French Candies
Photo: Bryan Gardner
Pretty pastoral scenes decorate the tins containing Les Anis de Flavigny pastilles. The anise lozenges are coated with rose- and orange-blossom-flavored candy shells. (fooddepot.com)
These delectable little disks of De la Rosa peanut chews hail from Mexico and come in a sweet box. (fooddepot.com)
Consider giving guests Droste Cocoa from the Netherlands, which is superb for both drinking and baking and comes in a cool vintage-style container. (fooddepot.com)
Friends meet up to sip yerba mate in South America. To share some with your pals, break up a bag of Taragui yerba mate, scoop it into tins, and add our label. (fooddepot.com)
Place pie-size Swedish Leksands crispbread rounds in guests’ lodgings for late-night snacking. (fooddepot.com)
Bottles of Cap Jempol sambal sauce, made from chili peppers, will let everyone know you think they’re hot stuff. (fooddepot.com)
Salty Hafco licorice (fooddepot.com) is a classic Dutch treat. Stow them in boxes wrapped with our tulip patterns.
Quench your guests' thirst with Taisun star fruit juice or peach juice, or Yuan apple soda, all from Taiwan. (fooddepot.com)
A New England favorite since 1847, pastel Necco Wafers can be elevated with a twist of cellophane. (hometownfavorites.com)
One whiff of Tartans of Maine's balsam fir pillows (tartansofmaine.com) will transport loved ones right back to your wedding in the state. Wind a ribbon around each heritage plaid wool square, and slip a "thank you" tag right through.
Shriver's Salt Water Taffy (shrivers.com) has been a sweet staple of the New Jersey shore since 1898. Choose from a mind-boggling assortment of flavors -- strawberry, pumpkin, hazelnut -- and let their colors shine through glassine packets (favorsandgifts.etsy.com).
Drizzled on pancakes, Northeast Maple syrup (northeastmaple.com) conjures memories of fiery foliage all year long. Once the bottle's tapped out, it can be used as a bud vase.
Spread Philadelphia's fondness for twisted bread -- second only to cheesesteak -- by handing out chocolate-covered pretzels. (philadelphiacandies.com)
Covered in beautiful maps of the Empire State, these NYC matchboxes (blueribbongeneralstore.net) look especially striking.
Salute nautical Nantucket or Cape Cod, Massachusetts; Mystic, Connecticut; or other coastal cities with sailors' rope bracelets that shrink to fit (1856countrystore.com). Or bestow "The Arts of the Sailor: Knotting, Splicing, and Ropework" to show guests the ropes.
Make DIY sweet-tea kits: Cover rectangular boxes (nashvillewraps.com) with the recipe, then fill them with sugar cubes and Luzianne tea bags (luzianne.com).
You don't need to be at a horse race to sip mint juleps. Guests can blend their own with this cup (atasteofkentucky.com) and a bottle of Woodford Reserve bourbon (thepartysource.com).
Everyone will ooh and ahh over Priester's Pecans mini pies (priesters.com). They fit snugly into clear large truffle boxes (nashvillewraps.com), and the personal portions mean there's no need to share.
Guests can summon Maryland with a sprinkle of Old Bay seasoning -- it's great in Bloody Marys and on potatoes, too -- a wooden mallet (themarylandstore.com), and a kitchen towel (surlatable.com).
These irresistible bite-size cookies smack of the Sunshine State's tart produce (keywestkeylimepieco.com). Shell-shaped chocolates are another seaside favor (weddingfavors.com).
The Bayou is known for more than Mardi Gras. Honor Louisiana's French heritage with fleur-de-lis-themed note cards from La Belle-Vie Design (labelleviedesign.com) or with chocolate lollipops (hitsthespot.etsy.com).
Candied pecans and pretty papers dress up Sweeteeth Cinnapsis chocolate bars (sweeteethchocolate.com). The Charleston, South Carolina, chocolatiers will even create small-batch custom-blend flavors for smaller affairs.
Who doesn't love goober peas? (That's what peanuts are called down south.) Whitley's Peanut Factory nuts (whitleyspeanut.com) will come in handy on the flight home -- if they last that long. Just pour them into Bella Terra ribbon-handle bags (bellaterra.net).
Crafted to resemble nuts from the Ohio state tree, Marie's Candies buckeyes are decadent orbs of chocolate-dipped peanut butter (mariescandies.com). Four fit perfectly into these 3 1/2-inch-square white candy boxes (confectioneryhouse.com). We wrapped ours in yellow paper for a colorful finishing touch.
