Wedding favours are an important part of any wedding. It’s usually the last thing your guests receive and is something within their homes that will always remind them of your wedding. But how do you choose a wedding favour that isn’t going to collect dust or get thrown away?
The best wedding favours are things that are useful or unique in some way. Any wedding favour that can be consumed or regularly used, like glasses and cheese knives, will be well received. Smaller useful wedding favours can include edible gifts.
Do you want to ensure that there would be no leftovers on your wedding favour table at the end of the night? We’ve compiled a list of creative and functional wedding favour ideas that your guests will surely love! You’ll definitely want to snag one for your own wedding keepsake box, so be sure to order enough of these unique party favours.
Read on to learn all about wedding favours and discover our top suggestions.
WHAT IS A WEDDING FAVOUR?
Wedding favours are small gifts given to guests at a wedding to commemorate the event. There are no set rules for what a wedding favour has to be, and it can be anything from small bottles of alcohol to personalised chocolates.
They are known by many names: wedding favours, party favours, souvenirs, tokens, giveaways, etc. These are the items given as a take-home gift to guests during weddings. It serves as an expression of gratitude and appreciation for the newlyweds.
Typically, personalised wedding favours feature the names of the newlyweds and the wedding date to remind their guests of that magical day.
Most of us think that weddings are memorable only for the bride and groom— the celebration of their union, the beginning of their lives’ new chapter, and of course, wedding gifts for the bride and groom.
But weddings can be the guests’ special day, too. Families are reunited. Long lost friends catch up with each other. Busy people clear their schedules for a much-needed and deserved vacation. Weddings are memorable for all.
That is why one of the most important wedding details is wedding favours. Couples spend time and effort choosing, making or buying the perfect wedding favours. And guests look forward to receiving it. It’s the ultimate ending to a wonderful day.
WHAT IS THE BEST TYPE OF WEDDING FAVOUR?
The best type of wedding favour is something usable that features the couple’s names and the date of the wedding ceremony. Wedding favours that can be consumed or practically used are often the most popular.
Some of the best wedding favours represent the married couple in some way, especially if the favours are custom-made to represent them in some way. They vary from wedding to wedding, depending on the couple’s choice.
Another type of wedding favour currently in vogue is handmade items, especially when bought from small businesses or startups. They are handcrafted gifts designed with a personalised touch and custom-made to suit the couples’ preferences.
You may also want to give different wedding favours or wedding gifts to bridesmaids, groomsmen, and other members of the bridal party. This is where larger wedding favours can come in handy, as a special keepsake for those who made the day extra special.
WHAT CAN I GIVE AWAY AS A UNIQUE WEDDING FAVOUR?
If you are looking for your very own unique wedding favour, there are many choices to choose from, such as a polarised picture, personalised tumblers, cufflinks, ‘make your own’ wedding cocktails and wood slice coasters, as well as personalised wedding keepsakes.
There are many ways to make your wedding favours as unique as possible. With the growing number of small and startup businesses dedicated to catering to their customer’s preferences, having the perfect wedding favour is not impossible.
Below are 26 examples of wedding favours that are useful and memorable:
1. Personalised Engraved Bookmark
Are you a couple who loves to read? Show off the bookworm in you and encourage your guests to read books by giving them beautiful engraved bookmarks as wedding favours. They are made of natural wood with an attached ribbon.
You can have these personalised bookmarks engraved with your wedding date or any other details you like, so you can choose one that will suit your wedding theme or personal preferences.
What makes bookmarks a unique gift? They are simple, symbolic, and very practical but not too expensive. If you want to take the extra step, you can provide a list of your favourite books or give your guests a small book of their own!
2. ‘Love’ Bottle Stopper
Remind your guests of your love as they take a sip from their favourite bottle of wine by giving away ‘love’ bottle stoppers. These elegant souvenirs are made of solid chrome with unique designs to symbolise your love. They are a good way for your guests to save any of their remaining bottled beverages.
Once you order, the items are made in Australia and shipped wherever you are, gift boxes and ribbons included.
3. Engraved Keepsake Box
When it comes to practicality, personalised keepsake boxes stand out as wedding favours. These beautiful boxes come in various sizes and are completely customisable, making them the perfect wedding favour.
These high-quality boxes have customisable designs, colours, materials and contents. They are also reusable once you have emptied and used their original contents. These are fantastic personalised wedding favours for your bridal party or smaller guest list.
