Mama's Lullablog

There’s no denying weddings are expensive. When you’re already offering dinner, drinks, and dessert, do you really need to give your guests a gift?

In my opinion, wedding favors are a nice gesture of gratitude. For our wedding, 90% of our guests traveled from out of town, most across multiple states. Some purchased plane tickets and hotel rooms. The least we could do was offer them a small token of our appreciation for choosing to show up and celebrate with us.

Your wedding favors don’t need to be elaborate or expensive. A simple gift your guests can either use or consume is enough to demonstrate your thanks.

So, what makes a good wedding favor? Here are some ideas.

Unique to your love story

Regardless of the occasion, no one wants a generic gift. When planning your wedding favors, consider chapters in your love story that are important to you.

For example, where’d you and your partner go on your first date? What was it you initially bonded over? Where were you when you first told one another ‘I love you’? What’s your favorite activity to do together? Who’s your favorite sports team?

For me and Madison, our first date was at a local pizza shop in Boone, NC, followed by dessert at Appalachian Cookie Co. where Madison introduced me to his favorite flavor: blueberry white chocolate oatmeal. For our wedding favors, we decided to give each of our guests one of those cookies, presented in a small brown paper bag with a photo of our pets on the front. It cost $384 for six dozen cookies and the custom cookie bags (roughly $5.33/guest).

Unique to your wedding location

If you’re having trouble thinking of wedding favors that relate to your love story, consider a gift that’s unique to the town where you’re getting married. Bonus if you can support a local small business!

What is the town or state known for? Is there an annual event that puts that town on the map, like a festival (music, agriculture, arts), sports race or tournament, holiday celebration? Which attractions are tourists most excited to visit?

For example, my hometown Lititz, PA is known for pretzels and chocolate. If we’d have gotten married there, I likely would have given guests a bundle of Wilbur Buds from our local chocolate factory. It’s also located in the heart of Pennsylvania Amish country, so another option would have been whoopie pies, my favorite Amish treat!

15 practical and personable wedding favors

Wedding favors your guests can use

• Bookmarks
  • Readers, this one’s for you! Perhaps your escort cards double as your wedding favor, and each bookmark is monogrammed with the guest’s name or initials. Make them magnetic and use them to clip together your ceremony program and dinner menu. Add a little flair with a tassel that matches your wedding colors. There are lots of ways to personalize this one!
• Candles & matchbooks
  • Speaking from experience, a candle will never go to waste. At the very least, every one of your guests has a bathroom that could use a sensory boost. Select a design for the jar that nods to your wedding location or an aspect of your relationship, and if you want a little something extra, pair it with a matchbook.
• Christmas ornaments
  • OK, so this one might be a little cliche, but if you’re getting married around the holidays, or if the holidays are significant to the timeline of your love story, a Christmas ornament is a fun wedding favor that you can get creative with. For example, if you’re getting married near the beach, collect shells and turn them into ornaments, so that each guest takes home a unique piece of the landscape.
• Lottery tickets
  • A game and a gamble! Gift your guests scratch-off lottery tickets and a penny, and then have fun waiting to see if anyone wins 🙂 You could present the tickets in an envelop or pocket card with a phrase like Love Wins. (On the nose, I know.)
• Magnets
  • Another cliche, but everyone can use a refrigerator magnet! A great magnet is one that becomes a talking point in the kitchen — “When did y’all go to New Orleans?!” — so pick a design that shows off something special about where you’re getting married.
• Playing cards
  • Do you and your partner love board games or a round a poker? Pick a theme or card design that illustrates an aspect of your love story. For example, we’d have picked a mountain landscape because we met in the mountains and enjoy hikes. The perk of this wedding favor is it doubles as an activity for guests who aren’t into dancing!
• Recipe cards
  • If you or your partner enjoy cooking or baking, or if you’re looking for a way to honor a deceased family member, create a keepsake recipe card. Choose a dish or dessert that’s meaningful to you, your partner, or your family.
• Seeds
  • For the gardeners among us, seeds are a super inexpensive wedding favor that allow guests flexibility in how and when they use the gift. For a touch of personalization, use soil stakes as escort cards, or pair the seeds with a small ornamental decoration, like a ceramic mushroom or gnome.
• Shot glasses
  • Maybe you or your partner is an expert mixologist, or you met at a local bar, or your favorite drink to share with friends is shot of tequila. Even guests who don’t drink alcohol can use a shot glass in their kitchen for measuring ingredients. Choose a shot glass with a design unique to your love story or your wedding location — like the logo of your favorite local brewery, an outline of your state, or some other neutral pattern (not everyone will support your favorite sports team, and no one but you cares about your wedding date).

Wedding favors your guests can eat

• Coffee grounds
  • Perhaps you and your partner’s first date was at a coffee shop, or you’re both coffee connoisseurs. Buy some beans from your favorite roaster, ground them yourself, and divvy them into individual pouches, enough to brew a pot for breakfast the next morning!
• Miniature drinks
  • For the cocktail-loving couple, a miniature bottle of alcohol (or soda or sparkling water for guests who prefer nonalcoholic drinks) is simple and easy. Select an array of options, and let guests choose one on the way to their seat. Or, if you know your guests’ preferences, you can pre-place them at each table setting, further demonstrating your thoughtfulness. Guests can either drink up that evening, mixing their own cocktails, or save it for the plane ride home.
• Salsa
  • Homemade salsa would be a special wedding favor from the couple who loves a good appetizer and enjoys experimenting in the kitchen!
• Signature spice
  • Do either you or your partner enjoy cooking or grilling? Concoct your signature spice blend for meats or vegetables and give your guests the gift of flavor! To make it even more unique, include your favorite recipe along with the spice.
• Sweet or savory snack
  • Chocolate
    • If your town is known for its chocolate, gift your guests a truffle, a candy bar, fudge, or other signature sweet from a local factory.
  • Honey
    • Support your local apiary by purchasing a handful of jars, then redistribute the contents into smaller containers for your guests. (Do this as close to the wedding as possible so that the honey stays fresh!)
  • Jam
    • Is your town famous for its annual strawberry festival? Do you or your partner love to bake? Whip up some mini jars of homemade jam (or purchase some from a local berry farm).
  • Popcorn
    • Are you and your partner big movie buffs? Consider renting a popcorn machine for your wedding, and gifting guests a popcorn container to fill. You could pair it with a selection of movie-theater boxed candies (think Junior Mints, Sour Patch Kids, M&Ms, Snow Caps) for guests to choose from. If renting a machine isn’t your vibe, you could gift microwavable bags of popcorn bundled with a box of candy for your guests’ next movie night!
  • Trail mix
    • Do you and your partner love a good hike? Gift your guests your favorite trail mix!
• Tea leaves
  • One of our friends has tea every night after dinner. Instead of asking what’s for dessert, his family asks, “What’s with tea?” A bag of tea leaves from a local shop to brew a single mug back at the hotel or at home would make an easy and affordable wedding favor.