23 wedding favors that will make your big day memorable
Get creative with your favors
Wedding favors are a great way to thank your guests for attending your big day. This is also a part of the wedding where you can get really creative and let the theme, design, and color concepts of your wedding shine. Here are just 23 wedding favors that I found and fell in love with. Some of these would make amazing birthday gifts too.
DIY Lip Balm
Credits: Apple Brides
Lip Balm is a great gift and it’s even better if it’s personalized and made completely by you. You can customize and vary the flavors and colors to suit your wedding color scheme and have them ready for your guests as they arrive. This is an excellent winter wedding favor for those sore and chapped lips during the winter.
Instagram Coaster Favors
Credits: Emmaline Bride
I love this idea. Choose some of your favorite Instagram pics and create photo coasters that your guests can use through the night and take home with them. If you have the resources and the budget for it, why not create a complete set of 4 for a truly memorable wedding gift. There’s no need to stick to your own Instagram pics, make use of some of your guests’ pics for this awesome wedding project (just be sure to ask first).
Instagram Magnet Favors
Credits: Emmaline Bride
This concept is pretty much the same as the Instagram coasters mentioned above, only these are fridge magnets. You could make these as small or as big as you wanted to, allowing you to easily fit this favor into your budget. If you’re having a smaller wedding, you could give each guest a magnet or a set of magnets with images that are directly related to each guest and you as a couple, making it a wonderfully personal thank you.
Handcrafted Journals
Credits: DIY Sharpie Journals: Lil Blue Boo; Stitched Book Covers: Urban Fox DIY; Gold Detail Notebooks: Design Sponge
If you’re looking for something really different to give to your guests, notebooks are an excellent choice. Handcraft your notebooks using DIY tutorials, or simply purchase notebooks and customize them according to the theme of your wedding and what you’d like the covers to look like. This is one of those wedding favors that you can get totally creative with and you could personalize each notebook.
Small String Art Blocks
Credits: Geometric Escort Cards: Oh Happy Day
I love string art. It looks great, is a fantastic DIY, and is super fun to do. There are some great tutorials out there and hundreds of string art patterns online. Why not create a small string art gift as a wedding favor with a heart, your monogram, the words “thank-you” or whatever else will fit with the theme of your wedding? This is a project you could get kids in the family to do for you or with you if you’ve got a large number to do before your wedding. Also, there’s no need to stick to wooden boards. Get creative – string art can be scaled down to paper, and even fabric.
Hot Sauce
Credits: Something Turquoise
I’m tempted to say this is one for the guys but I know plenty of women who would love this personalized hot sauce as a wedding favor. This is a great idea and coupled with an interesting and humorous label, it will make for a wedding favor that your guests will both love and use.
DIY Mason Jar Cocktail Gifts
Credits: Something Turquoise
Here’s another usable wedding favor. I love Mason jar DIYs for the fact that a mason jar is so incredibly versatile. Put together cocktail kits like the ones shown in the images for guests to take home with them and enjoy. If you’d like to go one step further, add a recipe for the cocktail (if it’s not totally straightforward) and add a mixer along with the ingredients.
DIY candles
Credits: Diy Soy Candle: Ruffled; Blue DIY Candles: Project Wedding
DIY candles make excellent wedding favors and are a stunning way to say thank you. Most people will use these gifts, so they will not be wasted or thrown away. You could personalize this to suit your wedding, the theme, and the message you’d like to give your guests. Use an interesting jar, cup or even tube and add labels and you’ve got a stunning wedding favor made in minutes.
DIY Succulent Wedding Favors
Credits: Succulents on steel tray: Fawn Christiansen Photography via Huffington Post; Succulent in pot: Craft Test Dummies; White succulent pots: Hyde Park Photo; Terracotta Succulent Pots: Cynthia Chung Weddings via Brides.com
;Succulents as a wedding favor have become incredibly popular over the last few years and for good reason. Succulents make excellent gifts and last a very long time. They also look great in just about any little holder (meaning you could get super creative with your succulents here).
DIY Mason Jar Muffins
Credits: I Heart Nap Time
These muffin recipes in a jar are great. It’s something the guests will use and enjoy and a mason jar as the packaging looks fantastic. I’m a huge fan of this idea. Of course, you don’t have to stick to muffin mix. You could use hot chocolate ingredients, the best breakfast granola mix and so on.
Cookie Buffet With Takeaway Boxes
Credits: Macaroons: The Knot; Kraft Paper Cookie Stand: Something Turquoise; Cookie Box: Ela and the Poppies via Un Beau Jour
Yum! Edible favors are great as you know guests will make use of them. The cookie idea is definitely not a new one and this can range from pre-packed macaroons to a giant sugar cookie packaged in kraft wrap with a sweet message on it. My personal favorite is the cookie bar where guests are given a takeaway box or bag and can choose an assortment of their favorite cookies. This is also a great favor for a wedding on a budget. You could dress the cookie bar up or down to suit your budget and it will still be great.
