Personalized Wedding Favor Ideas
Custom wedding favors that wedding guests will love (and actually use)
We’re going to get real with you right now—we’re not big fans of traditional wedding favors. No shade to custom wedding favor tote bags, baggies of treats, or glassware. It’s simply because at many weddings we have done there were SO many favors left over after the wedding. So we started suggesting a different approach. The best way to avoid spending time and money to end up with a plethora of wedding favors leftovers? Choose favors that are functional for the wedding day! And then round it out with favors you’ll know they’ll want to take home. Take a look at our faves!
Functional Party Favors
From our experience, favors that are sure to be used during the ceremony and/or wedding reception are guest favorites. They generally fill a need that your guests will have, which does double duty of adding a personal touch while also reducing the need for in-the-moment problem-solving. And where these also differ from traditional wedding favors is that they aren’t necessarily in favor boxes or waiting at the reception, they’re strategically placed to make them as easy to use as possible. A great place for items that will get pretty immediate use is on the wedding gift table by the entrance. Guests can drop off their gifts, sign the guest book, and then pick up some favors! For other favors, it’s best to put them where they make the most sense, like placing wedding theme koozies in a basket by the cooler.
Our fave ideas:
Sunglasses for a sunny outdoor wedding
Flip flops for the dance floor (best placed in a basket by the dance floor)
Personalized hand sanitizer/bug spray/sunscreen
Gorgeous paper fans for a hot ceremony
Glasses with the guest’s name on it (This way they can keep track and refill it, saving waste) *Bonus tip: Provide lids to make the cup to-go. People are much more likely to keep them!
Lip balm (Ideally local!)
Edible Wedding Favors
Who doesn’t want cool and unique wedding favors at their wedding? But sometimes the most original ideas aren’t necessarily the most groundbreaking (or expensive). Instead, they’re edible. A great choice for this is finding something that’s local. Boysenberry jam may seem normal or boring to you if you live in Montana, but your out-of-town guests will love it! Seriously, if you’re having an Indiana wedding, you may think gift bags of cheddar-caramel popcorn is typical, but your non-midwest friends and family will be in AWE. And this also rings true if you’re planning a destination wedding. Finding local best sellers and adding them to your gift bags will help guests feel like they’re getting more well-rounded experience of the destination!
Our fave ideas:
Personalized maple syrup (At one of our weddings the wedding dinner was breakfast for dinner. Guests could use it then and take the rest of the maple syrup home!)
Local jam (For us in Wisconsin there’s cranberries or Door County cherries, which people always love!)
A diy s’mores kit with a marshmallow, hersheys bar, and graham cracker (if you’re going to have any fire pits!)
A personalized pizza that guests can take home (or eat as a late-night snack!)
Wedding Favors that Go Beyond the Big Day
This is what all wedding favors are intended to be, keepsakes that wedding guests take home to remember the special day. But where they typically fall short is in functionality and, frankly, whether or not people want them. Some traditional ideas like shot glasses, votives, and bottle openers can work as for most people it doesn’t hurt to have another one of those items around. But engraved stemless wine glasses, tins, and coasters are often less desirable as they’re typically one-offs or are imposing a style onto guests that’s different than their own.
Another mistake often made with wedding favors is that couples often choose personalized gifts or favors that have their wedding date on it. And as sweet as that is—and there is a place for it with smaller ticket items like stickers or matchboxes (ideally ones that say “a perfect match”)—people may not want coasters with your wedding date on them. If you’re going to go the length of getting items with names or monograms on them, it should be that of your guests! A personal touch like that means so much more and is sure to be taken home.
Our fave ideas:
A plant/ seeds to plant in the garden
Agate place cards. (Not only are we a huge fan of agate place cards for outdoor weddings because they keep napkins from floating away, but guests can also take them home with them!)
Break down floral centerpieces and put them in small bud vases (or mason jars if you’re having a rustic wedding!) that guests can take home.
Put the playlist from your wedding on shareable Spotify playlists for guests to enjoy after the wedding!
Candle favors (maybe with the “it’s a perfect match” matchbox..? Anybody?)
Playing cards