What exactly is a wedding favour? Well, it’s a small gift that the bride and groom give to their guests as a thank you for their attendance. But if you decided not to give out favours, would your guests even notice they were missing?
We think yes! It’s always nice to spoil your guests, even if you haven’t spent a lot of money. Your guests have travelled to be with you on your special day, they may have bought a new outfit, and they will probably be paying for accommodation, so a small, heartfelt favour at their place setting is a lovely touch. Traditionally guests received five sugar-coated almonds that represent fertility, wealth, health, long life and happiness. But these days things have moved on and guests may find anything from traditional sugared almonds or chocolates, to a mix CD of the bride and groom’s favourite tracks. We asked our Facebook brides for some hints and tips on favours, and here’s what they recommended…
Top wedding favour ideas
A few brides decided to contribute to a charity that’s close to their heart. “We are having Cancer Research UK pin badges,” says Kelly. “They’re such a fantastic charity and they come with a personalised card as well.”
“Instead of having individual favours we used the money to make one large hamper of Cornish goodies like fudge, cider, beer, chocolate, cheese, cream and cake,” says real bride Kimberley. “We gave each person a random number on the back of their place card and as part of my husband’s speech we did a raffle so one person won an amazing hamper and everyone else was just happy to have been given the chance!”
Sometimes your location can give you ideas for your favours. “For our seaside wedding we have made centrepieces of buckets filled with candy pebbles and sticks of rock. We’re sticking with the theme and saving lots of money on flowers!”
Or it might be the time of year you’re getting married that sets the theme. “We had a Christmas wedding,” says Carol. “I bought plain baubles, wrote the name of the guest on one side and the date of our wedding on the other and they doubled up as name tags as well as favours. We then tied them round candy canes. Our guests still use the baubles on their Christmas trees to this day!”
Wedding favour alternatives
Rob definitely isn’t a fan of favours and suggests hiring a photo booth instead. “Nearly everything else gets thrown away and forgotten.” Photobooth favours are a great idea. Guests can take their favourite shots home with them at the end of the night – a wonderful keepsake that can be kept forever.
“We had a Pick ‘n’ Mix table,” says Emma. “It went down a treat with the adults and kids alike! I even bought some plain white bags and had some personalised stickers made up with our names, wedding date and ‘Love Is Sweet’ in our wedding colours.”
“Caricaturists and silhouette artists all work really well and guests still get to take something home,” suggests wedding co-ordinator Phoebe. “Some brides tend not to bother with individual favours, preferring to allocate more money to entertainment instead.”