A handcrafted gift box can be a luxury wedding favour, a useful and practical wedding favour, or even both, depending on what you want to put inside it. Examples of what to put inside a wedding gift box are: coffee or tea sets, skincare sets, aromatherapy sets, chocolates and sweets, and different kinds of herbs and spices.
Of course, you don’t have to fill a wedding keepsake box with anything! Instead, you can have polaroid cameras at your reception so your guests can create their wedding favour by filling it with memories and mementos they take and create at your wedding.
4. ‘Vintage Key’ Bottle Opener
Who doesn’t love wine? Help your guests easily open their wine bottles with this unique and useful wedding favour that can be personalised. It’s sentimental yet practical.
The vintage key bottle opener is a perfect wedding favour if you are going for a vintage, antique, or shabby chic-themed wedding. You can easily get custom-made bottle openers to complement your wedding theme. These bottle openers are made with high-quality metal alloy and are available across Australia.
5. Personalised Cheese Knives
Cheese is a great addition to various dishes to make them more delicious. For one, preparing a charcuterie is best when you have the right tool for cutting those cheeses.
Hand out to your guests these cheese knives made with mango wood, stainless steel and epoxy resin. It’s the best gift for cheese lovers! Your guests will display this beautiful keepsake in their kitchen.
A cheese knife is a practical item that comes in different sizes and colours. You can also add your own design and even engrave your special message for personalisation. These useful wedding favours are also handmade and shipped from Australia.
6. Personalised Reed Diffusers
Another handmade wedding favour idea is a personalised reed diffuser, perfect for relaxation and a peaceful evening. It comes in 30 or 100ml bottles. The guests will be delighted to have this as it can add a constant fragrance to their room without using a scented candle, flame or heat.
You can choose whether to buy the diffuser with or without oil, but both come with a gift bag and a personalised label. You can also opt to add a ribbon and personalised label, including the recipient’s name and the wedding details.
7. Organic Greek Olive Oil with Edible 24kt Gold Flakes
Let’s talk about fancy and luxurious wedding favours. From the Italian glass bottle up to the organic extra virgin Greek olive oil infused with edible 25 kt gold flakes, this will surely wow your guests.
Greek olive oil is the best in the world because it’s loaded with antioxidants. It can be used in sauteing, frying, stewing and baking and offers several health benefits. With edible 24kt gold flakes, organic Greek olive oil is a premium kind of wedding favour!
8. Custom Seed Packet
Do you want an eco-friendly wedding favour? Or do you love gardening? Boast your inner green thumb. Give away packets of seeds that can grow into a beautiful flowering plant or a nutritious fruit or vegetable.
These packets can also symbolise your new life together as newlyweds growing in love. The customisable packets are handmade in Australia with biodegradable materials in either kraft or ivory white colours. You can also have plantable seed papers in the shape of hearts!
Seed packets make a very useful and fun wedding favour. These may encourage people to grow flowers or their own food. Something that started as a small wedding favour can quickly turn into a vibrant garden, and your guests will love you for it.
9. Personalised Definition Candle
Calming, relaxing, and aromatic— personalised definition candles are perfect wedding favours that can keep all the stresses away. In addition to bringing a special ambience to any space, your guests can also use these candles as home decorations.
If you decide to have personalised definition candles as wedding favours, you can choose from the many types and available scents, such as jasmine and vanilla. The mini-sized candles can last up to 20 hours when lit, while the medium-sized candles last up to 40 hours. These candles can be used anywhere around your home, such as in the living room, bedroom, and bath.
10. Organic English Tea Box
One example of consumable wedding favours is the organic English tea box. It’s a great box to give as it contains premium-grade English breakfast loose leaf tea— it’s a rich and refreshing wedding favour! This blend goes well with milk and sugar.
Furthermore, organic English tea offers many health benefits, such as reducing cholesterol levels and your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. This wedding favour consists of individual packs of organic loose teas, which can be enjoyed by more than one person. It’s eco-friendly and can be personalised by adding your desired label design.
11. Personalised Bridesmaid Manicure Gift
Your bridesmaids deserve self-pampering. Thank them with a personalised manicure set for memorable manicure sessions. This is a great idea if you know they’re regular customers at the local nail salon.
These manicure gift sets can come in various personalised designs. You can use an organza bag and put tissue paper at the bottom to make it look better. You can then fill it with whatever you desire: nail art stickers, nail polishes, nail polish remover, nail file, lotion, nourishing cream, cuticle pushes, cotton balls and more.
