Ideas For Wedding Favours - That Your Guests Will Actually Love
Photography by Adriana Morais PhotographyIt's been a while since I last shared an inspirational post with you all, so what better way then than to focus on ideas for wedding favours? Granted it's a contentious issue because let’s be honest, it continues to split folks into two camps. Those that love a favour and those that don’t really see the point of them. I know that I’m not exactly your typical guest in that I can remember the wedding favour of every single wedding I’ve attended. I’m a sucker for sentimentality, but so many of my friends have openly admitted to me that they’d rather the bride and groom save their pennies or popped it behind the bar instead. Today's post then is all about giving you lovely lot some ideas for wedding favours that your guests will really love, enjoy, and perhaps find useful too. It might even persuade those of you who aren't that bothered about the treats onto the other side of the fence. Here's hoping anyway...
Ideas for wedding favours
Drink Me
Drink me! Drink me! Who doesn't love a bottle of spirits next to them at a wedding? Imagine my joy when I saw that our Creative Director Adam had Hendricks Gin favours when we attended his wedding in September. They went down a treat! My absolute favourite though has to be miniature bottles of champagne, those that come complete with silk bows and labels adorned with beautiful caligraphy. They look immense and frankly, I'd jump at the chance to be a quest at any wedding offering them. Whilst they might be a tad on the pricey side, it's worth seeing if you can bulk-buy the alcohol to get a discount.
Get the kids involved
Obviously we're not suggesting giving the kids champagne, but why not involve them some miniature bottles of old-fashioned lemonade? They'll love feeling all grown up at the wedding, whilst the adults tuck into the real grown-up stuff!
DIY wedding favours
If you're a wizz in the kitchen and have a glut of sloes or damsons, it's worth considering making your own gin/cordial which you can bottle up into teeny bottles. Finish them with a luggage label scrawled with your guests' names. You'll have fun making it and could even save a bottle to toast to each other on your 1st anniversary.
Grow me
With the desire for more sustainable living in our day-to-day lives, it's no surprise that we've seen a huge surge in the popularity of eco-friendly wedding favour ideas that use recycled materials and natural components. If we're recycling, growing our own, and attempting to be carbon-neutral, there's no reason why we shouldn't apply the same principles to our wedding day too. Gifts of seeds in brown paper packages customised with a sweet message and plants potted up in terracotta or antiqued pots, lovingly placed at each table. We're seeing more and more of these green gifts and we think it's fantastic!
Double-duty wedding favours
These green gifts are, in my opinion, the perfect example of double-duty wedding favours – personalised treats for guests that double up as a place name too, all whilst adding interest and vibrancy to the tablescape at the reception itself. Presentation is key when it comes to nailing this particular theme. Burlap wraps around conventional pots add a rustic twist, recycled tin cans add an industrial vibe (just make sure you drill some drainage holes in the bottom), and everyday seed packets are taken to the next levels if presented in a battered wheelbarrow - perfect for the gardeners amongst you. Not only is this type of favour kind on the pocket, but folks then feel honoured that you’ve taken the time and effort to really provide something special for them on your big day.
Use me
You can't beat a favour that has some use after the confetti has blown away and the last of the fizz has been consumed. Favours that have an element of longevity, much like the green and gorgeous favour ideas above, always seem so much more budget-friendly from a cost-per-use perspective. I love the idea of customised pencils – inscribe them with your wedding date or even a phrase that means something to you as a couple and then ask your guests to fill up your guestbook with their new writing implements. If you're feeling flush then you could also pair the pencils up with a small notebook too. And if you're a summer bride, provide fun shades for each of your guests and a personalised camera for the table so they can snap photos of other friends and family wearing them.
Winter vibes
Marrying in the winter? Why not hand pour candles into mini jars and garnish with evergreens for a romantic flourish? Bottles of bubbles go down well with big and little kids alike. Again, opt for customised designs to provide the personal touch. I love these vintage inspired clothes pegs in the moodboard below, it's not something I've seen before. On my own wedding day I gave my guests antique champagne saucers that I'd collected over the course of my planning journey and five years on, they're still talking about them which makes me feel all gooey inside.
Eat Me
Typically wedding favours do tend to centre around those of the food variety and my own experience is no exception. You name it, I’ve had it – we’re talking macaroons, sweets, fudge, and jam. Not anything savoury as yet though. All utterly delicious and universally loved by guests and happy couples alike. Lately though, I’ve seen more unusual takes on the foodie theme, no doubt inspired by our cousins over the pond, including everything from s'mores kits, pickles in customised jars, bags of coffee beans, and even specially picked tea. I love how couples are becoming more inventive with the gifts they share with their guests.
Foodie ideas
If you're lacking ideas for wedding favours, why not look to the season you're marrying in? For a summer wedding, a tiny punnet of fresh cherries would look adorable in a customised paper bag or punnet like in the moodboard above here. Equally, Christmas nuptials call for a tin of a mulled wine mix and a homemade mince pie in a sweet box. I'm always smitten with foodie favours that have been set up as part of the overall wedding decor. Display of jars of jam for example, paper bags of almonds and cellophaned fancies piled up in towers. Don’t feel that you are obliged to place these treats at guests’ place settings – instead, showcase them wherever you feel they will be shown off to their maximum advantage. Add the final flourish to your favours by taking the time to customise them with your names and your wedding date. For jars of jam or honey it's worth investing in some bespoke labels or stickers which you can apply to a standard jar and immediately they become something special. For my own wedding, I opted for sugared almonds – yes such a cliché but I love them – and popped them into metallic bags that were attached to my guests' name tags shaped like a shield. It just made a conventional wedding favour that little bit different.
Are you giving your guests favours? Will they be food-related or something more unusual?
Are you completely indifferent to favours as a whole? Perhaps you think it’s all a waste of time?