A handsome volume of the classic American novel "O Pioneers!" connects Nebraska's past to its present. Hand it over bound in ribbon with a stalk or two of wheat. (doverpublications.com)
Mackinac Island fudge is a hit with fans from Michigan and all over the Midwest, who visit Mackinac Fudge Shop to indulge their sugar cravings. (mackinacfudgeshop.com)
Come June, tart cherries pop up all over the Great Lakes. A jar of Michigan's Cherry Republic triple-cherry granola (cherryrepublic.com) lets friends enjoy the fruit year-round.
End the celebration without a dose of dairy? We think not. A little package of Wisconsin cheddar cheese and Carr's crackers (wisconsincheesemart.com) is a terrific late-night snack.
Wildflowers dot the Kansas prairie, but they can grow in most backyards, too. A muslin bag of Midwest seed bombs contains an arsenal of native plants that are ready to be sown. (visualingual.etsy.com)
Pay tribute to the crops of Iowa and Indiana by adding bright paper leaves to a cob-shaped lollipop (melvillestore.com) or dole out kettle corn (popcornindiana.com) in striped paper bags (bakeitpretty.com).
The Magnificent Mile's skyline is immortalized in these letterpress versions by Paper Stories (paperstories.com). Place a bundle at each place setting.
For guests: an ode to your locale courtesy of Barrel of Monkeys "Detroit Love" pin-back buttons (barrelofmonkeys.etsy.com). For you: a photo of everyone wearing them during the reception.
Give the gift of native flora that even black thumbs can make thrive: mini cacti (arizonagifts.com). Top them off with personalized plant markers.
Keep the party going with bottles of Austin, Texas-based Tito's Handmade Vodka (titosvodka.com). The smooth liquor is made in copper pots at Texas's first (legal) distillery.
Bedre's chocolate boots were made for walking -- and eating. After gobbling these up, everyone will wish they came in a life-size version. (thegourmetgallery.com)
You got a diamond -- why not present guests with something sparkly, too? Arizona's amethysts and pyrite from Astro Gallery (a.k.a. "fool's gold") symbolize protection and are thought to bring good luck (212-889-9000). Toss them into 3-by-four-inch pouches from Soft Suede Collection (softpouch.com).
All you need is a clever tag to turn a Melville Candy Company horseshoe lollipop (melvillestore.com) into a gift worth trotting off with.
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas -- except for Stardust Hotel's playing cards, that is. Bundle them up with a stack of poker chips (oldvegaschips.com).
Named for one of the country's oldest highways, Route 66 cream soda (route66sodas.com), along with a fun tag and striped straw -- just set out a bunch next to the bottles (fishseddy.com) -- will quench any weary traveler's thirst.
Hand-made in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Songbird Soaps (songbirdsoaps.etsy.com) have a unisex appeal. They're composed of ingredients like sage and indigo, and make great shaving bars. Plus, they come wrapped in beautiful fabric.
Souvenirs guests would probably buy for themselves -- like punched tin ornaments -- are a no-brainer. Bonus: supporting regional artisans such as Cristina Hernandez. (therealsouthwest.com)
New Mexico's pinon coffee (therealsouthwest.com) is made from pine nuts brought to a dark, savory roast. Repackage the java in 1/2-pound kraft paper bags (leboxboutique.com), and add a colorful flourish.
For more than 50 years, Ken & June's Hazelnuts (madeinoregon.com) have satisfied Oregonians. A glassine bag filled with them and finished with a handwritten tag is a delectable treat.
Talk about longevity: An Ancient Bristlecone Pine grow kit has the potential to produce a tree with a 5,000-year life span (jonsteen.com).
Keep the flame alive long after the ceremony is over with Seattle-made sugared eucalyptus soy candles (torchillumination.com). The scent freshens up hotel rooms, and lids make them travel-friendly.
Berries gathered from the Bighorn Mountains yield this wild-chokecherry vinaigrette (wyomingbuffalocompany.com). Add a label to make it your own.
This display-worthy tea towel is printed with a 1940s-style state map and will jazz up any countertop. (Idaho souvenir towel, antiquekitchen.com)
Washington-grown apples pack crisp flavor into Deluxe Foods' spiced apple butter (madeinwashington.com). Tip: It's mouthwatering with farmhouse cheddar.
With a gorgeous label and luscious contents, La Tourangelle avocado oil (latourangelle.com) is a rich ode to California.
Gourmet Hawaiian seasonings, complete with punched-paper tags, bring the island spirit to meals back home. From top: Papohaku opal sea salt, bamboo-leaf sea salt, and Molokai red fine salt (atthemeadow.com). Martha Stewart Crafts hydrangea punch (michaels.com for stores).
Honeyville mountain-wildflower honey (honeyvillecolorado.com) offers a tempting taste of the Rockies. Consider giving it with a charming wooden dipper (surlatable.com).
Covered with facts and figures about Big Sky Country, Field Notes "County Fair" state notebooks (fieldnotesbrand.com) are just the right size for travel.
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