To thank your favourite ladies for sharing your special day, you can even create a bridesmaid gift box for the big day.
12. Tealight Holders
Tealight holders are a cute yet useful item you can have as your wedding favour. They can be handmade with wooden slices, dried flowers, cotton grass and jute ropes. You can also personalise them and choose among many colours to suit your wedding motif.
Aside from looking great, tealight holders can also be used to hold candles and set a cosy, calm and romantic ambience. They are a brilliant gift idea, a piece of art that can serve decorative purposes. Anytime your guests use these tealights in the future, it will be extra special, bringing back memories of a wonderful wedding.
13. Engraved Shot Glasses
Engraved shot glasses as wedding favours will remind your guests of the good times they had during your wedding day whenever they use them to take a shot. They come in different designs and can be used functionally or displayed as a feature piece on your bar or kitchen.
Engraved shot glasses are a conversation piece that can make any space unique. It’s not every day that you see these kinds of shot glasses!
While engraved shot glasses look good, you don’t have to give them away empty. Shot glasses can be paired with small bottles of alcohol or filled with candy and nuts to make it a more useful wedding favour on the big day itself. And you don’t have to worry about these glasses breaking because they can be put in a dishwasher and safely washed.
14. Personalised Engraved Crystal Metal Pen
Are you ready to give a stylish yet useful wedding favour? Practicality and usefulness are the two main reasons for having a personalised engraved crystal metal pen as your wedding favour. This pen has chrome fittings and can be professionally engraved according to your desired design and personalised details.
Engraved crystal metal pens come in three colours: gold, white and black. Lastly, the crystal metal pen has packaging options you can choose from, so it won’t clash with your wedding’s theme.
15. Honey Jar with Topper and Dipper
This wedding favour contains golden runny honey and a dipper. Honey is a superfood with numerous benefits. Honey is a beloved topping and can be used in a range of sweet and savoury meals, and every time it’s used, your guests will think of you.
When preparing this wedding favour, you have the freedom to choose the topper, the twine, and the fabric (Hessian, Calico, or White) to be used in your bottle. You can be as creative as you can. Your guests will love this tasty, healthy and very pretty wedding favour.
16. Personalised Organic Soap
Out of all the all-natural and eco-friendly options of wedding favours available, you can’t look past personalised organic soap. This kind of soap is natural, plant-based, gluten-free and dairy-free, perfect for your vegans and environment-friendly guests. It can have different scents and colours.
Among the reasons why a personalised organic soap is a great wedding favour are:
- It’s sustainable.
- It serves a very real purpose as we need frequent hand-washing to fight against viruses and diseases.
- There’s a soap for every budget.
17. Personalised Champagne Flutes
If you want to add an item to your guests’ priced collection of fancy drinking glasses, give away personalised champagne flutes at your wedding. You can have it personalised by choosing the text and colour you want on it or adding a monogram for a more personal touch.
Champagne flutes are an everyday essential that your guests will think of as practical, thoughtful and heartfelt as a gift. With a luxury gift box and ribbon, these will look stunning!
18. Personalised Tumbler Glass
Thinking about something that can be used every single day? Give your guests a personalised tumbler glass. That way, every time they pour a tall drink, they’ll think about your big day and how happy you were to be able to share it with them.
To make it personalised, you can put your chosen design or your guests’ names on the tumbler glass. You can have a monogrammed one too. A good thing about this gift idea is that it can suit different budgets. If you have a set budget, you can quickly find one that fits it. You won’t worry about overspending or underspending.
19. Scrabble Cufflinks
How about something unusual? Contribute to your guests’ fashion style with elegant scrabble cufflinks that can be personalised based on their names’ initials. This wedding favour can be handmade with wood and comes with a display box. You can even do it yourself and add more personal details.
Scrabble cufflinks are also a perfect addition if you’re having a rustic or boho-style wedding. People will take any excuse to wear cufflinks, so providing your guests with a personalised set is something they’ll thank you for, for years to come.
20. ‘Make Your Own’ Wedding Cocktails
The ‘Make Your Own’ wedding cocktails as wedding souvenirs let your guests extend your wedding party in the convenience of their own homes. Each bottle contains up to 50 mL of cocktail, with different colour combinations, making it a visual and practical treat.
