Creative, customizable wedding favor ideas that for every budget.
If you are wondering whether wedding favors are necessary, they are not. Your wonderful wedding festivities are more than enough to please your guests. However, if you would like to give your family and friends a small gift to remember your special day, the following list is perfect for you.
The key to wedding favors is customization. Adding a monogram, catchy slogan, your names, or date will give your guests fond memories whenever they look at wedding favor. A well-thought-out gift can be a keepsake for you and your partner to treasure for years. Here are some ideas to inspire you in your search.
Polaroids and Frames
Provide some polaroid cameras and film so your guests can snap photos during your event. Have a table with picture frames, a box to deposit photographs, and a few markers at the exit. Your guests can frame their favorite photos to take home and place the ones they’d like you to have in the box. The markers give them the option to add a message to the photo. Your guests end up with a beautiful keepsake, and you’ll have a literal box full of memories.
The Gift of Nature
Succulents, seed packets, plants, herbs, and seedlings are favors that get better with time. There’s something special about giving a living gift.
Sweet Treats, Food, and Beverages
Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, chocolate-covered pretzels, candy, doughnuts, cheese, wine, candy apples, funnel cake, popcorn, and water bottles, just to name a few. You can hire a food truck, design a pop-up shop, or simply create a display table for your guests. The customization element for food and beverage wedding favors is in the packaging. Be cautious of allergies and properly label ingredients if you repackage or provide homemade food.
Aromas
Aromas are one of the most popular wedding favors for a good reason. They can fit into any budget, are easy to customize, and are loved by all. Candles are a no-doubt crowd favorite.If you are interested in a more spectacular gift, take a page from your favorite celebrities and create your own perfume/cologne. Olfactory in NYC is a fragrance company that allows you to create your own scent.
Reusable Packaging
Make the packaging part of the gift. Place your wedding favor in a stylish basket, crate, or decorative box to complete the look.
For Destination Weddings
Destination weddings open up the possibility of travel-related wedding favors. You may consider providing luggage tags, carry-on bags, or pre-paid tickets. There are plenty of ways for you to treat guests. Customized souvenirs from your destination will stand out.
For Weddings at Landmark Locations
Similar to destination weddings, if you are having your wedding at a botanical garden, zoo, aquarium, or any landmark venue, you have the unique opportunity to give your guests a souvenir-inspired favor. Take inspiration from local gift shops and add an element of customization with text or design modifications.
Ceramics and Glassware
We have all seen mugs and glassware wedding favors, but artisan-created ceramics or glassware make an impression. Find a local ceramist, glassblower, or another artist to create favors for your wedding. Working with local artists yields more creative freedom in the design process. Mass Manufactured goods are limited in customization making your gift feel a dime a dozen. Working with an artisan with your specific wedding in mind makes for a truly unique favor deserving of admiration.
Hand-rolled Cigars
This makes for a great supplementary favor. Cigars are not for everyone; a cigar bar works best with at least one other favor that’s more universal.
Most couples decide to create a table display featuring a professionally curated array of high-end cigars, cutters, and matchbooks. If you are interested in a more elaborate option, consider hiring a professional cigar roller. A curated cigar bar is like having a DJ; your guests will absolutely love it, but there’s less of a performance involved. A cigar roller is like a band, it’s just as good if not better, with the addition of a performance aspect.
Donations
Make a donation in the name of each of your guests instead of providing a material wedding favor. This is a heartwarming gesture that can fit into any budget. You can offer your guests their choice of charities to donate to. Simply provide cards with a list of your favorite charities and a space to write the name they would like the donation to be made from. You may already have some charities in mind, but if you are looking for ideas, here are a few I recommend.
Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Link to Your Wedding Video
This is my favorite on the list. Not only is it the most personal, but free too! Write a thank-you email with your wedding video linked at the bottom. You don’t have to include the hour-long (or however long your wedding video is) version, just the highlight video. Your guests will love revisiting the memories they made with you; it’s a bonus if they make a cameo. This small gesture is a heartfelt way to say thank you for sharing this special day with us.
As a wedding videographer, I always create a highlight version of the wedding made for sharing in addition to the feature video. Most highlight videos are around 5-10 minutes long and beautifully touch upon all the key moments of the wedding as well as the details you’ll never want to forget.
