We won’t beat around the bush: weddings can be expensive endeavour, for everyone involved.
While the rosy haze of love and affection tends to overcome the stress of plotting and planning, and the excitement of donning a new frock for a party usually out-does the buyer’s remorse felt amongst wedding guests – it can be nice to see a return on one’s investment, as it were.
Without sounding overly crass, other than taking home the wonderful memories of a night filled with the celebration of love, it can be quite nice to take a physical keepsake home. After all, the process of finding the right outfit, the perfect wedding present for the budding nuptials and actually getting to the event, a small party favour can go a long way. Who said they were limited to birthday parties held between the ages of three and nine, anyway?
The tradition of gifting wedding guests with small tokens of thanks and appreciation has a surprisingly long history. The practice is thought to have originated within the French aristocracy in the 17th and 18th centuries.
During this time, guests were often gifted with decorative trinket boxes filled to the brim with sweet rarities and sugared delights known as ‘bonbonnieres’, which symbolised wealth and prosperity - due to the high price of sugar at the time.
Similarly, there’s a popular Grecian tradition dating back to the 14th century which consists of presenting wedding guests with sugared almonds called ‘koufeta’. A symbolic practice which has since inspired modern edible party favours, guests are presented with koufeta in odd numbers to reflect the indivisible nature of the newlyweds.
Likewise, weddings in Italy often bear witness to the gifting of exactly five sugared almonds to each guest, symbolising five good wishes for the couple: health, wealth, happiness, fertility and longevity.
Nowadays the practice of gifting guests with wedding favours has evolved into a more personalised practice, with brides and grooms often choosing gifts which reflect their own styles and tastes.
For those with far more charitable hearts and friends, you can forgo the tradition of physical wedding favours for donation cards from your charity of choice. These cards come in a variety of forms, but simply state that a donation has been made to a worthy cause on behalf of your guest.
Meanwhile, those with very specific themes and particular tastes have a vast array of unique wedding favours to choose from for their special day. Luckily for you, we’ve rounded up a selection of the best wedding favours to treat your guests with. From the edible and decorative, to the destination-themed and practical, keep scrolling for more.
Shop now.
9 DIY wedding centrepieces: Ideas that will save money and suit your style
Best DIY wedding decorations for a crafty wedding
Best eco-friendly and sustainable party supplies
Best cakes to order online that deliver to your door
Best wedding invitations for a unique and elegant touch
Best wedding dress brands to buy for your big day from top designers
Edible
Wedding Icebreaker Fortune Cookies
A brilliant way to keep your guests chatting, snacking and laughing is through these icebreaker fortune cookies. Each delicious cookie contains a unique prompt or game suggestion for guests to enjoy before tucking into their little treat.
Buy now £42.00, NOTHS
Bespoke Macaron Wedding Favour Box
Choose between an array of scrumptious flavours and beautiful designs for this traditional bonbonniere party favour. Who doesn’t love a macaron?
Buy now £4.50, NOTHS
Wedding Pretzel Rods
Desserts which combine sweet and salty tastes are some of the best, and these adorable chocolate-covered pretzel rods are no exception. We love the bride and groom-themed decoration, though this store front offers you the option to customise your pretzel rods to reflect the genders of the budding nuptials.
Buy now £15.72, Etsy
Decorative
Flora & Bloom Biodegradable Confetti With Pre Built Cones
Whether thrown after the ceremony is complete, or when the bride and groom make their grand re-entrance to the wedding reception, being showered with sweet-smelling confetti is always a treat.
This fun and interactive party favour can be handed out as guests arrive, or left next to place cards as a two-in-one décor piece. Biodegradable dried petals not only smell wonderful, but they’re also a far more eco-friendly option.
Buy now £39.45, Amazon
Mason Jar with Straw and Lid
A unique and rustic way of serving drinks, or even displaying decorations, including mason jars in your wedding table scape helps to create an attractive, bohemian aesthetic. Wrap yours with twine and fill it with dried flowers for a DIY approach, or simply incorporate them into your general wedding glassware for your guests to take home.
