Although less couples are choosing to do wedding favors these days, many couples still practice the tradition of giving their guests a gift as a thank you for taking part in their special day. Favors can run any range of choices and in the past few years couples have gotten very creative about what kind of favor they decide to give their guests. Here are photos of some of my favorites from the past few years.
The top picture as well as the one below shows an incorporation of the place card and the guest favor. This is a really simple and fun way to kill two birds with one stone - instead of putting out a traditional place card (which usually just gets tossed anyway), you can either add a tag onto your favor or use a keepsake holder (see below) that lists the guests' seating information. I personally love the favor in the top photo because it is a take home tree sprig that guests can plant in their yards. This is a smart green choice, and super cute accent when placed on the guest tables, too.
Photos above: Niki Rossi Photography and Heather Bohm-Tallman Photography
Other options for favors are items that the guests can take home and enjoy after the wedding is over. Below there are candle holders wrapped in the couple's wedding colors that lists the bride and groom's names as well as their wedding date. The second photo shows a CD that the couple made of some of their favorite songs (including their first dance song). They made a personalized cover and wrapped the disk in a ribbon that matches the bridesmaids dresses to keep with the color scheme of the event.
Photos above: John Seakwood Photography and Tracey Buyce Photography
Some of the most practical favors are those that are edible. A lot of times guests will leave the event and forget to take their favors home, but if you give them all something sweet to eat they will either enjoy it at the reception or they will be sure to take it home with them when they leave. This first picture is of a simple box that contained a fortune cookie with a wedding wish inside. The couple added a favor tag and used this ribbon throughout their wedding accessories. The second photo is a simple clear box with two macarons inside. Classic, simple, and beautiful. Below that is a cookie in the shape of a wedding cake in the same bright Tiffany blue color as the rest of the wedding accents. And the fourth is a take home bag of hot chocolate. This wedding was in February and this warm drink was perfect for the season. Best yet, the bride put these together herself so she saved a ton of money by DIY'ing them. Cute, practical, and affordable - doesn't get any better than that.
Photos above: Dean Forsythe Photography, Belathee Photography, Shannon DeCelle Photography, Niki Rossi Photography
The next set are showcasing a very popular trend in wedding favors - the do it yourself take home treat. Candy bars like the one pictured below have been a popular choice for the last few years, mainly because they are super fun, they are colorful and visually appealing, and guests can load up their bags with whatever combination of treats that they want. Candy is not just a kids treat anymore! Also shown below is a photo from a fall wedding where I put out apple cider and cider donuts at the end of the night so guests could fill up a cup and a bag and have a super tasty seasonal treat for their ride home. Trust me when I say that these guests loved the late night donuts. I couldn't put them out fast enough! And the last two pics below are another great favor treat - a make your own sundae bar. Ok, so these are exactly 'to go' items, but when this ice cream bar was put out that night there was a very long line waiting to jump in on the ice cream goodness. This pairs super well with the service of cake. And besides, who doesn't love ice cream?
Photos above: McGarry Photography, Jessica Patch Photography, and the bottom two are Tracey Buyce Photography
Another super popular trend right now is having an old time photobooth at your wedding. Photobooths have attracted a lot of attention at the weddings I've used them, and guests can't wait to jump in and make silly faces as the camera snaps away. Then the get to take their photo strip - which usually includes an area on the strip that says the couple's names and wedding date - and they can take those photos home as keepsakes of the awesome time they had at the wedding. The other cool thing about the photobooths is the couple's ability to add on a photo guest book. What this does is allow guests to cut photos out of their photo strip, paste it onto the pages of a blank guest book, and write notes to the couple around it. So in a way you combine a favor with a guest book in a way that is super fun and super personal. You can see the guest book in the third photo below.
Photos above: Gallery 9 North, Bailly Photography, Out of the Ordinary Photography
And lastly I wanted to highlight the favors that are a totally different kind of gift - charity donations. Many couples feel that instead of spending their money on a traditional favor they could serve the world better by making a monetary contribution to a charity that means something to them personally. As you can see below I have had couples who have made donations to charities like Live Strong and to the World Wildlife Fund, and have done so in the honor of their friends and family. Some charities will provide cards to put out and inform your guests of this donation, but if yours doesn't I would recommend some sort of notification so your guests can be aware and appreciative of your choice.
Photos above: Jill Kaiser Photography, Bob Donlon Photography
