Wedding Favour Ideas: 40 Unique, Affordable & DIY Options for Every Style
Wedding favours are the one detail couples tend to lose the most sleep over, and yet they’re also the thing guests are most likely to leave behind on the table. If you’re searching for wedding favour ideas that guests will actually want to take home, you’re in the right place. The best ones are edible, useful, or personal — and they don’t need to cost a fortune. Whether you’re after something DIY, eco-friendly, or a little unexpected, there are 40 ideas below to suit every style and budget, from under £1 a head to a little more if you want to splash out.
For wider context on how favours fit into the bigger picture of your day, our wedding budget breakdown is worth a read.
Edible Wedding Favours
Food is, without question, the most popular category of wedding favour, and for good reason: guests actually want them. Nobody needs another miniature picture frame, but a bag of pick-and-mix? Gone before the speeches. Here are 8 edible ideas worth considering.
1. Mini jars of local honey with a personalised label
A classic for good reason. Source honey from a local beekeeper (a quick search on Not On The High Street or your local farmers market will find you plenty), print a label with your names and the date, and you have a favour that genuinely feels thoughtful. Budget around £3 to £5 per guest.
2. Personalised shortbread biscuits
Have your initials, wedding date, or a simple design pressed into each biscuit. You can order these from independent bakers on Etsy, or if you’re confident in the kitchen, make them yourself. They look beautiful tied in a cellophane bag with ribbon.
3. A small bag of artisan fudge
Fudge is one of those things people genuinely get excited about receiving. Source a flavour that feels personal to you, salted caramel, clotted cream, vanilla, or something more adventurous like gin and tonic, and package it in a small kraft bag with a label. UK artisan fudge makers are plentiful on Etsy, and bulk orders often work out at around £1.50 to £2.50 per guest depending on the maker and quantity.
4. Mini bottles of hot sauce with a personalised label
For couples who want something a bit different. A punny label goes a long way here: “We tied the knot, now let’s turn up the heat”, “Sauce-ome that you could make it”, and so on. Small-batch hot sauces are widely available from independent makers, and the label does all the work.
5. Bags of pick-and-mix sweets in kraft paper cones
Inexpensive, colourful, and universally loved. Buy your sweets in bulk from a wholesaler (Costco is brilliant for this), fill kraft paper cones, and tie with ribbon or twine. You can match the sweet colours to your wedding theme and colour scheme if you want to go the extra mile.
6. Mini bags of artisan flavoured popcorn
Salted caramel, cheddar, or sweet chilli: pick a flavour that feels like you, source from an independent popcorn maker, and decant into small kraft bags with a custom printed label. From around £1.50 per guest.
7. Individual macaron boxes
Two macarons per guest in a small box, tied with ribbon, looks and tastes far more expensive than it is. Macarons are widely available in bulk from patisseries and Costco, and a plain white box with a sticker label keeps costs down. Budget around £3 to £5 per guest.
8. Tea bags with custom printed labels
Order plain unbranded tea bags (or loose leaf tea in filter bags) and design a label that wraps around the string. Something like “Thanks for-tea coming” is completely optional but very popular on Pinterest. From around £1 to £1.50 per guest.
Personalised Wedding Favours
Personalised wedding favours feel considered without needing to be expensive. The key is choosing something guests will actually keep, rather than something with your name and date printed on something they’d never otherwise own.
9. A wax-sealed envelope with a personal note inside
Order a custom monogram wax seal stamp (from around £12 on Etsy), seal a small envelope with your initials in wax, and tuck a short handwritten note inside. There is something genuinely touching about receiving a personal message from the couple on their wedding day; it turns a small envelope into a real keepsake. Simple, elegant, and once you have the stamp, it costs very little per guest.
10. Engraved keyrings with the wedding date
A small, flat keyring engraved with the date is practical enough that guests might actually use it. Keep the design minimal: a date, a set of coordinates, or a single word. From around £3 to £5 per guest from small engravers on Etsy.
11. Pressed flower bookmarks
Real pressed flowers set behind a card bookmark printed with your names and date. These photograph beautifully on the table and are genuinely lovely to receive. You can make them yourself (more on that in the DIY section) or order them from small makers. From around £3 per guest.
