Wedding favours offer you the opportunity to provide your guests with a small gift or keepsake that they can take home (or eat!) and remember the time they spent celebrating with you on your big day.
But when you’re already spending thousands on your wedding, how much should you spend on wedding favours that are thoughtful, personal and something that your guests are going to appreciate?
Below, we’re going to take a look at the cost of wedding favours, including the average amount couples spend, how much some of the most popular wedding favours cost, and what factors can influence how much you might spend.
What are wedding favours and do you need them at your wedding?
Wedding favours are small tokens or gifts that you give to the guests who come to share in your celebrations on your wedding day. They’re small, personal gestures that are used to express your gratitude and work as a little souvenir for your family and friends.
Favours don’t need to be expensive – many wedding favours cost around £1 each – but they act as a way for you to show your appreciation. Many couples even choose to put together DIY wedding favours, which can be anything from a packet of sweets to a custom-made Rubix cube (although something like this will set you back a lot more than £1).
Even the most affordable or DIY wedding favour options will add to your ever-increasing list of expenses, which is saying something when you consider that the average cost of a wedding in the UK is £20,775. Does that mean, if budget is a concern, it’s something you could cut to save a bit of money?
Do you have to do favours at your wedding?
While favours aren’t something that your guests will expect – and certainly aren’t the reason they’re coming to your wedding – their absence may be noticed by some (but certainly not all). In fact, some of your guests may choose to not take their favour home at all, and if you’re gifting food or sweets, they may even be devoured before the first course is served at the breakfast.
If you’re looking to save budget, or it’s simply not something that interests you or fits with your style or theme of your wedding, then you shouldn’t feel pressured to provide favours simply to appease others or because it’s something you believe your guests expect – because they definitely don’t.
What’s the average cost of wedding favours?
In the UK, the average amount spent by couples on wedding favours is around £160 in total. This might not be a huge amount when you consider your overall budget (it’s about 2% of what couples pay for the average wedding venue) but if you want custom, handmade favours or you’re inviting 120+ guests, that figure can be much higher.
Similarly, you could keep costs down while still honouring the tradition, by simply leaving a small packet of Love Hearts sweets for every guest. This would cost you much less than the average, with 250 packets costing around £17 (and leaving you with some to keep for yourself).
It’s also important to remember that low-cost wedding favours don’t need to be generic or boring. For more information, check out our blog post on 29 ideas for affordable wedding favours.
What are some popular wedding favour ideas?
If you’re looking for some wedding favour ideas but you’re not quite sure where to start, the below guide will give you a rough guide for how much some popular wedding favours cost so you can gauge if they fit within your budget.
Edible favours
- Retro sweets – You can pick up ready-made packs of retro sweets, or put together your own if you shop around to find cheap sweets in bulk. Costs start from £1 each.
- Honeycomb – A real crowd pleaser, honeycomb not only looks great but is delicious too. Costs start from £1.50 each.
- Fudge – Fudge is creamy and luxurious and is a fantastic way to satisfy your guests’ sweet tooth. Cost start from £2 each.
- Hot chocolate kit – A unique favour that most of your guests won’t resist and can be presented in many creative ways. Costs start from £2.50 each.
- Popcorn – A cheap and tasty favour that no one will turn their nose up at. Costs start from £1 each.
- Mints – Mints offer a breath of fresh air. Costs start from £1 each.
- Jellybeans – Sweet treats that are affordable and come in a variety of flavours. Costs start from £1 each.
- Cake pops – Cake pops are a lot of fun and a handy way to give your guests a cakey hit if you don’t have a traditional wedding cake. Costs start from £1.50 each.
- Marshmallows – Affordable, sticky and sweet. Costs start from £1 each.
Non-edible favours
- Bubbles – Everyone loves bubbles! Plus, they’re super affordable. Costs start from less than £1 each.
- Personalised playing cards – Massively personal and always something your guests will want to keep. Costs start from around £5 each.
- Second-hand books – A great talking point that is hugely affordable. Costs start from around 50p each, or even less if you check out some local charity shops.
- Pens, notepads or pencils – A practical favour for everyone. Costs start from £2 each.
- Jewellery charms – A cute memento that can be used in a huge variety of ways. Costs start from £3 each.
- Wildflower seeds – Not a personal favour, but is certainly thoughtful. Costs start from £1 each.
- Charity donation – A hugely thoughtful and generous gesture. You can donate as much or as little as you like.
- Soap/hand sanitiser – A useful and unique favour. Costs start from £2 each.
- Scratchcards – An exciting way to get your guests talking. Plus, one of your guests could leave your wedding a lot richer (and hopefully they’ll share some with you!). Costs start from £1 each.
- Personalised candles – Who doesn’t love a candle? Costs start from £2.50 each.
- Personalised coasters – A really unique gift that will remind your guests of your big day whenever they sit down for a cuppa. Costs start from £3 each.
- Personalised keyrings – Everyone has at least a couple of keyrings, and there’s always room for one more. Costs start from £2 each.
- Disposable camera – Quite a retro favour these days, but it can be a lot of fun having the photos developed to see what happened while you weren’t around! However, disposable cameras are becoming more expensive, with costs per camera starting from around £15 (and of course the cost to develop after the wedding). It can be hugely worth it if you have the budget, though.
Is it cheaper to do DIY wedding favours?
If you’re on a budget, it can be much cheaper to do wedding favours yourself. However, if you’re looking for highly personal or customised favours, such as personalised playing cards, you may find the DIY approach more challenging. If you haven’t done anything similar before, there’s also the risk of inconsistent quality.
If you’re looking for something simple, such as a bag of retro sweets, you should be able to put this together with little effort and without much room for error. It should save you some money, too.
What factors can impact the cost of wedding favours?
When choosing wedding favours, as well as the type of favours you go for, there are several factors to bear in mind which can impact the overall cost.
- Quantity – It may seem obvious, but the more guests you have the more you’ll have to spend on favours.
- Personalisation – Highly personalised wedding favours will cost more than something you can grab off a shelf or make yourself.
- Vendor – A small, independent vendor may have higher prices than a large company with hundreds of employees. However, the level of care and quality is also likely to be better from a smaller vendor.
- Quality – The higher the quality of materials or ingredients you use, the more expensive your favours will be. Remember, your favours are only a token gift to your guests and they won’t be expecting something premium.
- Presentation – Marshmallows or honeycomb may be fairly inexpensive, but if you choose to package them in a fancy box with ribbon they may not be inexpensive for long.
- Season – Depending on what you go for, the time of year may play a part in cost. For example, during peak periods when gift companies are in demand, costs may be much higher.
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