Wedding favors guests actually take home
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Favors are optional. If you give them, the test is simple: would a guest use it in the next month? Things to eat, drink or use up do well. Items printed with your names and date often stay on the table.
How many to order
Order one per guest for edible or individual favors, or one per household for larger items such as a candle or a bottle of olive oil. Add about 5 percent for breakage and late RSVPs.
How much to budget
Many couples spend between $1 and $5 per guest. Multiply by the guest count before you fall for a design: at 150 guests, a $4 favor is $600.
Favors people use
Edible favors
Cookies, local honey, chocolates, coffee or tea sachets. Easy to carry home and nothing is left after a week.
Check: allergen labels, heat (chocolate in a summer barn melts), whether the venue allows outside food.
See edible favors at My Wedding FavorsSmall candles and matches
Useful, light, and they fit the table decor.
Check: scent strength, a lid for travel, venue rules on open flames if you light them as decor.
See candle favors at Kate AspenSeed packets and mini plants
Good for garden and outdoor weddings.
Check: plant rules if guests fly home across borders.
See seed packet favors on AmazonPractical small items
Lip balm, hand sanitizer, sunglasses for an outdoor ceremony, fans for a hot venue.
Check: these work best when they solve a problem on the day itself.
See practical favors at Kate AspenA donation instead
A short card at each place saying you donated to a cause that matters to you. No cost per guest beyond the card.
Favors that usually get left behind
- Items printed with your names and date (koozies, magnets, picture frames).
- Large or fragile objects guests cannot pack.
- Anything that needs explaining.
Order early
Order personalized favors about three months before the wedding. Production and shipping can take several weeks, and you want time to fix a typo.