What Are Wedding Favors?

Why Do Couples Give Wedding Favors?

Couples give wedding favors to their guests as a show of gratitude for their attendance. “Most commonly, it’s an extra way to say thank you for putting in the time, the money, the energy to make it to your wedding,” Silva says. Wedding favors are often a small keepsake or send-off item, and while there are traditional options (Jordan almonds, anyone?) more extravagant and unique wedding favors, like personalized gifts, are becoming popular, too, as a way to recognize every guest’s contribution to the big day, not just that of the wedding party. Furthermore, the wedding favor is a way to reflect the wedding theme and the couple’s overall style.

(It’s also important to note that favors don’t only apply to the wedding itself. As you’ll learn you’ll learn as you begin considering various bridal shower ideas, pre-wedding activities also often come with favors. What is a wedding shower favor, typically? Don’t worry — there’s not much difference between shower and wedding favors, and many of the below ideas for wedding favors can be used for wedding showers as well.)

Do You Need Wedding Favors?

No, wedding favors are not must-haves when planning a wedding, and whether you choose favors or not will depend on factors such as your budget, wedding size, and wedding aesthetic.

When wedding favors make sense:

• You have a certain wedding theme in mind and personalized wedding favors would complement it.
• You’re having a smaller wedding and you want to make sure each attending guest is properly thanked.
• You value classic wedding traditions.

When you can skip wedding favors:

• You’re on a strict budget and guests know that you’ve been saving for a wedding.
• You have a substantial guest list and favors might expand your budget exponentially.
• You’re holding a destination wedding and guests will actually appreciate not having to pack extra items to take home in their luggage.
• You worry that wedding favors might add to your wedding’s environmental footprint.

“I tell couples that if they don’t have something that feels meaningful to them to give, then to just skip it completely,” Silva says. “I think no favor is better than a bad favor.”

Who Gets Wedding Favors?

Typically, every guest at a wedding will receive a wedding favor — but before you worry that this will negatively impact your budget substantially, consider that there are a few ways you can lessen your costs while still providing everyone with a great favor.

Does Every Guest Get a Wedding Favor?

Technically, yes, as you’re learning the etiquette ins and outs of how to plan a wedding, you’ll learn that every guest gets a wedding favor. However, you can repurpose other parts of your wedding as favors if you’re budget-savvy about it.

For example, name tags, place cards, escort cards, items in the seating chart, etc., can all pull double duty as wedding favors. Place cards can list guest names, table numbers, and the couples’ names and wedding date, but also be, instead of physical “cards,” something that guests can take home — like printed bookmarks, engraved bottle openers, luggage tags, etc. (Get creative with it!)

One Favor Per Guest or Per Couple?

If you have a lot of guests or if your wedding favors are particularly extravagant or expensive, it is appropriate to offer only one favor per couple vs. one favor per guest. Overseeing the proper distribution of wedding favors can be part of your wedding coordinator checklist.

Should Kids Get Different Favors?

If you give children at your wedding their own favors, then, yes, consider investing in separate, age-appropriate favors. “They give kids something to do while the adults are talking and they’re bored,” Silva says. Rest assured that kid wedding favors — such as activity books or kits, small toys, etc. — can often be quite affordable.

What Types of Wedding Favors Do Guests Actually Like?

If you’re wondering what are good wedding favors at a wedding that guests will actually like, it’s a good rule of thumb that guests will prefer edible and practical keepsakes vs. ornate keepsakes.

Edible Favors

Think edible items guests can take home, like macarons in the wedding colors or cookies designed to look like the newly married couple. As Silva says, “Who doesn’t love a treat?”

Useful Favors

Consider practical items like a drink koozie with the wedding date, to keep guests’ drinks cold while they’re on the dance floor.

Personalized But Practical Favors

Personalized favors need not be impractical; luggage tags, tumblers, and even personalized tubes of Chapstick or bottles of sunscreen (ideal if you’re pondering how to turn a backyard into a wedding venue and you’re up against the summer sun) are favorites.

Location-Based Favors

Really lean into your wedding’s destination, with a local snack, locally made candy bar, or brew.

Sustainable Favors

For eco-friendly wedding favors, reusable totes, water bottles, or seed packets, are great options.

Skip-the-Favor Alternatives

If you really don’t like the idea of a physical favor, options like charitable donations in guests’ names are also a popular pick.

And, if you’re thinking about bridal shower ideas, all the above will work for those events as well.

Unique Wedding Favors Your Guests Will Genuinely Appreciate

Guests largely enjoy practical wedding favors, edible favors, and easy-to-take-home options — like snack foods, miniature toiletries, or reusable items like totes or bottle openers — over bulky or merely decorative keepsakes. Here are 50 options that your guests will love.

