Not only is it a nice touch, but if you have time to make your own simple wedding favors, you can save money that you desperately need for flowers, food, or your honeymoon.

A great wedding favor to make yourself is molded chocolate. With options from lollipops to delicate multicolored shells, dark chocolate to white chocolates you can dye to match your wedding colors, these edible favors are a winner for every age.

To make your own chocolate wedding favors, follow these steps:

Chocolate Wedding Favors

1. Equipment:

Microwave or double boiler to melt chocolates

Plastic bowls and spoons

Candy molds plastic or coated metal are fine, but nonstick is critical

Small cellophane bags

Small squeeze bottle

Plastic gloves designed for handling food

Candy thermometer

2. Ingredients:

Molding chocolate like Merckens Chocolate or Wilton Candy Melts. For best results, buy this at a specialty cooking store and ask the store clerk to help you determine how much to purchase.

Lollipop sticks

Luster dust, or pearl dust, to add shimmer to your chocolate

Small paint brush (for the luster dust)

Oil-based flavorings

Decorative ribbons or other decorations to impress in the chocolate

3. Steps:

Select your molds. Melt the chocolates in a double boiler or microwave (the double boiler is better because of a consistent melt, but you will need to keep an eye on it.) Water goes in the outer pot, the chocolate sits in the inner. Try not to bring the water to a boil, and do not let any water mix with your chocolate. Stir chocolate until it is melted.

In the double boiler method, you can melt about two pounds of chocolate at a time.

When using the microwave method, melt a half-pound at a time. Place in microwave at about 600 watts for 1 minute, then stir. Return to microwave for 15 seconds at a time until completely melted.

If you want to add a flavor, do it now; no more than 20-25 drops per pound should work.

Next, fill a squeeze bottle with chocolate. Squeeze chocolate into each mold crevice carefully to eradicate air bubbles. Tap mold on counter to eliminate remaining air bubbles; pop the stubborn ones with a toothpick. Fill molds to the top, and insert lollipop stick if you wish. Place mold in freezer for about five minutes, or until the chocolate pulls away from the mold. Remove favors from mold and place on a sheet of wax paper to rest; make sure none of them touch the others.

4. Decorating Your Wedding Chocolates:

Shimmer can be added by coating your chocolates with luster dust. Dip a brush in water or another clear liquid, then in the dust. Brush powder on for a solid-looking shimmer. Put chocolates in cellophane bags and close by tying with a pretty ribbon. These ribbons can be personalized with name and wedding date, and you can even find miniature roses at many home dcor stores to slip into the ribbon.

5. Cost:

The more chocolates you make with the same molds, the lower the cost per chocolate goes. In general, you can make about a hundred chocolates for $30. Larger molds and more elaborate decorations can make costs rise to $1 per chocolate.