Design & Decor Blog

As I ran around town this weekend doing errands and groceries, I found my gaze following after the trains of more than a few brides. It’s the height of summer, which also means it’s the height of wedding season. I love weddings and all the pretty little details but I was reminded of all the challenges that faced my friends as they prepared to walk down the aisle to say their “I dos”. There’s so much for a bride to think about: the colours, the dress, the bridesmaids’ dresses, the flowers, the cake, the music, the venue, the centerpieces – it’s enough to make your head spin. And then, there were the bonbonnieres. Oh, those bonbonnieres. I’ve seen it all. My sister made (made!) rosemary infused olive oil and filled sweet little bottles (tagged and ribboned, of course) for each guest. I’ve been to a wedding where guests received Werther’s candies. It’s a tough one – weddings are an expensive endeavour under the best of circumstances and finding a small but lovely gift for guests isn’t easy. I stumbled upon myweddingfavors.com this morning and just as its name promises, it’s got an endless assortment of wedding favour ideas. My fave idea is mini soaps. Everyone needs soap, right? And when they’re presented in pretty packaging, they make a lovely gift and will look beautiful on display. Check out some of my favourites:

Every now and then, you find a product that you never knew you needed. And then suddenly, there it is, in all its glory and you wonder how you ever lived without it. That’s sort of how I feel about Simple Human’s sensor soap pump. We’ve all used sensor pumps in public washrooms but it never occurred to me how brilliant it would be to have one at home. Well, now that I’ve used this, I realize just how great it is. Particularly in the kitchen, this soap pump makes a lot of sense. Let’s say you’re working with raw meat and you need to wash up frequently. With this pump, you don’t need to touch a soap dispenser with your contaminated hands. Just place your hand underneath the sensor and voila! Just enough soap comes out for you to wash up. So simple, so smart.

Available at: Home Outfitters or visit simplehuman.com for more information
Price: $49.99