Budget Wedding Favours: Complete Guide

Budget Wedding Favours That Don’t Look Cheap

Okay so wedding favours are honestly one of those things where couples stress way too much and I’ve seen people blow like $800 on tiny succulents that half the guests left behind anyway. The whole point is just giving your guests something small to say thanks for coming, but it doesn’t need to cost you a fortune or look like you grabbed it from the clearance bin at a craft store.

First thing you gotta know is that most guests don’t actually expect favours anymore. Like, they’re nice to have but nobody’s gonna judge you if you skip them entirely. But if you want to do them – and I get it, they’re a sweet touch – let’s talk about how to do it without spending your entire bar budget on tiny boxes of Jordan almonds.

What Actually Makes a Good Budget Favour

I had this couple in spring 2023 who were absolutely determined to do favours on a $2 per person budget and honestly it was one of the best favour setups I’ve seen. They did small packets of hot chocolate mix with custom labels and it looked intentional and thoughtful, not cheap. The key was that they picked something people would actually use and they made the presentation clean.

So here’s what works: edible stuff always wins because people consume it and don’t have to figure out where to store another knick-knack. Practical things that people will actually use. And anything that ties into your wedding theme or location in a genuine way.

What doesn’t work: anything fragile that might break before guests get home, super personalized stuff with your names and wedding date all over it (nobody wants a keychain that says “Brad & Jennifer 4Ever”), or things that are obviously cheap quality. Like those little picture frames that are basically cardboard? Nah. Just skip it if that’s your only option.

Edible Favours That Work

Cookies are probably the most popular budget option and for good reason. You can bake them yourself if you have time, or find a local bakery that does bulk orders. I’ve seen couples do this for under $1.50 per person when they ordered like 100+ cookies. Put them in clear cellophane bags with a simple ribbon and you’re done.

Homemade jam or honey is another one that looks way more expensive than it is. My cat knocked over a jar of homemade strawberry jam a client gave me last month and I’m still annoyed about it because it was genuinely delicious. Anyway, if you know someone who makes jam or you’re brave enough to try it yourself, small jars cost maybe $2-3 each when you factor in ingredients and jars. Buy jars in bulk online and get those little fabric toppers or printed labels.

Hot chocolate mix, tea bags, coffee beans – anything in that zone works great especially for fall or winter weddings. You can buy in bulk and portion it out yourself. Those little kraft paper bags cost like 10 cents each and you just need labels which you can print at home.

Chocolate is classic but you gotta be careful with quality. Cheap chocolate tastes cheap and there’s no way around it. But if you find a wholesale candy supplier or even buy nice chocolate bars in bulk from Costco and break them into pieces… wait that sounds weird but I’ve seen it done nicely where they had a “candy bar” setup and guests took home little bags of mixed chocolates.

The DIY Route

Look I’m gonna be honest, DIY favours can save you money but they also take SO much time. You need to realistically assess if you have the time and help to pull it off. I had a bride in summer 2021 who insisted she was gonna make 150 bath salt jars herself and then two weeks before the wedding she was having a breakdown in my office because she’d only finished like 30 and her hands hurt from scooping salt.

If you’re doing DIY, start way earlier than you think you need to. And recruit help. Make it a craft night with your bridesmaids or family. Wine and assembly-line favour production can actually be kinda fun.

Some DIY ideas that aren’t too labor-intensive:

• Seed packets – buy seeds in bulk, design labels on Canva, print on sticker paper, stick them on small envelopes
• Sugar or salt scrubs – mix ingredients, portion into small jars, add labels
• Trail mix or popcorn in bags – buy ingredients bulk, mix, portion, seal with a label
• Candles in small tins – you can buy candle-making kits that aren’t as hard as they sound
• Soap bars – okay this one’s harder but if you know someone who makes soap, bulk orders can be affordable

The trick with DIY is keeping the design simple and clean. Don’t try to do elaborate decorations on each one. Simple labels, simple packaging, done.

Buying Smart

If DIY isn’t your thing (totally fair), you can still find budget-friendly options if you know where to look. Skip the wedding-specific websites because they markup everything like 300% just because it says “wedding” on it.

Try these instead: Oriental Trading has bulk favour options that are surprisingly decent. Etsy shops that do wholesale orders. Amazon bulk sections. Local wholesalers if you have a business license or know someone who does. Dollar stores for containers and packaging supplies.

I’ve also seen couples have success with:

• Lottery tickets – sounds random but guests love them and they’re like $1-2 each
• Matchboxes with custom labels – you can order these pretty cheap online
• Bookmarks if you’re having a book-themed wedding or you’re both readers
• Bottle openers – basic ones are cheap in bulk and actually useful
• Coasters – you can find affordable sets if you shop around

Presentation Matters More Than You Think

This is the thing that annoyed me for years until couples started understanding it – you can have an inexpensive favour but if you present it nicely, it looks intentional and thoughtful. If you present it poorly, it looks cheap even if you spent decent money on it.

