Wedding Favors

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    Learn More About Wedding Favors

    Wedding favors are small gifts that a newlywed couple gives to their wedding guests as a token of appreciation. These gifts are thought to date all the way back to the 16th century and continue to be a creative and thoughtful part of today’s modern weddings. Favors are traditionally set by each place setting at the reception, but they can also be given out at any point during the celebration, from the ceremony to happy hour to the after party or the final farewell. Often, these favors are small enough that out of town guests won’t have any trouble transporting them back home.


    Wedding party favors are a sweet way to share your personality as a couple with your guests. These gifts can represent your favorite pastimes as a couple—like a sweet treat or a favorite hobby—or they can tie in with your wedding location or decor—like wine stoppers for a Napa wedding or wood fans for a beach wedding favor.


    Couples usually choose some type of bulk wedding favor so that everyone receives the same gift. But same doesn’t mean less special! Wedding favors for guests will feel ultra-personal and thoughtful when you buy directly from independent shops on Etsy who handcraft all the extraordinary details that make each item truly memorable. Sellers can customize your picks to match your wedding colors, the venue, or the overall decor.

    When it comes to choosing a unique wedding favor for your guests, look no further than your personal love story or wedding location for inspiration. By finding a small yet special detail and choosing your wedding favor based on that, your wedding guest gifts will feel ultra-personal and memorable.


    Find a meaningful detail in your ceremony, like a phrase you’ll be using in your vows, and add that to your favors on a custom tag or as part of the design. Etsy shops can engrave this phrase on everything from bottle openers and shot glasses to custom wood tags you attach to your favors.


    Destination weddings inspire lots of unique favor ideas related to travel or the locale, from snuggle-worthy cashmere wraps for cooler weather to luggage tags for the trip home. Give each guest a thoughtful thank you note printed on a vintage-inspired postcard featuring your wedding destination (bonus points if it features a photo of the bride and groom, too!).


    Puns and plays on words can make any favor unique. Etsy sellers have created many of these ideas already just for you, like “mint to be” mint wedding favors, or you can share your own creative angle with them, too.


    One unique idea is to incorporate your favors into your farewell. Choose a small wedding favor for guests like bubbles, confetti poppers, or custom sparkler tags to attach to your own fireworks, and ask guests to use them as you exit the reception. Your photographer will love this photo opp, too, as your guests cheer you on as you head out for your first night as Mr. and Mrs.


    Your wedding celebration is sure to be memorable, and adding a unique wedding favor like personalized candles, succulent wedding favors, custom stickers, seed packets, sleep masks for the morning after, keychains, and even literal doggie bags filled with edible wedding favor for the four-legged guests ensures this will be a night to remember.

    You’ve carefully planned each and every detail of your wedding day, from the colors to the corsages, and your wedding favors can feel just as meaningful when you add some personalized touches.


    Adding a bit of customization—like a couple’s monogram, wedding date, the guest’s name, or a thoughtful message thanking your guests—makes your wedding favors feel extra personal. And it’s exceptionally easy to create custom wedding party favors when you collaborate with the real people behind the shops on Etsy to share your vision for your day and create a one-of-a-kind favor that perfectly embodies the theme for your big day.


    Nearly any wedding favor can be customized simply by adding a personalized wedding tag. These designs can be customized by a designer on Etsy especially for you. Popular favor tag designs usually include a sweet (or funny!) message from the couple, your names, and the wedding date. You can then print them at home or through a local printer, or let the shop handle those details and ship them straight to you.


    You can also add personalization directly to the favor itself, like these custom options:


    • Wedding fans: Perfect for outdoor summer weddings and happy hours on the patio, a personalized wedding fan can be made from paper or wood and feature a sweet message from the couple.
    • Wedding candle favors: From tea lights to lidded glass jars, a hand-poured candle wedding favor from Etsy can feature a signature scent and a custom label. Guests will remember your special day every time they burn it!
    • Custom cups: Planning a signature cocktail for your wedding happy hour? Serve it in a personalized wedding cup like a mason jar or champagne flute, and guests can keep their glass as a wedding favor gift, too.
    • Wedding koozies: Ideal for those backyard vows and celebrations at the lake, this wedding favor for guests keeps their bridal brews nice and cool.
    • Throw blankets: If temps are dropping as you exchange your vows, wrap your guests up in a snuggly soft blanket. You can personalize these with an embroidered design or a customized wrapper. Arrange these personalized favors in a basket at the end of the aisle for guests to grab or place them on each seat.
    • Favor gift bags: Create a goodie bag for each guest and package it all up in a personalized gift bag, customized with your monogram and a sweet message thanking your attendees.
    • Treats: Leave guests with an edible wedding favor, whether it’s a mix of his-and-hers macarons or popcorn blends packaged in a personalized wedding favor box or custom condiments that match your wedding’s theme or venue (like personalized mini olive oil bottles for an Italian wedding and honey wedding favors for a garden wedding).


