Top 9 Wedding Favors People Actually Want
If you are going to spend money on wedding favors, you want to make sure that guests will actually want them! This post gives you 9 ideas for wedding favors people actually want.
The last thing you want to do when planning a wedding is waste money! If you are going to dish out a few hundred bucks on wedding favors for your guest, you want to make sure it is something they will actually want.
In this post, I’ll answer a few wedding favor FAQs, give you some tips for how to choose your wedding favors, and discuss my top 9 favorite wedding favor ideas!
This post is all about wedding favors people actually want.
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Wedding Favor FAQs
Do you have to have wedding favors?
First of all, let me just say that you do NOT have to have wedding favors. Yes, they are a nice gesture, but people are going to your wedding to celebrate you and your marriage, not for a little gift.
Actually, if you are on a super tight budget, wedding favors are one of the first things I would recommend that you cut. Skipping favors can be a great way to save some money and stretch your budget, especially if you have a big guest list.
According to this post by Cavin Elizabeth, a wedding photographer in San Diego, most wedding favors get left behind by guests anyway! She says that she has worked so many weddings where the favors were thrown away or overlooked by guests entirely.
However, there are ways you can give guests something to remember your day by without breaking the bank. The last thing you want to do is waste your money! If you decide to do wedding favors, you want to make sure it is something your guests actually want.
Are Wedding favors different from wedding gifts?
Usually, wedding favors refer to a small gift that is given to every guest who attends your wedding, while wedding gifts are given to specific people like members of the wedding party or your parents. If you are wondering what gifts to give your wedding party, check out my post on my DIY bridesmaid proposal boxes.
How much should you spend on wedding favors?
You can spend as much or as little as you would like on wedding favors – there is no “right” answer. However, if you’ve seen my wedding budget breakdown post, you know that I suggest spending between 1 and 2 percent of your total budget on wedding favors. Most couples spend a few hundred bucks on favors.
Again, if you have a small budget, I would recommend skipping wedding favors all together, and put that money toward creating a more memorable experience for you or your guests.
How should you display wedding favors?
One benefit to offering wedding favors is that it is another way to incorporate your theme or personality as a couple into your wedding day!
If you are going to offer wedding favors, make sure you think about how you will display them.
The easiest option is to place them at each guest’s seat, which would add to your centerpiece decor and make it obvious they were for guests to take.
you could also do a separate decorative display for more of a pinterest moment.
I love the use of shelves, baskets, and even tiered serving trays like this one to display your guest favors. Make sure you include a sign that lets guest know to take one!
Tips for Choosing Wedding Favors People Actually Want
Before we get into the top 9 wedding favors people will actually want, here is a general tip. When thinking about what guests will want, I would make sure it checks these boxes: Small and either practical or edible.
- Small: You want your wedding guest favors to be small so that it is not a burden for guests to take home with them or keep in their house. If the favor is too large, guests may choose to leave it behind.
- Practical: If it is something that your guests can use regularly, they are more likely to want it! I would avoid little trinkets and random doodads and guest may not seem them keeping it long-term.
- Edible: It’s hard to go wrong with food or drinks. Usually if something is edible, or involves alcohol, it will be a hit among your guests.
A lot of couples choose to personalize their wedding favors, and while this can work in some instances, you may want to think twice about it. For example, getting guests a tote bag could be a practical gift. But if it very largely says you and your fiancé’s name and wedding date, they may be less likely to use it.
Top 9 Wedding Favors People Actually Want
Koozies
I read over and over again that most wedding favors tend to get left behind by guests, so I knew I wanted to choose something our guests would actually want. Beer koozies were the pretty obvious choice because our friends and family are all pretty big drinkers! Even if some guests don’t like beer, they still come in handy for seltzers or sodas.
We ordered 100 koozies total, 50 in each color. We only had 70 guests, but at the end of the night, there were only a few left over!
There are so many different styles and colors to choose from on Etsy, so you can definitely find a design that fits your wedding theme.
I ordered these koozies, but the seller was able to do a custom design for the back! (In case you’re wondering, I ordered our koozies in the colors rust and taupe with white font.)
Snacks
I made welcome bags for each of my guests’ rooms that was literally just a paper bag full of snacks and LET ME TELL YOU, they were a hit. So many of my guests mentioned how thankful they were for that bag of snacks at the end of each night. Even in between events, or on the morning of the wedding when nerves were high, it was nice to have something to snack on.
We included a mini hangover kit as well by adding some liquid IV, Advil, and a Celsius. The Celsius was a huge hit as well! We purchased the cans, but only because I did not know about the powder packets at the time. Those would have been even better.
It’s easy to throw together an assortment of snacks so that everyone has something they like. For my welcome bags, I picked up some small Kraft bags from Amazon and a variety of snacks from Costco.
Here’s what we put in our welcome bags:
- Mac and cheese cup
- Oatmeal
- Cheez-its
- Granola bars
- Fig bars
- Trail mix
- Peanut butter crackers
- Beef stick
- Advil
- Liquid IV
- Celsius
- Water bottle
Bottle Opener
There are a TON of different options out there for bottle openers. You could get a small keychain bottle opener, a nice wooden one, or a magnet that guests can put on their fridge. Here are a few of my favorite options from Amazon.
Etsy has a ton of options as well. These wooden bottle openers are a more affordable option. For a more upscale choice, these gorgeous white magnetic bottle openers each come with a box with a beautiful wax seal.
