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Okay so I'm debating favors. I really don't think they are necesary... do people even use them? A cup with our names on it? Its gonna get tossed probably. A tin with those gross after dinner mints? I don't know. I'm not going to say anything is tacky but I just don't know if I can justify spending even more money on their time. I am thanking them with a great night filled with yummy food, awesome music and a time to catch up with friends and family... do they really need shwag on top of it?
Maybe its just me but favors feel a little too much like a "goody bag" except instead of being for a grade school birthday party its for an adults' wedding.
whats your position on favors? What are you giving out if you are? (i'm open to doing it but I just hate the thought of giving people things they will just toss!!!)
We are givin out favors...we're doing custom made candies by this little candy shop in Little Italy (papabubble.com). We just think that the candy is really cool and we like that it's going to be unique to us. However, we were at a wedding in June and they didn't have favors, and I didn't even realize until someone mentioned it to me. So I definitely don't think they're a necessity! If you're having any kind of theme or vibe, I always think it's nice when the favor ties into that. If you're not feeling it though, don't do it!
I am so on the fence. I feel like I should do them, but I also feel like they are an unnecessary expense and few people will notice their absence.
@hilsy85 did someone mention it to you in a way that made you think they were looking down at the bride and groom? Were they bothered that there wasn't any favors or were they just mentioning it matter-of-factly?
We went the donation route and gave to our local Children's Hospital. I personally never keep the trinkets that I get as wedding favors (unless they're edible-- then they almost immediately go into my tummy). :)
We are giving to a charity and printing up a little note to let our guests know that in lieu of favors we have donated to the NYC burn center (my FI is a firefighter).
We aren't doing it. I always feel so bad when I go to weddings and see the favors all left behind on the tables. The only favors I've ever thought were practical were the two Christmas weddings I went to- because the favors were Christmas tree ornaments- and I put them on my tree and think of those two couples every year.
ETA: We are also going the donation route. FI and I are each choosing a charity, and we will have a sign on the table that indicates that.
For me, unless it is food, I don't even bother taking it. But even then, I've had 2 small bottles of white and red wine sitting in the fridge for 2 years now. They were favors from a wedding. So let me rephrase, unless it is something I can eat on the way home, I leave it.
Personally, I'm not doing favors, but I have many guests coming from out of town to attend the wedding so I will be providing them with OOT bags. I will give them things they can use while in town (i.e., water, maps, coupons to activities, local snacks, etc.).
no offense to anyone here doing this- but i pretty much never use things that are personalized with the couple's wedding date and names ever again. edibles are nice, but then again, you are providing food and dessert as it is. i only like favors when they are super creative or indicative of the couple.
You would be surprised at the number of people who skip them (a large number of folks don't hand them out in real life) and guests don't miss them at all. I've only ever been to two weddings out of countless where favors were handed out, both with edible favors, and all of them were left behind even with being in plain sight where you couldn't miss them, which blows the WB theory out of the water that people always notice edibles.
Save your money and use it toward something else much more important that guests will actually notice and care about, or save it for a rainy day after the wedding when you're on limited funds.
We gave "Wildflowers from Our Wedding" seed packets from AMerican Meadows. I believe if you ordered 100 or less, they are 50 cents a pack and we ordered more and they were 35 cents per pack. The packets had a nice little paragraph saying how pleased we were that the guests were there to share our wedding day and that we hoped they would plant the seeds and when the flowers came up, they would remember the happiness of the day. Since the wedding took place in a garden and one of the subjects I teach is botany, it seemed appropriate, We just filled a big basket full of them so guests could help themselves.
@snake: Completely matter-of-factly. I didn't hear anyone saying anything negative about it at all, and like I said, I didn't even notice! I think if there's nothing that stands out to you as something you really want to do as a favor/think it would be so cool to do as a favor, then definitely skip them!
glad to see "no, it's an unnecessary expense" is leading the way so far. we haven't made a final decision, but i want to skip the favors. how many times have you left your favor on the table or thrown it out the next day? not to be rude, but unless it's edible most of your guests probably don't want it/care about it. at my friend's wedding they had signs saying they had made a charitable donation in lieu of favors which i could also see doing...and i know that the donation they made was less than what they would have spent on 200 favors, plus was tax deductible.
We had favors which were homemade bird seed shaped hearts. I loved them and thought they'd look adorable on the centerpieces McHusband made. Unfortunately, they molded the day we were leaving for the wedding (2 days before the big day), so we were never able to replace them. No one said anything about it, so I say it's fine.
While I don't think it's necessary (due to all the reasons mentioned) - we did opt to do them. That said, our favors will act as an activity as well - we're releasing sky lanterns into the sky. They won't bring them home, but they'll each get one.
@akura11 isn't that kind of like littering? or do they disintegrate?
We are also doing a charitable donation, to the local animal shelter.
Rather than "favors" per se, we are doing a soft pretzel and fresh popcorn cart that our guests can enjoy both during the middle/ending of the reception and once they leave the reception. It was very reasonable to rent the two carts (each cart will feed 150), plus two uniformed attendants, and popcorn boxes/pretzel bags. Our wedding signage guy is creating custom stickers that we can put on the popcorn boxes and pretzel bags to make them uniquely ours.
These goodies are in addition to our wedding cake and dessert buffet. We figured guests would need some alcohol absorbing food along with some "salt" to counter-act the "sweet" of the desserts.
In addition, we are having a scotch and cigar specialty bar during the reception. Again, not really a "favor" but guests are welcome to smoke cigars during the reception (outside) and/or take one (along with matches) to go.
Our favors are more interactive and less "take with you to remember the day" - but we think they are fun.