    Put a unique spin on your guest’s parting gifts with personalized wedding favors, thoughtfully created for you by small shops on Etsy who adore being part of your big day. (Looking for custom wedding favors near you or need them quickly? Simply filter your search by shops in your area to find local sellers you can connect with.)

    A small wedding favor gift is always a sweet gesture, but a useful wedding favor is most appreciated! Giving guests something that’s actually practical in everyday life is a popular wedding favor choice, and even these useful gifts can feel extra special and one-of-a-kind when it’s from a small shop on Etsy.


    Whether it’s a functional favor like a personalized bottle opener or a fun find like custom playing cards, here are just a few ideas for useful gifts that make great wedding party favors. Great news! These wedding favors for guests can all be personalized by Etsy sellers, too.


    • Bottle opener favors: From magnetic bottle openers to keychain bottle openers, this wedding favor might even be useful right away at the reception bar!
    • Customized magnet favors: Personalize this present with a sweet message or quote your guest will see every time they open their fridge.
    • Seed packet favors: The perfect wedding favor for springtime weddings, choose from personalized seed packets holding the beginnings of your favorite blooms or a thoughtful thank you note on a plantable paper heart. This favor is useful for giving their garden a jumpstart.
    • Personalized matchbooks: Customized with your initials and wedding date, matchbooks and match boxes are perfect when paired with a candle wedding favor or gifted alone.
    • Luggage tag wedding favor: Your guests will be prepared to travel home from your nuptials in style with a personalized luggage tag that can then be used daily on their backpack or laptop bag.
    • Coffee and tea favors: From calming chamomile tea to help them reset after a dancing the night away to a post-wedding perk me up, personalized coffee and tea favors are useful each and every day.
    • Personalized wedding tissues: Guests need not worry about getting choked up by your vows or toasts when you set this useful wedding guest gift throughout the ceremony and reception.
    • Mini soaps: Talk about practical, a mini bar of soap with a custom label is an elegant wedding favor that can be useful in your ceremony powder rooms, too!
    • Custom wedding socks: Go bold and gift your guests a pair of socks featuring the happy couple’s mugs, or stick to a funny quote or thoughtful message that will remind them of your wedding day every time they reach for them.

    Plan to order one wedding favor per wedding guest, and be sure to include your bridal party and family. For more expensive wedding favors like engraved photo frames or bottles of wine with custom labels, feel free to order just one wedding favor per family or couple. If you’re ordering bulk wedding favors, you’ll likely have a few left over. You can leave these wedding favors for guests in a basket by the door for those who’d like to grab a few extras on their way out, or set some favors aside for your vendors, wait staff, planner, and bartenders.

    The amount you spend on your wedding favors will vary based on how many favors you need and what you’ve chosen to commemorate your wedding day. Most couples spend a minimum of a few dollars per favor. Purchasing wedding party favors in bulk can be an affordable approach, and adding some personalization by purchasing from an Etsy shop is a thoughtful way to make any favor feel more meaningful.

    Unlike groomsmen and bridesmaid gifts for the bridal party which are often given at the rehearsal dinner, wedding favors are given to guests during the wedding ceremony or reception. If you’re giving one wedding favor per guest, place them at each place setting at the reception or incorporate them in the centerpiece for guests to take. If guests will need their favor before the reception, like during the ceremony or happy hour, you can place them on the ceremony seats or in baskets around the venue with a sign instructing guests to take one and enjoy.


    If you’re also giving wedding party gifts or wedding gifts for the parents, these are often presented separately from the wedding reception, either during the rehearsal dinner or the morning of the wedding.


    Looking for more ideas? Get recommendations for the best groomsmen gifts and unique bridesmaids gifts, straight from Etsy editors.

    Whether you wrap your wedding favors or not will depend largely on what type of favor you’ve chosen. Edible wedding favors like candies, mini cookies, and truffles can be placed in a wedding favor box and wrapped with a bow. Unique favors like votive candles, coasters, and magnet favors are likely beautiful all on their own and don’t require wrapping. Adding a simple ribbon bow and a personalized favor tag is all you need.

    Giving your wedding guests a gift to express your gratitude for their role in your wedding day is a time-honored tradition. While etiquette is always important to keep in mind, modern couples are intentionally choosing unique wedding favors that express their values, like supporting small businesses by purchasing directly from small shops and makers. Some couples choose to make a donation to their favorite charity or cause in lieu of wedding favors. You can create a simple wedding favor postcard or plaque with the help of an Etsy seller to let guests know this is what you’ve done. Couples are also shifting toward choosing useful wedding favors to reduce waste. Look for popular favors like bottle openers that are sure to be used again and again.