Buy now £1.29, The Range
Personalised Succulents
These beautiful miniature succulents come in hand-painted Mediterranean-style pots, and can be personalised with either paper or wooden tags. They’ll look good on any guest’s mantlepiece at home, but will look even better on the guest tables on your special day.
Buy now £1.48, Etsy
Mini dried flower bouquet in vase
Another gorgeous two-in-one, decorative party favour, these miniature dried flower bouquets come in their very own tiny vase. Mix and match from the multiple bouquets on offer or choose one that suits your wedding’s colour scheme.
Buy now £6.35, Etsy
Charitable
Wildflower Seed Favours (Pack of 10)
Demonstrate your support for Macmillan Cancer Support at your wedding with these lovely wildflower packets. Each contains a mixture of native wildflowers including Cornflower, Tickseed, Tassel Flower, Night scented stock and more. TWhat’s more, 100 per cent of the profits from this product goes straight to Macmillan. If you’d rather simply make a donation to the charity on behalf of your guests, you can purchase name place cards which will let them know.
Buy now £18.00, Macmillan Cancer Support
Progress Pride Flag Wedding Favour
A lovely, inclusive token for your loved ones to take home and keep, or even pin to their party frocks, this enamel pin at once shows your dedication to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community as well as those suffering with cancer.
Buy now £2.00, Cancer Research UK
Unusual
Our Wedding Day Festival Wedding Wristbands
Hosting a festival-themed wedding? These value-for-money wristbands are a fantastic party favour to either send out with your invitations or gift your guests with upon arrival. After all, no-wristband means no entry!
Buy now £1.25, NOTHS
Personalised Scratch Card Wedding Favours
A fun and exciting party favour for guests to enjoy, these ‘lucky in love’ personalised scratch cards might just grant your loved ones some luck of their own.
Buy now £0.55, Etsy
Custom Hand-Painted Tambourine
A gift for the musically inclined, bohemian wedding-hosts, a personalised tambourine can work as a uniquely beautiful alternative to a classic name place. You could also personalise the tambourines with your own wedding monogram and leave them on guests’ chairs during the ceremony for them to rattle and bang once you’ve officially tied the knot.
Buy now £37.50, Etsy
Custom temporary tattoos
A simply hilarious wedding favour, especially if the couple themselves are tatted-up, these personalised temporary tattoos will have your guests dabbing wet napkins at the dinner table and gluing your names to their arms and faces. As they should.
Buy now £0.84, Wanapix
Poet for Hire
Amaze your guests with a Poet for Hire, who will work to create personalised poems of varying lengths for your wedding party via an old-fashioned type writer, so that they can take home their very own private masterpiece.
With previous clients such as the Cheltenham Literature Festival and Waterstones, it’s safe to say that Poet for Hire is a reliable source for all your literary wedding needs.
Prices upon request.
Buy now, Poet for Hire
Destination-themed
Limoncello with Love Personalised Wedding Favour Jar
Whether you’re channelling a Southern-Italian vibe for your wedding, or actually hosting it in the Italian sunshine, these mini Limoncello shots are a great idea for a party favour. We love the rustic cork stopper and the citrus-adorned tag attached with twine.
Buy now £1.00, Etsy
Olive Oil Favours
If you’re holding your wedding anywhere close to the Mediterranean, why not gift some beautiful, infused bottles of olive oil to all your guests? Order anywhere between 20-400 bottles from this Etsy storefront and choose from an array of delicious infusions, including: rosemary, chilli, garlic, Greek or Italian herbs.
Buy now £96.90, Etsy
Heart Shaped Rimless Glasses
Perfect for sunny weddings (though we can’t vouch for their UV protection), these fun and festival-ready multi-coloured heart shaped glasses will delight all of your guests.
Buy now £16.99
Practical
Wedding Havaianas
According to iconic Brazilian flip-flop brand Havaianas, the tradition of gifting the flat, slip-on sandals to guests at the end of a wedding was started by two famous Brazilian TV presenters.
This resulted in a global trend of trading dress shoes and heels for beach-ready footwear to dance the rest of the night away. Now, Havaianas have a dedicated team through which you can place personalised orders for weddings, featuring adorable enamel pins and metallic designs.
Buy now £12.70, Havaianas
