options in or around that price range… 1. Homemade cookies! The merc makes a LARGE variety of deeelicious cookies (not picture […]
I’d go with the coffee, but I also like the cookies or the body products.
When I lived in Colorado I planted lots of wildflowers and native plants - because there was huge water rationing and so they grew great. Most wildflowers will not grow great in a regular garden - they will either get out of control, because there is way too much water, or they will die for the same reason. Your little packet of poppy seeds is a good example - they will take over a regular garden bed in two seasons, and migrate to the cracks in your driveway or sidewalk.
I love all the Montana huckleberry products, and also think that anything edible is usually a good bet. And I probably would use the magnet - but I’m a magnet junkie; I have friends who are not. I actually would not use the coasters - they just wouldn’t “go” in my house, which is all art deco.
Coffee or cookies. The rest, some will love, and some will toss and theres no point in wasting that money. Personally, i think COOOKIES!!! B/c everyone loves cookies, and if one person doesn’t like it - someone else will eat it!! Plus, by the end of a fun reception everyone is a little munchy!
@Miss Gingerbread: Hm, I didn’t think of that. Not a bad idea! I will look into it.
@Miss Cookie: Yes, I did think about huckeberry goodies! But I’d definitely want to try to order them to pick up in-state as shipping on something like jam would be atrocious. The only thing that sort of swayed me from going right to the huck products is that many of them aren’t that great (just corn-syrupy and super sweet, which is nothing like a REAL huckleberry) and they don’t support the local econ.
I assumed they’d be super expensive but after a googling, I’m pleasantly surprised to see some are not. It’s worth considering, so thanks!
We ARE gonna have some huckleberry-infused vodka for huckle-tinis at the wedding!
[…] Over at Wedding Bee, they’re voting on my favor choices. […]
I love the idea of you offering a cookie and coffee bar at your reception… then bagging up much smaller portions of the coffee and a few cookies for the road…. I agree that edible treats are the best!
Oh wait…I just realized something. When I first went to Montana from Seattle as a kid, I had the worst cracked lips ever…there’s just no moisture like Seattle moisture, so lip balm is also cool and functional (and doesn’t take up much space).
My vote is for the homemade cookie. I prefer edibles as wedding favors vs cutsie items. I usually throw them away after a few months.
Cookie, cookie, cookie. That’s good enough for me.
I think the “they wouldn’t last long” part of cookie favors is actually a positive…I don’t know of that many people who really cherish or even keep wedding favors. I’ve always tossed mine…but a cookie is always welcome. But 3 bucks a cookie sounds steep…wonder if a local home baker can do better?
@Amy: They are made by the Polebridge merc– three for a dollar, possibly four. Not 3 bucks a cookie.
I vote for the cookies or coffee….If I received the seeds they would end up in a closet - not everyone has somewhere to plant them (ie apartment dwellers…) I would love the coffee, though!
Defintely cookies or coffee, all the other things are just a bit too ’souvenir-ish’ for me and would end up in a drawer for a few months before being rather guiltily given to a charity shop! I know other people like souvenirs more than I do so I’m not for a minutes saying that everyone would feel like this. The body products are nice but I’m very fussy about only using unscented stuff so I again wouldn’t use it and I would love flower seeds but don’t have a garden, so that’s something to consider. We nearly made forget me not seed favours but realised that most of our guests are city-dwellers and wouldn’t be able to use them.
So my vote goes for something you can eat! I don’t think it matters that they won’t last very long, people will have memories of your wedding to last a lifetime and those will mean a lot more to them than a coaster to remember your day by!
We must be soulmates - your top three were the same as mine!
I went with coffee or cookies. cookies are awesome and so is coffee but everyone’s not a drinker, so i think cookies would be the best bet.
the other things are neat, but i don’t think many guests would care as much as you do. when you give treats, most people can enjoy that!
I vote for cookies. I think consumable favors are definitely the way to go.
I vote for the cookies- they sound delicious and that will be a treat for everyone… “remember those amazing cookies?!” hee!
I did love Miss Gingerbread’s idea with the custom magnets! That made me think you could get custom stickers to put on the outside of the cookie package… not sure how they could be saved if a guest wanted to, but your own montana photos would look awesome as a seal for the cookie favor!
I dont really like cookies, yet I still think I would like to receive the cookies! Sometimes I get in the mood Im back from my honeymoon, (YO CP MISSED YA!!!) and the Frontier Airlines Magazine has an article about the Polebridge Mercantile in it this month! I got all giddy and thought of you! Mr Peng thought I was cah-razy. But yeah, knowing and reading about how amazing the Mercantile’s bakery is makes me DEFINITELY say baked goodies!