DIY Picture Frame
Credits: Table Number frame; Vintage Book Frames: Ruffled Blog; Wood Frame: Ruffled Blog
I love the idea of giving a picture frame as a wedding favor. I’m even more for the idea of including a special image of you as the couple and the guest(s) receiving it. It’s not always possible to do this, but one way to ensure that everyone gets an image with the couple is to rent out a photo booth, or have a few disposable instant Polaroid cameras on site and have images printed at the wedding for guests to add to their frames.
Wedding Soundtrack
Credits: Catherine Rhodes Photography via Wedding Chicks; CD Wedding Favor: Evermine;
This is a fantastic idea for an intimate wedding. Giving guests a soundtrack to your wedding is such a fabulous way of saying thank you and memorializing such a huge event in your life. It’s a wedding favor that looks great, sounds great and will most certainly be used.
Seeds For Planting
Credits: Candace Jeffery Photography; Sweet Pea Seeds: Martha Stewart Weddings; Seed packets: Lia Griffith
Seeds as a wedding favor may sound silly at first but it’s a great idea when coupled with an interesting message. I love that this wedding favor is eco-friendly and involves guests in the process. This a lovely wedding favor to give and there are so many different ways to give it.
DIY Labelled Wine Bottle Favors
Credits: Something Turquoise
Granted, not everyone will love the idea of getting a bottle of wine as a wedding favor but a labeled bottle is a great way to personally say thank you to your guests. For those who are not in favor of alcohol, consider getting alcohol-free wine or something different. Sparkling grape juice is just as good for those who don’t drink.
Coffee Beans
Credits: Hannah Colclazier Photography via brides.com; Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans: Evermine;
If you’re like me, the smell of coffee is sublime and getting a packet of coffee beans is the perfect wedding favor. This is a great idea and guests can enjoy this wedding gift long after the wedding.
Tea
Credits: Tea Bag Tag: Martha Stewart Weddings; Tea tubes: Joseph De Leo Photography via Brides.com
Much like the coffee, this is a fantastic wedding favor. Some couples choose to have both coffee and tea for their guests to decide which to take home. If you’d like to just stick to tea, you could offer a variety of tea and have guests choose their favorite.
Agate Place Cards
Credits: Black Agate Nameplate Erin Hearts Court via 100 layer cake; Purple Agate Namecards: Katie McGihon via Wedding Chicks; Gold Agate: Milou + Olin Photography via The Knot
Technically these agate place cards are meant for the table but they double up as lovely party favors. Add a small magnet to the back of the agate (or a few really small ones around the edges) to make a stunning fridge magnet.
Sea Salt
Credits: Nautical Sea Salt Jars: Evermine; Rosemary Sea Salt vials: Wine Country Occasions; Rosemary Seal Salt Jars: Tiffany Lane Handmade
Used for both cooking and as a bath salt, sea salt makes a great gift. You can easily infuse sea salts with herbs and spices. Be sure to label your sea salt as a bath salt if it is infused with something which should not be ingested or ingredients are added that could be dangerous if eaten.
A Handkerchief For Happy Tears
Credits: Evermine
This is a very sweet idea for an intimate wedding. You don’t have to give out handkerchiefs. If you’re on a budget, opt for tissues instead.
Honey Jars
Credits: Honey gift baskets: Eric Kelly Photography via Collin Cowie Weddings; Honey Tubes: 100 layer Cake; Honey Stand: Vitalic Photo
Honey is another edible gift that I’m sure everyone will use. You could opt for big jars of honey, smaller test tubes with just enough for a cup of tea or two, or straws for a single serving decorated on the table.
Candy
Credits: Seaglass Candy: Something Turquoise; Chocolate Bark: Something Turquoise
Most people love candy in some form or another and it makes for a delicious gift. Say sweet thank you to your guests with budget happy DIY candies or luxury boutique treats.
Personalized Pillow Cases
Credits: His and Hers: Something Turquoise ; Stencil Pillow Case: Wit and Whistle;
The his and hers pillowcases shown in the image above are actually meant for the bride and groom but I thought it would make a fantastic wedding favor for a smaller wedding. You could write the names of the guest on the pillow, the date of the wedding to commemorate the day, a small quote or note from you as the couple. You could make the same pillow for all or personalize the message, color and even material of the pillow.
Remember that you can add sparkle to your wedding favors just like one of our guest YouTubers did in her YouTube video stacked wedding cookies and homemade favors. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to our Pinterest board for plenty of awesome ideas and a whole variety of wedding inspiration.
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