12. Mini candles with a custom label
Small soy or beeswax candles are available in bulk from wholesale suppliers. Add a personalised label with a scent note and your names, and they feel far more premium than the price suggests. From around £2 to £4 per guest. If you’re feeling generous, a personalised matchbox (see idea 13) pairs beautifully with a candle as a combined favour.
13. Personalised matchboxes
A small matchbox personalised with your initials, wedding date, and a line like “the perfect match” is one of my favourite ideas. Etsy is full of UK makers who offer fully custom designs, and the results can be beautiful. From around £1.50 to £2 per guest.
14. Personalised pocket notebooks
A slim A6 notebook with a simple printed or embossed cover, featuring your wedding date or a short phrase, is a gift that will actually get used. Look at Papier, Not On The High Street, or approach a small stationer directly for bulk orders. From around £3 per guest.
Budget Wedding Favour Ideas
If you’re working with a tight per-head budget, you can absolutely still do favours beautifully. These 6 ideas all come in at under £3 per guest, and none of them look cheap.
15. Seed packets in a printed envelope
One of the most cost-effective favours out there. Buy wildflower or herb seeds in bulk, decant into small quantities, and seal inside a printed envelope designed to match your stationery. Under £1 per guest when made in bulk. More on seed packet favours in the eco-friendly section below.
16. Jars of homemade jam
Make a big batch of strawberry, raspberry, or blackberry jam (or any flavour you love), pour into small jam jars, and attach a handwritten label with your names and the date. The jars themselves can be bought cheaply in bulk from Amazon or Hobbycraft. Total cost: around £1 to £2 per guest including the jar.
17. A small bar of chocolate with a custom wrapper
Buy good quality chocolate bars in bulk and design a custom paper sleeve to wrap around them. A simple template on Canva, printed at home, keeps the cost minimal. From around £1.50 per guest.
If you want to push the boat out, Hotel Chocolat is worth exploring for a more premium option, just bear in mind the cost per guest will be higher.
18. A single wildflower stem wrapped in twine
Place a single fresh wildflower (cornflowers, sweet peas, and lavender all work beautifully) on each guest’s seat at the wedding breakfast table, wrapped in a strip of brown paper and tied with twine. A small tag with your names finishes it off. From around £0.50 to £1 per guest, depending on the flower.
19. Fortune cookies with personalised notes
Order fortune cookies with personalised messages from a UK supplier. Most allow for a few message variations, so you can have a heartfelt thank-you, a favourite quote, or a perfectly placed in-joke from around £1 to £1.50 per guest.
20. Mini succulents in small pots
Succulents are easy to look after (almost impossibly so), inexpensive to buy in bulk, and look incredible on a table. Add a punny tag: “We’re so glad you’re here, we couldn’t imagine our big day without ewe” (obviously swap for a better pun). From around £1.50 to £2.50 per plant.
DIY Wedding Favour Ideas
If you enjoy making things (or are willing to enjoy making things for one weekend, at least), DIY favours can be genuinely lovely and significantly cheaper than bought alternatives. These 6 ideas are all achievable with basic crafting skills.
21. Homemade beeswax candles
Melt beeswax, add a few drops of essential oil, pour into small tins or glass jars, and add a wick. It sounds involved, but candle-making kits make the process very straightforward, and beeswax candles have a beautiful, natural look. The materials for 100 candles can cost as little as £60 to £80 in total.
22. Bath salts in a small sealed jar
Mix Epsom salts with a carrier oil and a few drops of lavender or rose essential oil, pour into small glass jars, and label. This is one of the quickest DIY favours to make in bulk, looks beautiful, and costs around £0.80 to £1.20 per guest in materials.
23. Personalised coasters using cork tiles
Buy plain cork tiles from a craft shop, cut them to size, and stamp or paint a design on each one. A rubber stamp with your initials or a simple botanical motif works really well. Cost of materials: around £0.50 to £0.80 per coaster.
24. Pressed flower cards
Press flowers from your garden (or order dried flowers in bulk) and mount them onto folded card with a line of text printed on the front. These take time to make but the result is genuinely beautiful. Cost: around £0.40 to £0.60 per card in materials.
25. Hot chocolate stirrers
Melt chocolate and pour it into small silicone moulds around a wooden spoon or lolly stick. Once set, wrap in cellophane and tie with ribbon. These are particularly popular at winter weddings. Total cost in materials: around £0.60 to £0.80 per stirrer.
