Wedding Favors Your Guests Will Actually Take Home

How often do you leave a wedding and actually remember to grab your tiny bag of monogrammed M&M's off the table? If you're like me, you're so hungry before dinner is served that your M&M's don't even make it past the salad course. After scooping the small handful into my mouth, they are long forgotten and never to be thought of again! 

Wedding favors tend to be an afterthought in the wedding planning process and it usually shows. Now, I lean two ways when it comes to wedding favors. On one hand, I believe it's an expense that your wedding can live without. On the other hand, I think that if you're going to do them, you should make them memorable and truly representative of your wedding. A small bag of M&M's or Hershey Kisses doesn't really add much to your wedding or give a true token of appreciation to your guests for coming—which is really what wedding favors are intended to be. 

If you can't add another expense to your wedding, don't feel guilty about skipping the wedding favors altogether. But, if you are looking to give a small gift to guests for attending your wedding, consider these meaningful and memorable ideas!

Let Love Grow with Seed Packets

We love the idea of customizing the packets with a little saying, your initials, and your wedding date. It's a great way to have your guests remember your special day whenever they see the planted flowers! Check out etsy.com or weddingpackets.com.

Say "Goodbye" with a Mini Pie

Anything that is homemade and edible has a place in our hearts. As your guests depart, encourage them to pick out a mini pie to take home with them! You can easily bake your own mini pies (click here for a recipe) using a muffin tin and some premade pie dough. Then add different fillings. This may require an entire day of baking but it will be a blast with your bridesmaids! The other option is to order them from a bakery. Each pie can be boxed up into a customized box. Etsy actually has an entire category devoted to pie favors! Click here or simply type in "pie boxes" in the search box. 

Say "Thanks for Poppin' ByE" with Popcorn Bags

Popcorn is something no one knows they are craving until it's in their hands. Did we mention that it's also pretty cheap? Whether you allow guests to serve themselves to a popcorn bar or have prepackaged bags with custom wrapping or tags, both ideas are sure to be a hit with your guests.

Toast "Cheers!" with Bottle Openers

Bottle openers are both fabulous and functional—something that every wedding favor should aim for. And every time your guests use it, surely they will smile and remember the night of your wedding! Check out these personalized bottle openers.

Pucker Up with Personalized Lip Balm

Again, fabulous and functional. Not only will people remember to bring these favors home, you might even catch them sneaking a few extras in their pocket! Totallylipbalm.net lets you pick your flavor or lip balm type and then you can totally customize the tube!
 

Give Guests Permission to Let Loose with a Hangover Kit

This is a newcomer to the wedding favor party and we are on board. When guests check in to their hotel, the hotel staff hands them a "hangover kit." It usually involves some kind of bag that contains water bottles, aspirin, some kind of snack, coffee and other hangover essentials. Your guests won't think much of it until the next morning; that's when your brilliance will be the most appreciated!

Spread the Love with a Jar of Jelly

Jam or jelly, we don't really know the difference, but we do know that this is one wedding favor that won't be left behind. Usually dressed up with a monogram and some kind of "Love is Sweet" tagline, we love our jelly jars best when they include Nana's secret recipe! Etsy is again, a wonderful resource for customized labels but your stationery designer can probably also design a label that will reflect your invitation design!

Re-purpose your Mason Jar with Mason Jar Mixes

Mason jars may be going out of style, but I assure you, this isn't the case when they are filled with something to eat. Often a popular holiday gift, we love the D.I.Y. mason jar mixes that contain all of the ingredients for a drink or special treat, complete with a recipe tag and a note from the couple! A word of caution, this is not for the faint of heart and will require patience and a do-it-yourself attitude!