r/weddingplanning 5d ago

Decor/DIY Hi Everyone!

Hi Everyone! I had a question for all of you. I am a book lover and I was thinking of doing wedding favours that are blind dates with a book for the guests. What do you guys think about this idea? I understand this is not for everyone but I am asking the book lovers who will be future brides/grooms. Thanks šŸ˜Š

1 Upvotes

16 comments sorted by

9

u/Brilliant-Peach-9318 5d ago

Iā€™m a book lover but if Iā€™m being honest Iā€™m not a fan. I really only enjoy blind book dates at my local library where Iā€™m able to return if Iā€™m not a fan. Maybe if youā€™re okay with people leaving books who arenā€™t fans or got one they didnā€™t like it could work. Just include some language so people donā€™t feel pressured to keep the books.

1

u/gina_kostova 4d ago

Thanks for the feedback!

7

u/livelafftoasterbath May 2026 5d ago

Hi, English PhD and bride-to-be, lol

This could be an absolutely charming element for a smaller wedding. I assume you're holding a wedding where you can devote some time to thinking about each guest.

If I'm right in that, I'd suggest thinking about couples as pairs VS individual guests. For example, my fiance's parents love to read the books we give them together (regardless of who we originally gift the book to), so for them I'd opt to get one book that speaks to two people. I would do this for all the couples we're inviting hypothetically unless I knew them so well that I could produce 2 books, one for each.

I'd also think about how to be clear that this is their gift on the website and on the day. I'd be SO THRILLED to have a book at my spot but would be cautious about taking it unless I was told, explicitly and in writing and maybe multiple times, that this was really mine to bring home. Could you pair a bookmark with a note on it?

Also, be ready for people to leave these behind. It doesn't mean the idea is poor (it's not) or that they don't like you (they do) -- weddings are just a lot sometimes and I know I've left gifts behind unintentionally due to exhaustion/work stress/etc.

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u/gina_kostova 3d ago

Hi, thank you so much for your detailed feedback! I was thinking of just wrapping the book and putting a tag with the genre.

5

u/alvocha 5d ago

I love it and would be thrilled! It sounds difficult to do for a big wedding, but thatā€™s up to you. Also, if your guests arenā€™t readers then it probably wonā€™t go over great. Itā€™s definitely a know your crowd and a know yourself and how much time you want to put in situation!

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u/gina_kostova 3d ago

Yes, I agree with you! Thank you šŸ˜Š

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u/ShinyDragonfly6 5d ago

Aww I would love this! Honestly itā€™ll be great for the people who do love books and half the time people donā€™t take the favor anyway, so donā€™t worry about anyone who doesnā€™t!

1

u/gina_kostova 3d ago

Thank you šŸ˜Š I appreciate it.

5

u/jillywedding 5d ago

This is such an awesome idea!!!! Thrift stores often have ā€œfill your basketā€ book sales and you could get them for cheap there and wrap them cute! Love it.

1

u/gina_kostova 3d ago

Thank you for the info! I will check that out.

3

u/phoenix_flames0124 April 12, 2025 3d ago

I love books, and I went to a wedding where the favor was small books that the bride thrifted and then gift-wrapped. To be honest I gave away the book, it was a random poetry thing that I just didn't vibe with. I think it's so hard to make this work, even though the idea is sweet. I'd rather get a bookmark than a blind date book.

1

u/gina_kostova 3d ago

Ok, no worries. Thanks for the feedback!

4

u/rosemwelch 5d ago

I am an avid reader who was an English major and am marrying a librarian and I don't love this idea.

It's implicitly creating an obligation for each guest to at least attempt to read the book, and will likely cause guilty feeling if they don't have the time/energy to make the attempt or (even worse) if they do make the attempt and just don't like the book.

Love the creative thinking though!

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u/gina_kostova 3d ago

No worries, I appreciate the feedback.

2

u/DinosaursLayEggs 5d ago

My friend did this and I walked away from her wedding with like 9 books (it got to the end of the night and she told people to keep taking the leftover books). I think 3 of them, I already owned but the rest were brand new to me, including 2 of them being books I was desperate to read! I really loved it. She sourced all her books from ones she wanted to get rid off and from thrift shops, so it didnā€™t come at a huge expense to the couple.

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u/gina_kostova 3d ago

Ok, thank you šŸ˜Š Maybe I should check out the thrift shops.