So, your big day is approaching, and you and your betrothed are knee-deep in planning. Your partner asks, “Do you have to have wedding favors?” It’s a great question you may not have even considered.
Weddings are built around longstanding traditions that brides and grooms seldom break. We at City Hall Wedding are here to clear the air about what is expected about the wedding favor tradition, whether you’re having a city hall wedding in New York or a cozy backyard celebration.
The Reason Behind Wedding Favors
Many wedding traditions are followed without a second thought: a veil, a maid of honor, a bouquet. But when you’re adding up expenses and reaching the tail end of your budget, you might ask, “What’s the point?” to the traditions that feel a little frivolous, like wedding favors.
Wedding favors aren’t intended to please your guests or appear fancy. Rather, they’re meant to thank them for taking time out of their busy schedules to celebrate your commitment to your favorite person. A wedding favor’s importance increases if you have a destination wedding or invite guests from out of town since attending your wedding requires careful planning and some extra spending.
Are Wedding Favors Required?
The necessity of wedding favors is up to you. They’re a polite tradition upheld to show gratitude, but there’s nothing written in stone saying you must provide your guests with mini champagne bottles.
Wedding traditions are subjective and will change from group to group. Traditions from different religions, countries, ethnicities, cultures, and individual families often meld in one wedding, making each unique. What one person finds a dealbreaker may be what another person sees as optional.
That being said, it would benefit you and your betrothed to research local customs and consider how untraditional it would be not to provide favors if you don’t want them. It’s your wedding, and you can celebrate love however you’d like, but you might offend Grandma or your boss if they don’t receive something. But is it up to them if they’re not funding the wedding?
Who Plans and Pays for Wedding Guest Gifts?
When answering the question, “Do you have to have wedding favors?” remember that you, as the couple getting married, will likely be responsible for paying and planning for wedding favors unless you have a generous friend or family member who offers to do it for you.
Planning wedding favors will include:
- Double-checking the guest list to include everyone
- Purchasing enough gifts for everyone
- Deciding whether you want store-bought or DIY favors
- Buying or making favors
- Deciding how to present the favors
What Goes Into a Wedding Favor?
Since they’re optional, wedding favors don’t have to be a big ordeal. Favors are often one small item or a few sweet treats. The amount you spend ultimately depends on your budget and the effort you want to put into it.
When To Hand Out Favors
A common way to hand out favors is to place them at the table. Guests can look at and enjoy them as they wish, and it will be easy to ensure everyone gets one.
Alternatives to consider include having a designated gift table where guests can pick up their gifts on the way out, or you can have a designated time to hand them out. It depends on the flow of your wedding ceremony and reception and your personal preferences.
What To Give as Wedding Favors
If you’re wondering, “Do you have to have wedding favors?” you might be at a loss for what to give your guests to show appreciation. Whether you’re on a budget or not interested in keeping up with traditions, you have many options.
Types of Wedding Favors
A popular option for wedding favors is edible treats. You can go sweet with cookies and jelly or savory with olives and crackers. Consider using this as an opportunity to support a local business you love.
Most guests appreciate useful items. Consider bottle openers or trinket dishes rather than supplying them with can koozies or decorative napkins.
Choose items that are in theme with the environment. For example, sunglasses and beach weddings would pair well, and guests might appreciate a pair of mittens for a winter wedding.
Inexpensive but Meaningful Gifts
The larger the wedding, the lower you might want to keep favor costs, especially if you’re on a limited budget.
Consider these gifts that will save you without coming off as cheap:
- Personalized stickers to put on candy
- Short handwritten thank-you messages
- Homemade treats
- Personalized seed packets
What To Do If You Don’t Want To Follow Tradition
When you want to show your guests how grateful you are for their appearance but don’t want to abide by traditional wedding favors, consider these options:
- Leftover Wedding Cake: Supply your caterers with decorative to-go boxes for extra cake slices. As your guests leave, they can take a piece of cake with them for later. You’ll need to ensure the cake is cut into enough pieces to go around, but be mindful that not every guest will want one.
- Photo Booth: Even camera-shy people like to come out of their shells on special occasions. A photo booth is a fun way for your guests to create a keepsake with people they love to remember your special day. If you can’t swing an actual photo booth that prints pictures, set up a selfie studio with fun props so people can take as many photos as they’d like.
- Charitable Donation: On behalf of your guests, donate to your favorite charity. Provide a notecard letting them know you opted for a donation in lieu of a gift and explaining why the organization means so much to you.
Find a Way To Say Thank You
Do you have to have wedding favors? Not really, but you do need a way to show your guests you appreciate all of them for coming. City Hall Weddings can help you find all the right ways to celebrate one of the biggest days of your life so you’re not left scrambling the day before your wedding.