Let’s be honest…A lot of wedding favor ideas are things that are cute, but your guests won’t really use them or keep them for long unless we’re talking about your parents. Here are some ideas for wedding favors that people will really like, and that they’ll be able to use after the wedding (and during it, for some of these things.)
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Do you really need wedding favors?
The short answer is no, but the other short answer is “it depends.” If favors are something that’s normal where you live, then you should give it some thought, If nobody ever does favors, then you can skip them.
However, it’s kind of fun to go to a wedding reception where you can get “casual favors” that are scattered around the reception in places where they make sense. For example, I went to a reception that had multiple areas where activities were set up, and there were little favors associated with each one. You didn’t have to take them, but you could.
I doubt that the bride and groom had bought one favor of each type for each guest, so it’s not like you have to buy the same number of each thing for everyone. But if there are little things scattered around the party (because it is a party) it’s fun for people to be able to take things if they like them as a little souvenir that they can use later.
For me, this is the key…Can they use it later? It’s hard to find one thing that every guest will be able to use, so if you have a variety of things here and there, people can take the things that they’ll use and leave the ones they won’t. And if they’re available during the reception, they can use them then if it’s something that fits into the activities.
Food gifts are one option, but at the end of the night when people are tired and not hungry because they’ve been drinking and eating all night, they might not even take those. If you’re doing edible favors put them out during the reception so that people can eat them during the party!
Playing cards.
Playing cards are a gift that people will use if they’re card players, but they’ll also keep them because people like playing cards. These will either be used, or they’ll stay around until they’re needed. This customized pack of cards that you can get on Zazzle
features a photo and a word that you can change to personalize it.
If you’re having a casino theme, playing cards make a lot of sense as far as favors go.
Personalized coffee.
Personalized ground coffee containers are a favor that anyone who drinks coffee would like. You can choose a variety of ground or whole bean coffee and add your personalized details to the box. Even if people aren’t going to use this during the reception (I hope) they’ll definitely take it home with them.
His and hers candy labels.
Make up packages of candy with “his favorite” and “her favorite” labels. This is something that could be put out on tables during the reception, or you could make a game out of it with people guessing how many of each will be chosen and which will be the favorite of the guests.
Honey jars.
These little customized honey jars are so cute, anyone would take them. Get them personalized on Zazzle and watch them disappear when people see that you chose this as your wedding favor. You could also give these to your bridesmaids or a party favors at the engagement party.
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Matches.
Personalized matches are a fairly popular choice because you can do a lot of “perfect match” kind of things with them. I was on the fence about these as being useful or not, but the truth is that you’ll need matches every now and then even if you don’t use them regularly. So I do vote for these as being useful.
Mini candy bars.
These could be favors, or you could just scatter them on the tables so that people can take them during the reception. I always vote yes for chocolate, because who doesn’t want to eat a little chocolate bar? These won’t be wasted.
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Mini soap favors.
I love handmade soap, so if this was a favor at a wedding I went to I would be really happy. I would also lurk around the favor table to see if there were extras I could take if other guests didn’t want them. And if it did end up with you having a lot left over, so what, you can use these yourself!
Mini Candles.
These mini candles are cute, but I’m a little bit on the fence with them. A lot of people don’t use candles, but the people who like them really like them. This is one that I would say is a choice that you can get in smaller quantities than others, but some people will probably take more than one of them!
Customized wine.
Customizing labels to put on wine bottles would make a cute favor (if you have the budget for it), or you could put them on tables during the reception. This would be an excellent favor, and if you have any left over you can take them home and drink them later!
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Custom candy bars.
This is something else that could be a favor or something that’s put out during the reception. If you have a candy bar or a dessert table they could be put out on that, or you could put them on the tables after dinner. People will take them for sure.
Customized mints.
Get personalized labels to put on little breath mint containers and put them on the tables after dinner. Depending on what was served, people will probably thank you, and they’ll definitely take these home.
Custom magnet.
Fridge magnets are always useful, so these would be a good favor. I would estimate about 50% of the number of guests for how many magnets you’ll need, because if there are couples there, they’ll probably only take one.
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Custom seed packets.
Custom seed packets are something that people can take home with them and plant, and if they don’t take them you can use them yourself. This is something that people might or might not take, because some people don’t have a garden and some people don’t have a green thumb, so you wouldn’t need to buy as many favors as the number of guests that you have.
Can coolers.
Can coolers are a truly useful party favor, and people will take them. My husband loves it when he gets a free can cooler because he uses them when he plays golf, and if you’re having an outdoor reception you can use them during the reception. For a low-key backyard reception you could have these as part of the decor and serve drinks in cans to lower your cost overall.
Signs for the favors table.
Make sure to have a sign to let people know what favors are available with a sign on a favors table! If you have them scattered throughout the reception you can have the same things on a specific table to let people know what they’re looking for during the party.
Customized lip balm.
Lip balm is a useful favor that everyone will take and use. Customize the labels to go with your wedding theme, and put them on the tables or a favor table for people to take home with them.
Hot sauce.
Now this is something that won’t be left behind at the reception. Personalizable hot sauce, who wouldn’t want that? Well, I wouldn’t, but my husband would, so I would take one for him. Knowing that, I would get more of these since it’s very possible that a lot of people will take them, or take one for someone else.