1. Mini jars of local honey — Great for celebrating local vendors or highlighting your destination wedding’s local agritourism scene
2. Small-batch jam mason jars — Perfect for the foodie couple, especially if you’re hosting a summertime wedding wherein you can highlight seasonal fruits
3. Olive oil mini bottles — For bottled edible favors like these, enlist a designer to make personalized labels for each bottle or jar
4. Maple syrup minis — Ideal for a maple syrup season (typically March) wedding
5. Artisan chocolate bars — Great for any time of year and you can pick artisan flavors that match your wedding style, way beyond just your basic dark or milk chocolate
6. Custom cookies — Consider cookies in the shape of the couple (some couples also like to order custom cookie favors in the shape of their pets!)
7. French macarons — Opt for macarons in your wedding colors
8. Mini hot sauce bottles — A good option especially if you’re serving up late-night tacos during your reception
9. Loose-leaf tea tubes — An ideal pick for a tea party-themed wedding or reception
10. Ground coffee sample bags — Your guests that are staying overnight and heading out early the next day will appreciate these
11. Chai concentrate minis — In case you like the idea of a coffee or tea favor, but you want something just a little more distinctive
12. Cocktail mixer bottles — For the couple with a mad mixology game
13. Mini Champagne bottles — So your guests can continue toasting you long after the festivities have concluded
14. Sparkling water cans with custom tags — A refreshing and hydrating option to keep the party going
15. Gourmet popcorn bags — Double as a quick snack for mid-reception
16. Caramel corn tins — Especially a good pick if you have a local gourmet popcorn purveyor (ask for personalized tins!)
17. Spiced nuts or trail mix packs — A protein-rich savory snack to keep the energy up
18. Handmade truffles — An option that’s elegant but also easy to DIY, if desired
19. Local candy boxes — A nice souvenir especially for destination weddings or out-of-town guests
20. Mini olive packets or tapenade jars — Request custom labels from your supplier and consider pairing with locally baked breads
21. Artisan sea salt jars — For the true foodie couple with impeccable taste
22. Custom matchboxes — An old-school, upscale option; enlist a local artist for the design
23. Bottle openers — Simple, fun, and something guests are sure to keep for years
24. Drink koozies — A smart idea for summer, outdoor weddings
25. Compact candles — Pick a scent that encapsulates your wedding theme
26. Travel hand cream — An awesome option for destination weddings
27. Lip balm tins — Suitable for both summer and winter weddings, when chapped lips are most likely
28. Mini soaps — If you have traveling guests, ensure soaps meet carry-on requirements
29. Reed diffuser minis — Choose glass diffusers with custom labels and a custom scent
30. Seed packets — Compact, easy to carry, and eco-friendly
31. Herb-growing kits — Just make sure they’re simple enough for even the most gardening-averse guests!
32. Tiny succulents — Not quite as portable as seed packets, but definitely unique and guests will keep them around long-term
33. Pressed-flower bookmarks — Another easy-to-DIY favor, especially suitable for floral-heavy wedding themes
34. Coasters — Come in an array of materials, with tons of personalization options, from engraving to adding photos
35. Baggage tags — Ideal for both couples who love to travel and destination weddings
36. Mini notebooks — Have the covers engraved with your wedding date
37. Playing cards — The backs can depict photos of the couple, illustrations, dates, etc.; you can go as elegant and subdued or as flashy and fun as you please
38. Reusable tote bags — A sustainable, easy option
39. Sleep masks — Opt for silk in your wedding colors
40. Mini picnic blankets — Fill mini picnic baskets with a cute treat
41. Pashminas or wrap shawls — Definitely high-end and good for outdoor weddings when the weather is chilly
42. Hand fans — Conversely, fans can keep guests cool during a summer wedding
43. Mini umbrellas — Outdoor weddings without shade will benefit from mini umbrella favors
44. Sunglasses — A cost-effective option, sunglasses are both sensible favors as well as great photo props
45. Blanket scarves — Tell your guests to cozy up at your fall or winter wedding with these favors
46. Hangover kits — For the couple who likes to party, hangover kits with pain killers, electrolyte supplements, and more are just what the guests will need
47. Recovery electrolyte packets — If you don’t feel like investing in an entire hangover kit, recovery electrolyte packets can do the same trick
48. Late-night snack boxes — Send guests home after partying with something for the midnight munchies
49. Breakfast pastry boxes — Start your guests’ next day off right, with doughnuts, pastries, and similar treats
50. Charitable donation cards in lieu of physical favors — Possibly the most sustainable, low-waste, and eco-friendly favor of all!

What Makes a Good Wedding Favor?