Simple brown kraft boxes or bags look clean and modern. Clear cellophane with a nice ribbon works. White boxes with printed labels. You don’t need fancy stuff, you just need it to look cohesive and neat.

Display matters too. Don’t just scatter favours randomly on tables. Set up a dedicated favour table with a sign, arrange them nicely, maybe add some flowers or candles around them. Or place one at each seat with a name tag attached so it doubles as a place card.

Timing Your Favour Purchases

Buy way ahead if you can because you’ll find better deals when you’re not desperate. After-holiday sales are great for certain items – ribbon, boxes, decorative stuff. Post-Valentine’s Day, post-Christmas, post-Easter.

Also watch for free shipping thresholds. Sometimes it makes sense to buy a bit more to hit free shipping rather than paying $15 for delivery on a $30 order.

Numbers and Quantities

Here’s something people mess up – you don’t need one favour per person necessarily. You need one per couple or family unit. So if you have 150 guests, you probably need like 75-80 favours, not 150. This cuts your cost basically in half.

Some couples do one favour per household on their guest list. Some do one per seat. Figure out what makes sense for your favour type – like if it’s cookies, maybe you do want one per person, but if it’s a candle or a plant, one per couple is fine.

When to Skip Favours Entirely

Real talk – sometimes the best budget decision is just not doing favours at all. Your guests came for the party and to celebrate you, not to get a gift bag on the way out. If favours are stressing you out or eating into budget you need elsewhere, skip them.

Or do something experiential instead that doesn’t cost per person – like a s’mores station, a late-night snack bar, a donut wall, whatever. These create moments and memories and you’re not worrying about packaging 100 individual items.

Some couples donate to charity instead and put little cards on tables explaining that in lieu of favours, they donated to whatever cause matters to them. Costs way less than individual favours and honestly most guests think it’s… wait I’m getting off track here but you get the idea.

Local and Seasonal Options

If you’re getting married somewhere with local specialties, lean into that. Maple syrup if you’re in Vermont, local honey, regional snacks, whatever. Often you can find better prices buying directly from local producers than ordering mass-produced stuff online.

Seasonal also helps with cost. Mini apple cider packets in fall, lemonade mix in summer, hot cocoa in winter. You’re working with what’s naturally abundant and usually cheaper during that time.

The Label and Tag Situation

You can design these yourself on Canva for free and print at home on sticker paper or cardstock. Seriously, you don’t need to pay someone $100 to design favour tags. There are templates everywhere.

Keep the text simple: “Thank you for celebrating with us” or just your names and date. Don’t overthink it. Print them, cut them out (get a paper cutter if you’re doing a lot, way faster than scissors), attach them with twine or ribbon.

If your printer sucks, print at a local print shop or FedEx Office. It’ll still be way cheaper than buying pre-made custom tags.

Assembly Line Production

If you’re making a bunch of favours, set up an actual assembly line. Seriously. One person fills, one person seals, one person ties ribbon, one person adds tags. You’ll get through them so much faster than trying to complete each one individually.

Put on a good playlist or have a show on in the background (I’ve been rewatching The Office lately and it’s perfect for this kind of mindless task). Order pizza. Make it an event rather than a chore.

Things That Sound Budget But Aren’t

Succulents seem like they should be cheap but by the time you buy 100 of them plus pots plus soil plus decorations, you’ve spent a fortune. Plus they’re heavy to transport and half of them die before the wedding anyway.

Personalized anything usually costs more than you expect. That customization fee adds up quick.

Anything that requires special storage or handling – like chocolate that needs to stay cool or flowers that need water.

Real Budget Breakdown Examples

Just so you have concrete numbers, here’s what some actual budget favour setups look like:

Option 1: Homemade Cookies

• Ingredients for 100 cookies: $25
• Cellophane bags (100): $8
• Ribbon (bulk): $5
• Printed tags: $3
• Total: $41 for 100 favours = $0.41 each

Option 2: Tea Bag Favours

• Bulk tea bags (100): $30
• Small envelopes: $10
• Printed labels: $5
• Total: $45 for 100 favours = $0.45 each

Option 3: Seed Packets

• Bulk seeds: $15
• Small envelopes (100): $8
• Sticker paper for labels: $10
• Total: $33 for 100 favours = $0.33 each

See? You really can do nice favours for under $50 total if you’re strategic about it. That’s like the cost of two bottles of wine at your reception.

Last-Minute Budget Favour Ideas

If you’re reading this and your wedding is soon and you haven’t sorted favours yet, here are things you can pull together quickly: lottery tickets from any convenience store, nice chocolate bars from Trader Joe’s or Costco with printed wraps, packets of hot cocoa or tea from the grocery store in small bags with tags, matches from a restaurant supply store with printed labels, or honestly just skip them because nobody will notice in the moment anyway.

The favour table is usually one of the last things guests pay attention to because they’re busy eating and dancing and talking to people they haven’t seen in forever. So if favours are causing you stress this close to the wedding, just let them go. Use that mental energy on something that matters more to you.