Wedding favors

Before any of your beloved wedding guests make their way home, you’ll want to thank them properly for showing up to celebrate your big day. Offering thoughtful wedding favors is a considerate way to say thanks for all your guests have done to support you and your partner. 

Picking out a wedding favor is a chance for you and your partner to incorporate something you love into your parting gift to your guests. Choosing the best wedding favors for your celebration depends on a few factors.

What to know before you buy wedding favors

Wedding favors aren’t the main focus of your wedding day, so you don’t need to go overboard when choosing what to give. Focus on a few key elements like assembly time, personal preferences, your wedding style and the overall guest experience. Most importantly, choose a favor that speaks to your relationship and that guests can enjoy long after the day is over.

DIY or assembly elements

Consider how much time you want to spend on wedding favors. If you decide to DIY your wedding favors, know that crafting dozens or hundreds of the same item requires a significant time commitment. You’ll likely want to set up an assembly line and call in backup to help speed up the process. If you only DIY the assembly or packaging, don’t save it for the last minute. Plan ahead and leave extra buffer time for packaging all the favors ahead of the wedding.

Meaning

Before choosing a wedding favor, think about the unique elements of your partnership and how you can incorporate those into your wedding favors. Consider your shared passions, your favorite hobbies or the wedding location itself. Try to pick favors based on something meaningful to you.

Style

When looking at wedding favors, consider the overall theme and design elements of your wedding. Scope out a wedding favor that complements the style of your wedding for a polished look.

Guest experience

Ultimately, the wedding favors are for the guests, so their experience is most important. Think about what would be most useful, fun and memorable for them. Try to be as inclusive as possible to make sure everyone can eat, drink, play with or use whatever favor you choose.

What to look for in quality wedding favors

Wedding favors that go above and beyond usually offer a few standout features. Packaging that matches the favor is a huge time-saver when it comes to preparing and presenting your wedding favors. Personalizing your favors with names, dates or other messaging can be a unique add-on, although it generally comes at a higher cost. Bulk discounts offer a helpful way to save costs if you know your guest count ahead of time.

Packaging

The best wedding favors come with some sort of well-designed packaging to enhance the presentation of the gift. Many wedding favors include packaging elements, such as bags, ribbons or boxes. However, some couples choose to provide the packaging themselves, which means you’ll need to source those materials and set aside time to prepare each gift before the big day.

Personalization

Some favors are customizable for additional fees, allowing you to add monograms, dates or notes on each wedding favor. Consider what you would add and where before choosing to add personal elements to the favors. Guests are more likely to use the favors in their everyday lives if the personalization is on the packaging rather than the gift itself. Additionally, customized add-ons can quickly add up, so calculate the cost of the favors with the add-ons if you’re planning to add personalization.

Bulk discounts

Depending on the vendor, wedding favors may offer bulk discounts for purchases over certain thresholds. Try to nail down your guest list before ordering your wedding favors so you have a more precise estimate of the number of favors you need.

How much you can expect to spend on wedding favors

Wedding favors can quickly increase your budget, starting as low as $.50 per guest to upwards of $20 per guest.

Wedding favors FAQ

How many wedding favors do I need?

A. Generally, one favor per guest. Plan to have roughly 10 extra wedding favors for every 100 guests. It’s helpful to have backup favors on hand in case some get damaged or lost, if folks take more than one or if you receive last-minute RSVPs.

Does every guest get a wedding favor?

A. Typically, yes. However, you can likely skip giving favors to babies or young children. If your wedding favors are larger items, you may be able to group them by couples or families.

What are the best wedding favors to buy?

Best of the best wedding favors

Kate Aspen “Our Adventure Begins” Bottle Stopper

What you need to know: This metal compass bottle stopper is a crowd-pleaser with decadent packaging.

What you’ll love: The antique brushed bronze finish makes the stopper appear more expensive. The design is versatile beyond just nautical-themed weddings. Beautiful packaging is included, so you won’t need to add much more to make these favors presentable.

What you should consider: These favors are on the pricey side unless you buy them in bulk.

Where to buy: Sold by Amazon

Best bang for your buck wedding favors

Lindt LINDOR Chocolate Truffles

What you need to know: Individually wrapped chocolates are a great choice for stuffing into gift bags or boxes.

What you’ll love: These candies are an affordable option from a brand-name candy company. They offer multiple flavors, so you can choose the chocolate you prefer or the ones wrapped in your wedding colors. The chocolate is kosher, gluten-free and comes with cold packs for preservation during delivery.

What you should consider: You need to store them in a temperature-controlled area leading up to the big day.

Where to buy: Sold by Amazon 

Best personal touch wedding favors

Greenwich Bay Trading Company Soaps Sampler Pack

What you need to know: These soaps are a fun choice for a self-care-inspired gift or a pandemic-conscious favor.

What you’ll love: The unique scents and designs of each soap appear hand-selected. Each soap bar is made with French-milled vegetable soaps enriched with shea butter, essential oils and natural extracts. They come in packs of 16, and you can buy them in bulk.

What you should consider: Some couples suggest packaging them in paper or wrapping materials before presenting them to guests.

Where to buy: Sold by Amazon

Most memorable design wedding favors

WODEGIFT Key Bottle Openers

What you need to know: These elaborate key bottle openers are a luxurious and practical gift.

What you’ll love: The key is made of a metal alloy that can withstand regular use. A rose gold finish offers a sophisticated modern look. The tags come with a pre-printed message on one side and a blank space on the other for DIY customization.

What you should consider: Before the wedding, you’ll need to spend time connecting each card to a key.

Where to buy: Sold by Amazon

Most versatile wedding favors

Volens Round Tea Light Votive Holder

What you need to know: Tea light votive holders are a classic option and can be dressed up or down.

What you’ll love: The antique finish gives a vintage vibe. Each tea light candle holder has a 2-inch diameter opening and stands 2-inches tall. They can hold wax tea lights or LED flickering bulbs. A weighted base keeps them sturdy, and they are dishwasher safe for easy cleaning. They are available in gold, silver and rose gold to complement any wedding decor. 

What you should consider: If you want to add personalization, factor additional costs into your wedding favor budget.

Where to buy: Sold by Amazon

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Katy Palmer writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.

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