Giving guests wedding favors is a tradition that dates back to the 16th century. It is a great way to appreciate your guests for attending your ceremony and give them something to commemorate the day.
Think about it, your special day would be less memorable and as much fun with your friends and family coming through from near and far. Let’s talk about wedding favors!
Are Wedding Favors Important?
Wedding tokens aren’t a crucial part of the ceremony, like the wedding cake, but they are a great way to thank your guests and give them something to remember the event. The secret is to avoid clichés like tchotchkes that will probably get left on the table or thrown away. Favors don’t need to be over the top; what matters is the thought that goes into it.
The tradition of giving guests tokens has evolved tremendously over the years. Before you decide to dish out cash for the tokens, take time and reflect if it would be something that you would be happy or excited that you got.
It is probably not the right gift for your guests if not. Try and get something meaningful to you and those close to you. A little personal touch could be the difference between a great favor and a waste of money.
The Best Wedding Favor Ideas
With wedding favors, the spectrum is wide; you can go with the classic edible favors – which are usually fail-safe or opt for something more unique and utilitarian that your guests will use.
As you browse through these wedding favor ideas, you’ll realize that most of them are simple and do not require you to break the bank. Read to the end for fun and thoughtful gift ideas.
Chocolate Bars
As we mentioned earlier, edible favors are usually a hit. To tickle your guests’ sweet tooth, get chocolate bars, either dark or milk – it is totally up to you. Some customized wrapping or label takes the average bar to a new level of sophistication.
Scented Candles
Scented candles make for great wedding favors. Keep the vibes high by giving your guests awesome scents to take home. You can personalize the lids by writing your guests’ names and double up the candles as placeholders. An awesome two-in-one!
Hand Fan Favors
If your special day happens to fall on a hot summer day or the setting is a tropical oasis, then hand fans are an amazing wedding favor. The fans don’t have to be over-the-top; you can even choose handmade custom fans to give a little personal touch. Besides being an awesome utility for hot events, the fans are a great photo booth prop.
Plantable Favors
Seeds are often considered a symbol of growth and harmony. When you offer your guests a favor pack with plantable seeds, it’s a simple but meaningful wedding token.
You can create an assortment of flowers used on your special day so your guests can also take home part of your wedding with them to bloom in their gardens.
Bottle Openers
On your special day, you can offer your friends and family keychains that double up as bottle openers. Most people only realize how important a tool an opener is once they want to pop open a cold one. Thanks to personalization, you can make them in a manner that always reminds your loved ones of you and your special day.
Mini Hot Sauce Bottles
A small bottle of spicy hot sauce can sometimes be the perfect wedding favor. It is even more meaningful if you or your significant other is known for going around with a bottle of hot sauce. Add a personalized message like “thanks for spicing up our special day,” and encourage your guests to take a bottle as they leave.
Cupcake Boxes
You can never go wrong with edible tokens. You can have the pastry chef who bakes your cake whip up a similar flavor of cupcakes. Package the cupcakes in thoughtful boxes with a “thank you” note and watch your guests carry them all and even ask for more in some cases.
Mini Wine Bottles
At the end of the occasion, you’ll get questions from your guests about the delicious wine you served. Why not give them a mini bottle instead? You can have personalized labels on the bottles to give these favors an even more luxurious finishing touch.
Notepads
If you enjoy writing and taking notes like us, you’ll appreciate getting a handy notepad at a wedding ceremony. You can customize the cover to match your wedding theme and even have custom text for the guests’ names. A thank you message to your loved ones can also be inserted into the notepad.
Tambourines
Mini tambourines with your initials make for a great wedding gift and double up as celebratory sound makers. When the guests invite back the newly wedded couple, tambourines are a great way to make some celebratory noise.
Vases
This is often a common bridal shower token, but it can be repurposed for your big day. Get vases that match your wedding theme and gift them to the attendees. You can have them engraved with some special message.
After the event, the guests can fill their vases with flowers of their choice from the reception. This way, they take an actual piece of the special event with them, and the flowers don’t go to waste after one day.
Mini Succulents
If you are a nature or outdoors lover, you can share this with your friends and family through small potted plants. Succulents and cacti make for a great takeaway gift. You can also have tags and transform them into live place cards, two for one!
Honey Jars
After a sweet event, why not have your guests take some of the sweetness with them in a custom honey jar? Honey jars are usually a fitting gift for summer and spring celebrations outdoors, but they are also all-year-round gifts.
Your guests can take away a sweet jar for a tasty post-wedding breakfast. With customization, the simple gift turns into something luxurious.
Fruit Cartons
Small fruit cartons are the way to go for your guests with a sweet tooth but who can’t take processed sugars. You can also source fresh fruits from your local farmers or get some fresh from your kitchen garden. Berries, apples, and pears usually make for the most preferred treats in a fruit carton.
Candy Packs
Again, with favors, edibles are usually foolproof. If you are a couple who share a sweet tooth, you can hand out customized packs with some of your favorite candies. You can even decide to throw in some personalized sugar cubes into the package.
S’mores Kits
You can have some mouthwatering s’mores kits for a more personal touch to the edibles. You don’t need to include the ingredients, but a creative note with something like “here’s to s’more love, laughter, and happily ever after.”
Throw Blankets
If you’re hosting an outdoor event in a chilly setting, like next to the coast, where the breeze sets in at night, then neutral throw blankets are a great wedding favor.
Keep your loved ones warm with custom blankets bearing your initials and the special date. They can take the blankets home after the event, and they will certainly love how great they look on their couches at home.
Considerations for Wedding Favors
As mentioned earlier, wedding tokens aren’t necessary, but they are an awesome way to appreciate your loved ones for making your day successful and memorable.
When choosing wedding favors, your budget is the first and most important thing to consider. You have probably already spent a significant amount putting together the event, so don’t feel obliged to give your guests expensive favors.
Another consideration when choosing wedding favors is the number of expected guests. You can also give different tokens to adults and children. You can give one per couple or table, depending on the token type.
However, always pay attention to the parents, and ensure they get a favor because it is a big day for them as much as it is for you. They will want something to commemorate the occasion.
Finally, another important consideration with wedding favors is the presentation. It doesn’t matter how simple the favor is; what matters is how it is presented.
Try to match the favors with the overall theme of the reception, including the flowers and the linen. Because it is your way of saying, thank you to the people who attend your wedding, some thoughtfulness and creativity could reflect your intentions.
Final Thoughts
Like all things on your big day, wedding tokens also require planning. Give yourself or whoever is in charge of the wedding favors adequate time to find the perfect gift for your loved ones.
It doesn’t matter if you are hosting an intimate event with only 20 guests or a grand event with an ambitious 200; finding the perfect favor will take some time. You can use the creative ideas in this guide to help you pick out a wedding favor that resonates with you and your loved ones.