Wedding Bistro at Bellenza

How to Package a Caramel Apple Favor

A creative alternative to giving candy - a how-to article on presenting caramel apples as favors for a fall wedding.

This coming Fall, instead of giving out the “usual” candy, why not take a piece of your childhood and make it a special part of your favors - using candied caramel apples. Using this wonderfully sweet idea, we’ve come up with our own creation that turns this delicious childhood treat into an elegant Fall-inspired guest favor with a practical purpose - one that serves double-duty as a nifty card holder. By obtaining basic packaging materials, just follow this project and make your own whimsical favor that will surely leave your wedding table by the end of your reception.

Materials you will need:

1. Caramel apples wrapped in clear wrap
2. White construction paper or card stock
3. Scissors and tape
4. Ruler
5. Pencil with eraser
6. 12″ organza rounds in red
7. Marker or felt-tip pen

When crafting this project, make sure you are in a cool and possibly air-conditioned room because caramel can melt fast - especially during warm weather.

Step 1: Layout all of your materials

Gather all of your materials together. Make sure the caramel apples are wrapped in clear wrap and kept in a cool place. This is important to remember if you live in a humid or tropical area.

Step 2: Start measuring your paper for creating the hearts

Take a piece of 8 ½” by 11″ paper. Using your ruler, measure each part into four rectangular pieces of paper with a size of 5 ½” by 4 ¼”. This is equal to just dividing the paper into 4 equal halves. For this project, we are using a plain white card stock, but you can also use a piece of colored card stock or construction paper. A good idea is to use a colored paper that matches or coordinates well with your color palette. You may also want to use patterned or textured paper for a beautiful look.

Step 3: Begin folding the paper into half

Fold each piece of paper into half, but don’t fold too hard because it will create a permanent crease. By folding the paper in half, this makes it easier to draw your hearts and get a more exact shape for the hearts. Besides using a heart shape, you can also choose a shape that follows the theme of your event. For example, you can create a maple leaf for a wedding during autumn or Thanksgiving. Another option is to cut mini pumpkins into cards for a fun Halloween wedding.

Step 4: Get a pencil and create your heart shapes

Draw a half-shaped heart using a pencil. If you have a mechnical pencil, you may want to use this instead of a regular pencil because it will be easier to draw a cleaner outline. When drawing the outline for your shape, just draw lightly so that you can easily erase the pencil marks later on. Having a good eraser makes it easier to remove the pencil marks, so keep one handy.

Step 5: Start cutting several hearts into cards

Cut the half-folded paper into hearts. Depending on how many guests you have, you may want to create several folded sheets of paper with pre-measured hearts, and then start the cutting process. By batching them together, you’ll save more time and reduce the effort. You can also better calculate how many sheets of paper will have to be measured and cut.

Step 6: Start labeling the paper hearts with a pen marker

Label each heart with the name of your guest - be sure to keep your guest list nearby when doing this part. As a reminder, you may want to complete your guest list and the RSVPs first before starting this process, so that you can create the place cards in batches.

Step 7: Tape the place cards

Once you’ve completed all of your hearts, get a small piece of tape (removable tape) and tape the hearts to the top portion of the apple’s stem. When cutting the tape, you only need to use about 1 to 2 inches of tape. Also, you may want to use invisible tape for a neat and clean appearance.

Step 8: Obtain a 12″ organza round

When you have finished attaching the place cards to the apples, put the finished apple into the center of the fabric circle. By putting the apple in the center of the organza round, it is much easier to bring the organza into a “ruffle” form. At this time, make sure that your caramel apples are well covered and protected with clear wrap to prevent any caramel from sticking to the fabric.

Step 9: Bring the organza round into a “ruffle” form

With the apple at the center of the organza round, gather the fabric together using both hands - working your way slowly towards the center of the apple. Once you start to see it come into shape, you can begin attaching the ribbon strings to the top portion of the apple.

Step 10: Tie the ribbon strings

*This can get a bit tricky at first, but once you’ve mastered the process of attaching the strings to the apple, it gets much easier and faster. Tie the strings around the apple. When tying them together, bring the ends of the strings together to form a loop. Bring the loop along the edges of the top portion of the wrap - thereby allowing you to form a knot.

Step 11: Center everything in place

Once you’ve tied the strings into a lovely bow, gently bring the stem of the apple with the place cards towards the center of the wrap. This step may be necessary if the stem of the apple moves a little. If you don’t encounter this, then you are done with the whole project!

The finished product - a lovely card holder and edible favor

Once you’re finished, you will end up with a caramel apple that can be utilized as a decorative table accent for holding your place cards. You can display these finished apples in several places at the reception such as at each guest’s place setting (i.e., a traditional option), or you can also arrange them on a tiered tray by your dessert/candy table. You can also choose to have them displayed at the entrance to the reception, which is ideal for a reception in a hotel or banquet hall setting. *Just be sure to have them situated in a cool and dry area.

When using large-sized caramel apples, you can choose to use a 17″ organza round to present each apple. To check if a 17″ wrap fits the apple, use the “newspaper test” or cut a circle from a newspaper that follows the diameter of a 17″ organza wrap, then place your object into the center of the newspaper cut-out, and determine if it is large enough to hold the object. You can check if the wrap fits properly when there is ample room at the top, thereby giving allowance for the ruffles to form evenly. This test can also be applied to 12″ organza round.

Tips To Take with You:

• Be sure to store your finished apples in a cool and dry area before presenting them at the party.
• The size of the place cards will largely depend on the size of the apple. Before cutting the construction paper, you may want to test different sizes using simple scratch paper first.
• Instead of using a black marker, you can also use a colored marker in fun colors such as pink, silver, or gold.
• For a unique card, use patterned or colored paper. You can also add stickers with themed designs to spice it up. Add some glitter or confetti for additional accents.
• Place the finished apples by each guest’s place setting, or you can incorporate them as part of a candy and dessert table.
• For the place cards, choose a shape that follows the theme or motif of the event. For example, you can also create cutout shapes in the form of starfishes, flowers, or shoes.
• When selecting fabrics with a beautiful texture, choose organza in fall-inspired colors such as red, burnt orange, and olive. You can also use magenta or fuchsia - a great color for the fall/winter season of 2007.
• Since candied apples are reminiscent of “trick or treat”, they are also perfect favors for a wedding during Halloween, but with a “grown-up” attitude. They can also be given out as part of a reception with a fun carnival theme.

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