If you have virtual wedding guests, this is also a unique gift to send to them. You can have a unique wedding toast as they have prepared their own cocktail at home. With personalised labels on the glass bottles and card tags, these ‘Make Your Own’ wedding cocktails’ are enough to let your guests know that you appreciate them for being part of your special day.
21. Shot Glass Succulents
Shot glass succulents are one-of-a-kind wedding favours that you can have at your wedding. Not only are they natural and decorative, but they are also affordable when you order in bulk. Your plant-loving guests will definitely appreciate this wedding favour.
For those who are not much into plants, this wedding favour is easy to care for. It only needs a small amount of water initially and requires no regular watering.
22. Personalised Wedding Chocolate Favours
Who doesn’t love chocolates? Personalised wedding chocolate favours are a classic. These never get old. No one can resist a sweet, decadent, elegant dessert. It’s even simple to prepare, and you can pair it with anything.
You can have custom chocolate bars with your names engraved on them, s’more kits, marbled chocolates or rich chocolates with your pictures on them. These wedding favours can be put into monogrammed paper-covered boxes, muslin bags or any packaging of your choice.
23. Plantable Wildflower Paper Hearts
Paper hearts are pretty and romantic. What if you make them plantable? Then they become more meaningful! Give your guests plantable wildflower paper hearts that they can plant and grow in their backyard or inside their homes for additional greenery and pops of colour.
These may symbolise your love living on as the plants grow and blossom with flowers. Plantable wildflower paper hearts are easy to make, but you can also purchase them from a reliable supplier. You can have seeds of either wildflower annuals or perennials. These will look great in small plastic bags or small flower pots.
24. Personalised Coffee Blends
Who doesn’t love a cup of coffee in the morning? Caffeinated couples often choose to give away personalised coffee blends. This way, they can still bring a smile to their wedding guests while they’re at home, sipping a cup of delicious brewed coffee while thinking of the lovely memories from your special day.
With customisable bags, these wedding favours are easy to fill and seal. Your guests can easily make their own coffee right after your wedding. However, make sure not to buy beans weeks in advance. Otherwise, you might end up giving stale beans at your wedding. Instead, buy your beans a couple of days before your big day.
25. Wood Slice Coasters
Another useful and practical wedding favours are wood slice coasters. And these are perfect, especially if you’re having a rustic wedding. They are traditional, earthy favours that compliment your wedding theme and can even be used during the reception!
Wood slice coasters are sustainable and eco-friendly options. You can have monogrammed coasters, which are sure to catch attention at any gathering. As they need to protect furniture from water spills and rings, the coasters should feature a water-resistant seal. You can also opt for a magnet and a printed text directly on the wood.
26. Engraved Wedding Place Tag
This personalised wedding favour also doubles as part of your place setting and wedding decorations. Have these wooden place tags engraved with each guest’s name to mark their spot at the reception – and allow guests to take home their name tags at the end of the night.
Guests will be able to use these place tags as a personalised bag or backpack tag in future, making them a fantastic practical memento of your special day.
WEDDING FAVOUR FAQS
Does Everyone Get a Wedding Favour?
At most weddings, everyone gets a wedding favour, as it’s a commemorative gift to thank family members and friends for celebrating a wedding. Sometimes, special wedding favours will be given to the bridal party and groomsmen to thank them for their role in the event.
How Much Should I Spend on Favours?
Between $5 and $15 is a good number to spend per person on wedding favours. This amount is what most people spend and ensures your guests will have a nice, sentimental reminder of your wedding. However, the amount you spend is dependent on your wedding and your budget.
Is It OK Not to Have Wedding Favours?
There’s no shame in not having wedding favours, especially if you have a small, intimate wedding or are on a tighter budget. You can always extend your gratitude to your guests in ways other than wedding favours.
What Is a Wedding Bomboniere?
Wedding Bomboniere is a more traditional name for wedding favours. It is a small gift or keepsake given away to party guests. Aside from weddings, Bombonieres are also given during other important events such as baptism, engagement, christening, etc.
How Far in Advance Should I Order Wedding Favours?
The safe time to order your wedding favours is one to two months before the wedding. It gives the suppliers enough time to work on the items. Ultimately the sooner you order them, the more time you will have to account for mistakes, damage or last-minute changes.
Why Do We Have Sugared Almonds at Weddings?
Sugared almonds are old traditional wedding favours. Each guest shall receive five pieces of sugared almonds representing the couple’s five wishes: love, health, happiness, fertility, and long life together.