26. Cinnamon sticks and dried orange slices tied in a bundle
Another brilliant option for rustic, boho, winter or autumn weddings. Bundle 2 or 3 cinnamon sticks with a dried orange slice, tie with twine, and attach a small card. They smell incredible on the table. Cost: around £0.40 to £0.60 per bundle.
Unusual and Unique Wedding Favours
For couples who want to avoid the more expected options, these 6 ideas offer something a little more memorable. The brief for this section is: if a guest tells someone about your wedding favour at a dinner party, you’ve nailed it.
27. Personalised blind boxes
A small sealed gift box, ribbon tied and contents unknown, that guests open at the table. Inside could be a mix of miniature treats, a personalised item, or a combination of both: the element of surprise is half the fun. This is one of those ideas that gets people talking across the table before the starters arrive, and the contents can be scaled to fit almost any budget. Work with a small maker on Etsy to curate the contents and packaging.
28. A personalised playing card
Have a custom illustration designed for the back of a playing card and order a small number of single printed cards, one per guest. It’s unusual, totally flat for posting in invites if needed, and a lovely keepsake. From around £1 to £2 per card for custom-designed prints.
29. A scratch card
One of the most crowd-pleasing favours at any wedding. A simple lottery scratch card with a note that says “Wishing you as much luck as we feel today” costs around £1 to £5 per guest and generates more table excitement than almost anything else. No customisation needed.
30. Seeds for a plant that shares your surname
This one requires a bit of research, but many plant varieties carry surprisingly common surnames. If you can find a variety of rose, vegetable, or wildflower that matches your name (or your married name), the seeds make a genuinely unique and touching favour. Seeds like these can come in at under £1.50 per guest, depending on the variety and where you source them.
31. A locally made artisan product
A small wedge of local cheese, a miniature jar of artisan chutney, a bag of locally roasted coffee: something made near you or meaningful to your area gives the favour a sense of place. This is particularly lovely for destination weddings or if you live somewhere with a strong food culture. Budget varies: from around £2 to £5 per guest.
32. An engraved bottle opener with the wedding date
Practical, durable, and used every time a guest opens a beer at home. A simple flat bottle opener engraved with your names and date is one of those wedding tokens that actually earns its place in a kitchen drawer. From around £3 to £5 per guest.
Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Wedding Favours
More and more couples are thinking about the environmental impact of their big day, and favours are a natural place to start. These 5 ideas are all genuinely sustainable and give guests something to do, grow, or use rather than something to feel guilty about throwing away.
33. Seed paper packets
Plantable seed paper is embedded with wildflower or herb seeds. Guests soak the paper in water and plant it in compost, and it grows. It is one of the most elegant sustainable favours available, looks lovely on a table, and can be fully customised with your wedding details printed directly on the packet. From around £0.80 to £1.50 per packet.
34. Potted herb seedlings
A small pot containing a basil, thyme, or mint seedling is practical, beautiful, completely plastic-free, and doubles beautifully as a table centrepiece. Buy seedlings in bulk from a garden centre or market, repot into small pots, and add a handwritten label. From around £1.50 to £2 per pot.
35. Beeswax wraps
A reusable alternative to clingfilm, beeswax wraps are made by a number of brilliant UK small makers and are genuinely useful in any kitchen. A single small wrap makes a thoughtful and zero-waste favour. From around £3 to £4 per wrap.
36. Tree-planting donations in each guest’s name
Instead of a physical object, plant a tree in every guest’s honour through a scheme like Trees for Life or the Woodland Trust. Create a small card for each place setting explaining what has been done in their name. This costs from around £1 to £3 per guest depending on the scheme, and it is hard to argue with as a gesture.
37. Wildflower seed bombs
Small compressed balls of seed, soil, and clay that guests can throw straight into a patch of bare ground in their garden. They look rustic and lovely in a basket on the table. From around £0.80 to £1.50 per seed bomb, and many UK suppliers offer custom printed labels.
Shots as Wedding Favours
If you want to guarantee your favours actually get used on the day (rather than carried home in a handbag and forgotten), shots are the answer. The evidence from wedding guests is fairly conclusive: miniature bottles of alcohol disappear faster than any other favour, usually before the starter. Here are 3 ideas.