Favors are nice to have, but by no means necessary. If you feel compelled to go with favors and you want your guests to enjoy them, I think it's best to stick to something edible (except for Jordan almonds--no offense!)
We are not having favor-favors. In place of centerpieces, I have heart shaped glass bowls on the table filled with candy (CHOCOLATE!) with stickers on them with our names and wedding date.
We're doing donations, as well. I just hate the idea of spending money on a little trinket that will get lost, broken, or forgotten before the night is over. Don't get me wrong, there are some great favor options out there, but none in our budget range.
I get the whole "thanks for coming, here's a token of our gratitude" rationale for favors. However, as a guest I always feel more than adequately thanked by the food, drinks, and entertainment that most weddings go out of their way to provide. That's enough for me and my family, and I don't see why it won't be enough for our guests. I'm a big "Thank You" note believer, too, so I'd rather give a personalized written thank you to each guest for sharing our big day!
We are renting a photobooth and those are our favors. I'm either going to make some sort of frame or a simple magnet to go with them. The photo booth will print out 2 copies of each strip (4 photos each) the guests get one and the vendor provides a scrapbook for us so they can attach and write a message to us. I really like the idea that they can take home a real memory and that it's a little more laid back to our traditional photos.
we did favors - I'm sure most people will cringe when I say we had personalized match boxes since we met on match.com. Yeah I'm sure it was a waste of money, but its over and I guess I'd do it again, or not it's really not important! I think one cool purpose they serve is to look good on the place setting before people put their plates down!
@Rgeddy, why would anyone cringe? Those are practical and can be used all the time. People (who don't smoke, which is another argument as to why they supposedly aren't practical under any circumstances) use them to light candles, fireplaces/woodstoves, gas stoves, furnaces, campfires and a plethora of other things.
Favors are not neccessary, but we are doing them anyway.
I have made Madagasgar vanilla bean sugar favors and I am in the process of making Madagasgar vanilla bean rum and vodka extract. We will also be giving out guests homemade old English cracker favors.
I just think it is a fun way to thank our guests for taking the time to come and celebrate with us. I have put a lot of thought into our favors and I know they will be well received. Everyone that we are inviting loves to cook and when we were kids my grandma always had the cracker favors for us on special occasions.
@Rgeddy: see, these are actually the kind of favors i like- something that has to do with the couple
like @EmeraldR and a few others, we are also donating to the animal shelter we just adopted our newest from. we're doing caramel apples and we'll attach a tag on each stick displaying our note of donation. :)
@Rgeddy: actually as far as favors go, that's my favorite one i've heard of! i'll add matches to something i would take along with edible favors (unless i had to fly home from the wedding).
We are doing sugar cookies.
I originally wanted to do shot glasses but then really thought about it and I would never use anything what had someones name on it so why would my guests? I think the candy/food are the only type of favors that people dont throw away
We are giving out personalized coolie cups/koozies (depending on where you're from) they say to have and to hold and to keep your drink cold. We're having canned soda and beer at our reception so these work for us. they also have our names and date on them. They cost roughly $.50 each and are super cute andI believe they will be used.
Its deffinitly not necessary, but i do remember the weddings of people who DIDNT give any...(not to be rude)
We just did a candy buffet as the favours! The bags had stamps on them that were on the invites, program, tables etc and lots of people ate candies there and packed a little bag for home. I think its a nice way of saying thank you....
We are also doing a candy/cookie bar. I forgot to include those with my previous comment. The candy will be nostalgic and the cookies will be made with the sugar and extract.
@Selene221 & pb and j I'm soooo glad you don't think its tacky because I never heard any feedback from our guests. :) I thought it was cute and practical. We had 2 colors made with our names. We thought matchbooks were a little geared towards smokers so we got matchboxes! This makes my day!! thanks!
We aren't sure yet, but probably. My mom seemed disappointed with no favors and we can do something relatively cheaply. We're thinking candy sticks in the wedding colors bundled with ribbon. It will add to the decorations, and since there will be kids at the wedding, someone will enjoy them! We might also make a donation to a charity and add a card to the candy, but we're undecided at the moment.
eh, we're doing shot glasses 'cause my FI wants them (complete with "our" symbol/logo). (And if you put it in the dishwasher on the top rack, the paint will come off... just sayin')
I'm also going to make coasters (enough for the guests to take at least one) with our "logo" on it with the year on the back. It works perfectly, since I'm an artist and I actually designed it myself, lol. who knows, I might even "sign" it with my new last name!
We're also contemplating getting custom 20-sided dice (we're gamers and, come on, they're just COOL) for our guests too, especially the kids. I'll probably come up with a nifty way for them to be "displayed", too. (yes, I AM that crazy...)
The kids' dice will be in a drawstring bag that I've gotta figure out how to customize that I'm sewing with fabric I already have and black yarn for the drawstring. (the fabric is gold and black...)
I LOVE favors and love having stuff as keepsakes. For me, my memories are often keyed to an object, place, or name. If I see it, I'll remember the day or event or whatever. (That's what comes from having a memory like a steel trap. lol)
I wonder if we're going a bit too far on favors, we absolutely adore our guests, so a few hundred spent on them if it makes their night a bit more enjoyable, is totally alright with us.
We're doing little take home kits of food from the region.
Just thought it would be helpful for you to know what favors I've taken, if you do decide to go with favors here are some ideas.
1) Coaster - not personalized with your names or dates.
2) Wine Stopper
3) Incense
We're making a donation to a local charity and doing little cards that say "In lieu of a favor we have made a donation in your honor to (local charity). Thank you for celebrating with us!"
I think favors are an unnecessary expense and I never saved any of the ones I got at weddings.
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