A good wedding favor will be one that is useful in some way, whether that be because the item is actually practical (such as bottle openers or shot glasses), or because it’s edible or sustainable, such as mini bottles of olive oil or maple syrup, or flower seeds. Overall, a good favor is not a generic trinket that’s just going to end up in a guest’s junk drawer.

“I’ve seen Christmas ornaments and frames with the bride and groom’s name that may be of limited usefulness,” Silva says. “Like, what am I gonna do with that?”

Do

• Choose something useful, edible, or easy to take home
• Make it fit the wedding style or location
• Keep it simple

Don’t

• Choose something bulky or fragile
• Spend too much on something guests may leave behind
• Prioritize customization over usefulness

Then, ultimately, don’t break your budget over wedding favors.

Trust us — your guests are busy wondering about their own wedding etiquette, like how much to spend on a wedding gift. They’re not going to notice if you didn’t spend those extra funds on cute packaging or personalized labels, if you really can’t afford it.

Whether you’re deciding how to turn a backyard into a wedding venue or holding a traditional ballroom wedding, favors should ultimately be a complement, rather than a highlight.

Are Wedding Favors Worth It?

Again, wedding favors are definitely not one of the must-haves when planning a wedding. “If you’re trying to watch,your spending, favors is an easy thing to cut,” Silva says. “I don’t think anyone misses them when they’re not there.”

Wedding Favors vs. Welcome Bags vs. Charitable Donations: What’s the Best Fit?

As you learn how to plan a wedding (or even what is a wedding shower, if you’re a member of the wedding party), you’ll likely come across wedding favor alternatives such as welcome bags or charitable donations, and these have their pros and cons as well.

How Do You Decide Whether Wedding Favors Make Sense for Your Wedding?

Ask yourself the following questions to determine if wedding favors make sense for your wedding:

1. Do you have room in the budget for favors?
2. Will guests actually use or enjoy the favor you’ve chosen?
3. Does the favor fit your wedding style?
4. Will a favor be easy to distribute?
5. Is the favor the best option when compared to welcome bags or charitable donations?

If you answered “no” to most of these, then skipping favors as you decide how to plan your wedding is fine, whether you’re just getting started planning now or trying to check off to-do’s on National Wedding Planning Day.

How Many Wedding Favors Should You Order?

For edible favors or individually useful favors, order one favor per guest; for larger or shared favors, order one favor per couple. Then, order a few extra favors for last-minute guests.

“You don’t need one per guest for most favors, especially if it’s not edible,” Silva says. “Most of the time people are going to take one per couple or group. For example, my husband and I probably are not going to each take a mug. We’re going to take one mug for the two of us.”

Keeping track of favors is something to add to your wedding coordinator checklist, if you’ve determined that a coordinator’s services is one of your must-haves when planning a wedding.

Wedding Favor Checklist Before You Buy Anything

Before you buy any wedding favor at all, make sure:

• You’ve chosen the best favor type for you and your guests
• You’ve confirmed your guest count
• You’ve decided how many favors you need
• You’ve thought about packaging for the favors
• You know how you’ll transport the favors to your venue
• You have an idea of how you’d like the favors displayed at your venue
• You’ve ordered some extra favors
• The favor fits into your budget

As you’re saving for a wedding and determining how to plan a wedding that will fit your budget and style, keeping this checklist in mind will help you make the best choices surrounding your wedding favors.

People Also Ask About Wedding Favors

What are wedding favors?

Wedding favors are small tokens of appreciation that couples give to wedding guests, to thank them for attending the event.

Do you need wedding favors?

While wedding favors are traditional, they’re not a requirement, and many modern couples opt to forgo them as they’re deciding how to plan a wedding that fits their individual needs.

Who gets wedding favors at a wedding?

Typically every guest at a wedding receives a favor, with exceptions made for large or extravagant favors (in which case each couple or family may receive a single favor) and children (who may receive age-appropriate favors).

How many wedding favors should you order?

For small favors, order one favor for every guest; for more extravagant or expensive favors, order one for every couple, plus a few extras.

Are wedding favors one per guest or one per couple?

Small or consumable wedding favors should be one per guest, while more extravagant or keepsake wedding favors can be one per couple.

More questions? Read up on how much to spend on a wedding gift and what to put on a registry wedding list, so you’re covered across all fronts of wedding gift-giving.

What’s the Best Way to Think About Wedding Favors Today?

Wedding favors are a nice gesture, not a requirement. Include them in your wedding if they add meaning to the event or will be truly appreciated by your guests, but skip them if they’re only going to add cost and clutter.

As you plan your wedding, be sure to get a wedding insurance quote, to protect your big day from mishaps and issues such as vendor cancellations or dangerous weather.

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