38. Mini bottles of gin or prosecco with a personalised label
Miniature spirit bottles are available from supermarkets and specialist suppliers in bulk. Add a custom label (“We said I do, now let’s celebrate”, “Let’s get this party started!”) and place one at each setting. Gin, prosecco, and champagne are the most popular choices. From around £2 to £4 per bottle.
39. Personalised limoncello
A small bottle of limoncello, either homemade from a batch made in advance or sourced from an Italian deli or independent producer, feels both generous and a little bit special. Seal with a wax stamp or tie with ribbon and a tag. From around £2 to £3 per bottle if made in a large batch at home.
40. A little bottle of Baileys or cream liqueur
The 50ml miniature bottles of Baileys are widely available and cost around £1.50 to £2 each. Tie with a ribbon and add a simple tag, and you have a favour that every guest at the table will be genuinely pleased to see. Other cream liqueurs from small independent distilleries make for a slightly more unusual version of the same idea.
Do You Have to Have Wedding Favours?
No. Genuinely, no. Wedding favours are a lovely touch when done well, but they are absolutely not compulsory, and if your budget is tight, this is one of the first things you can cut without anyone noticing or minding.
If you would rather redirect the money, there are a few alternatives worth considering. Donating to a charity in your guests’ names is increasingly popular, and a small card on each place setting explaining what the donation is and why you chose that charity can be just as meaningful as any physical gift. Alternatively, put the money into better food, a longer bar, or table decorations, all of which guests will notice and appreciate far more than a candle they would not have chosen themselves.
If you do want favours but are genuinely short on budget, our guide to how to save money on wedding favours is full of practical ideas. Aim for something inexpensive but thoughtful rather than expensive and generic. A single wildflower and a handwritten note will be remembered far longer than a branded keyring.
How Much Should Wedding Favours Cost?
There is no set rule, but here is a realistic framework for UK couples planning their favour budget.
At the budget end (£1 to £3 per guest), you are looking at seed packets, homemade jam, chocolate bars with custom wrappers, or DIY options where the cost is mostly your time. For 80 guests, that is £80 to £240 in total.
At the mid-range (£3 to £6 per guest), you unlock personalised items, better quality edibles, mini spirit bottles, and small plants. For 80 guests, that is £240 to £480 in total.
At the premium end (£6 to £10 per guest), think engraved keyrings, bespoke candles, illustrated prints, or artisan food gifts. For 80 guests, that is £480 to £800 in total.
The most important thing to factor in is cost per head, not total spend. A £500 favour budget sounds generous until you divide it by 120 guests and realise you are working with £4.16 each. Know your numbers before you fall in love with an idea — and if you haven’t already, Bridebook’s wedding budget tool is the easiest way to keep track of it all in one place.
Wedding Favour FAQs
What are the most popular wedding favours in the UK?
Edible favours consistently rank as the most popular, particularly mini jars of honey, personalised biscuits, and sweet bags. Miniature alcohol bottles are the most likely to actually be used on the day itself. Seed packets and small plants are increasingly popular as couples look for more eco-friendly options.
Do you have to have wedding favours?
No. Wedding favours are a lovely addition but not a requirement. If budget is tight, skip them entirely or opt for a charity donation card in lieu of a physical gift. No guest has ever left a wedding wishing the favours had been there.
How much should wedding favours cost per guest?
Most UK couples spend between £2 and £6 per guest on favours. Budget options start from under £1 per head (seed packets, homemade treats), while personalised or premium options typically sit between £5 and £10 per guest.
What are good edible wedding favours?
Mini jars of local honey, personalised shortbread, macaron boxes, pick-and-mix cones, and fortune cookies with personalised notes are all consistently well-received. The rule of thumb: the more it resembles a treat someone would choose for themselves, the more likely it is to be eaten rather than left behind.
Are DIY wedding favours worth it?
Yes, if you enjoy making things and have the time. DIY favours can cost a fraction of bought equivalents and often look more personal. The key is to be realistic about how long they take: 80 hand-poured candles or 100 pressed flower cards will take significantly longer than you expect. Start early and enlist help.
Plan Your Wedding with Bridebook
Whether you’re deep in the favour planning rabbit hole or just starting to figure out where to begin, Bridebook is here to help you keep track of everything: your budget, your supplier list, your guest numbers, and all the details in between. Create your free wedding planning account at Bridebook and take the chaos out of the most exciting planning process of your life.
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Happy Planning!
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