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Wedding favours are something that appear on every wedding checklist but what are they? Do you need to give them to guests? And how can you make sure guests actually take them? Weddings are expensive enough so we’re getting to the bottom of whether wedding favours are worth accounting for in your budget.
Wedding favours are handsome little treats given by a newly married couple to their guests, as a token of thanks. And they’ve been around for centuries!
Originally, wedding favours were called ‘bonbonnieres’ which were small, delicate boxes, often made of porcelain and sometimes adorned with precious stones and metals that contained a gift to wedding guests symbolising good luck. Originally, the boxes contained sugar cubes! Sugar was once an expensive commodity, so this was a fitting symbol of wealth and prosperity. As sugar became more affordable, sugared almonds (called confetti) became a popular substitute.
Confetti actually has a longer history than bonbonnieres, as it was used in roman times (though the almonds were then coated in honey). Traditionally, guests were given 5 almonds to represent:
But the world of wedding favours is now much broader than just sweet treats! Almost anything can now be gifted to guests, and a little thought can make this one of the stand out features of your special day! But are wedding favours really necessary for modern weddings?
The quick answer to this question is no. Your guests are likely to already have been given a large meal, some drinks and maybe even an evening’s entertainment: you’ve done your bit! You don’t need another little trinket to thank them for coming, and the money you save could keep the band for an extra hour or pay for late night snacks that will certainly be appreciated by the revellers.
If, however, you like the tradition, you want to leave guests with a memento of the day, or you just want to show your nearest and dearest how grateful you are that they made it, then wedding favours are a good option. Just make sure they’re something your guests will actually want!
Good wedding favours are basically ones that don’t leave your guests wondering how long they have to keep them before guiltily chucking them in the bin. But what kind of favours will guests be happy to take?
Something edible is always good. Perhaps you could send guests away with a snack for the journey home. You could hold with tradition and hand out confetti for people to nibble: when else are your guests going to tuck into a packet of delicious sugared almonds? Or how about something meaningful like homemade jam, a local delicacy or a mini bottle of posh olive oil? Unusually flavoured lollies can make an interesting favour, and of course booze is often popular too.
If not edible, then think practical. Would your guests appreciate a hangover cure for the morning after? Look out for local products like candles, pottery or glassware. Packets of seeds can be a fun gift that will remind guests of your wedding, sometimes for years to come (we like the idea of forget-me-nots).
If your wedding is in the summer, sunglasses can be practical and fun. For winter, why not offer out some homemade lip balm? You could consider some tiny succulent houseplants, or even luggage tags if your guests have travelled a long way to see you get wed. If your guests won’t be able to take anything with them, then print out a list of your favourite charities and allow them to choose which they’d like you to make a donation to. This is also a great way of minimising wedding waste!
Whatever you decide to give, avoid personalising your favours with details from your wedding, as while people often enjoy seeing their own monogram on things, a gift with your name on it won’t be so appealing in the long run. And always wrap them well: colour and thoughtful gift packaging will make your gifts all the more tantalizing and avoid them being left behind, destined for your own recycling bin!
Wedding favours can be given to couples, just the ladies, children or day guests, but there are no hard and fast rules here. It is traditional for favours to be given just to the day guests but there’s nothing stopping you from giving something to evening guests as well if you’d like to.
Unless you know your guests very well, we’d recommend giving favours to individuals rather than couples and finding something that will suit men as well as women just to keep things simple. You might want to offer something a little different for children though. Bubbles can be a great favour for littler guests, as can sweet treats.
The answer to this question kind of depends on your budget, but as a guideline, most couples tend to spend between £2-£3 per favour. Intimate weddings might afford the guests a little more, and similarly, if you have a larger party, spending a little less is absolutely fine. Remember, wedding favours aren’t obligatory anyway!
There are loads of great wedding favours that’ll cost you less than £1, such as stickers, temporary tattoos, mini candles and bubbles. And food can go a long way when bought in bulk and split up (think posh tea bags, biscuits, retro sweets and cup cakes). Wedding favours are an expression of love and thanks; the chances are your guests will appreciate the thought far more than the cost.
Wedding favours are often given during the wedding breakfast, and can be helpfully used as place markers around tables. Tying a nametag to each favour is a good way of doing this. Other options for giving favours during the breakfast include piling them up in the middle of the table as a breakaway centrepiece, or hanging them from chairs if table space is at a premium. This is your best approach if your favours are edible and designed to be eaten during the meal.
If you’re giving gifts that are designed to be taken away, you might choose to give them at the end of the evening, in which case, placing them in a basket by the door with a sign inviting people to take one on their way out is a hassle free way of distributing them and means guests aren’t carrying them around for the whole day. If they’re light, you could hang them from a tree instead, which adds a nice touch, especially to Christmas weddings.
For wedding favours that fit a particular moment in the day (such as sunglasses or flip flops for venturing outside) you could task the children at your wedding with delivering favours to the guests. This gives them something to do while the adults sit around chatting, and you could reward them with their own special treats once they’ve made sure all the adults have their gifts.
Wedding favours can be a fun and touching way to show your love and appreciation for your nearest and dearest. But these days, they are most definitely an option rather than an obligation! We all know how expensive weddings can be, so unless you have an idea for a favour that fits the occasion really well, consider moving the money to another area of your wedding budget and focussing on the experience your guests will have. If you do go down the wedding favour route, have fun with it and keep costs and preparation to a minimum. You’re probably spending enough time and money already!
Looking to thank your wedding party, take a look at our personalised wedding favours or quirky gift packaging.