Wine Cork
I love this idea because it is small and practical. It will not take up a lot of space in your guests’ home and they can actually use it regularly! Adding your initials, wedding date, or event location to the top of the cork is a great way to add a personal touch for guests to remember your big day by.
There are a ton of options for buying engraved wine stoppers online, including Etsy and Amazon. This seller on Amazon offers various engraving deigns, so does this shop on Etsy.
You could also DIY your wine stoppers by buying this bulk pack of plain wooden wine stoppers and writing your own message on the top, or adding your own logo with a custom branding iron.
Shot Glass
Shot glasses are another great small and practical wedding favor idea. You could personalize them in so many different ways, including your names, wedding date, location, or even a custom drawing of your pet! Plus, shot glasses could even be used on your wedding night!
These are a wedding favor that can totally be personalized because a lot of people collect shot glasses from various locations anyway! This Etsy seller offers totally custom designs on the front and back of the shot glass, or check out the amazon option below.
- A GIFT THEY’LL LOVE - Personalized Shot Glasses are perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, bachelor parties, and groomsmen.
- 3oz CAPACITY - Our Square Shot Glass holds 3oz of liquid, which is double the size than the average shot glass.
- PERMANENTLY ENGRAVED - Our glasses are permanently laser etched, which is more durable than vinyl or screen printing, so your design is sure to last for years to come.
- QUALITY GLASSWARE – Made with high-quality chip-resistant glass our glasses are a toast-worthy vessel for all events. All glasses are dishwasher safe.
- GIFT GIVING READY – Each glass comes in its gift wrapping making it easy to wrap and give to a friend, family member, or coworker.
Alcohol
If your friends and family are big drinkers like mine, then you can’t go wrong with alcoholic wedding favors! You could also pair this with another one of the favors mentioned, like the shot class or wine bottle stopper.
You can create your own alcoholic party favors very affordably by purchasing this pack of 100 mini liquor bottles and filling them with your favorite spirit! I love this set because it comes with a small funnel, paper gift tags for personalization, and the caps of the bottles are gold which just elevates the look!
- 100 Kraft tags for personalized messages
- 65 ft of twine
- 6 funnels for easy filling
Candles
Who doesn’t love a candle? Candles can be a super fun wedding guest favor idea because you have so many options! You could order personalized candles, order one specific scent in bulk, or pick out various scents and let your guests choose! TJ-Maxx, Marshals, Ross, and Home Goods are great places to pick up inexpensive candles if you are going the mix-matched route.
You could also DIY candles and add a personalized touch very easily. Recreate the look above by wrapping and gluing some twine around simple glass votives. You can order this bulk pack of glass votives from Amazon for a very affordable price. You could even use these small paper gift tags to personalize the candles by adding your guests’ name.
Everything you need to DIY candles:
Polaroids
Polaroids can be expensive and a bit tricky for guests to use, but when done right, they make for great memories. Just make sure you have enough film and provide very clear instructions.
Polaroids could also double as your guest book! If you haven’t seen this new trend, its super cute. After guests take a picture, they tape it into your guest book and write a message! On the guestbook sign, simply tell guest to snap two selfies – one for your guest book and one for them to take home with them! Check out this post by Brides to learn more about how to set up a polaroid guestbook table.
Here’s an Amazon starter kit for a polaroid guest book:
Camera and film: This mini Instax camera is so cute, is offered in a few different colors, and comes with 60 sheets of film. You’ll need extra film too, which you can buy in increments of 20.
- 60 sheets instant mini film
- Travel camera case + adjustable strap with cut out for the lens
- Photo album to store and protect 64 photos
- Microfiber cleaning cloth
| Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Fujifilm Instax Mini Instant Camera Film: 20 Shoots Total, (10 Sheets x 2) - Capture Memories... |
$29.95 |
Buy on Amazon |
Guest book: This personalized wedding guest book from Amazon is perfect for this purpose because it has thick blank pages where guests can tape in their photo and write a few words next to it!
| Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
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MUUJEE Personalized Guestbook in Cream - Premium Custom Modern Guest Book for Wedding Reception,... | $49.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Pens and tape: Fine point sharpies are your best bet because they can write on almost any surface without smudging. To tape the polaroids into the guest book, you could either use double sided tape or washi tape. Washi tape comes in tons of different colors and patterns to fit your preference. I like this washi tape set because it gives me wedding vibes.
Something unique to the location
This is especially thoughtful when you are having a destination wedding or a lot of your guests are traveling for your wedding day. Choosing something that is unique to your wedding location kills two birds with one stone. It gives guests a way to remember your wedding and a souvenir from their trip.
You can get really creative with this one and don’t really have to worry about personalizing anything! If your wedding is in Spain, consider giving guests a bottle of locally produced olive oil. A wine bottle opener or wine stopper would be a a great gift for a California wedding. If your wedding is on a farm, this super cute honey jar would totally fit the vibe!
Even if you aren’t having a destination wedding, you can use your wedding location for inspiration for your guest favors.
Summary
While wedding favors are not required, they can be a great way to show your love and appreciation to your guests and thank them for joining you on your special day. Just make sure you get wedding favors people will actually want! Remember, keep it small, practical, and/or edible. If your wedding favor meets that criteria, you can’t go wrong!
