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Erin
Expert May 2020

Wedding Favors or No?

Erin, on June 17, 2019 at 2:34 PM Posted in Etiquette and Advice 0 29

Is it rude to not provide wedding favors for your guests? I thought it would be fine since we are providing dinner and dessert, but my mom says we still need to provide favors. The only reason I ask is because we're going to have a larger crowd and I'm trying to cut back on some of the unnecessary expenses!

29 Comments

Latest activity by Nicole, on June 18, 2019 at 12:39 PM
  • MrsD
    Legend July 2019
    MrsD ·
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    No, you are fine! Favors are cute, but totally not necessary. You can also decide way closer when you have a final RSVP count.

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  • Fenja
    VIP August 2021
    Fenja ·
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    I would say it's fine not to have favors. As a guest I never miss them and I'm sure most people feel that way!
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  • Bride2020
    Devoted May 2020
    Bride2020 ·
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    Personally, I probably wouldn't even notice if there we'rent favors, and if I did, I wouldn't care since it's usually just something edible or something I'll never use. But if your parents are contributing financially, might as well save your mother the anxiety and cut back somewhere else since these can be so cheap. Little bags with a sweet in them are as low as .30 a bag, I'd easily cut it first if I was paying for things myself but if she is contributing she does have some say.

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  • Pirate & 60s Bride
    Legend March 2017
    Pirate & 60s Bride ·
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    Nope. Favors have fallen out of favor the past decade or so. Not necessary and if not edible, will be tossed/left behind anyway. Feel free to skip ‘em!
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  • Rachel
    Super July 2019
    Rachel ·
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    We’re skipping favors because anything worth giving away is too expensive and who knows if people would actually want it really!
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  • Lynne
    Super August 2022
    Lynne ·
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    Thank you asking this. I was about to ask the exact same thing.

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  • Jess
    Super September 2019
    Jess ·
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    Favors aren't needed but some guests still appreciate them. Maybe try to have your favors act as something else as well to help with costs. For example, my favor for guests will also act as what tells them their seating assignment (shot glass with a flag coming out saying the guest name and table number).

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  • Jessie
    Devoted September 2021
    Jessie ·
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    If you don't want favors, don't do them. I've been to weddings that don't do them and it was still a breat time. My FMIL had 150 people, ordered 100 beer koozies and key shaped beer openers. Still has about 20 or so sets left and the wedding was in November 🙄
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  • Emily
    Super April 2020
    Emily ·
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    Nope! We are not providing any because we have a larger guest count and they'd just go to waste.. Guests either forget about them or just don't take them at all. I think it's on the newer trendy side not to include favors.

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  • Kristen
    VIP June 2020
    Kristen ·
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    We are doing photo booth strip holder that can also function as a bookmark, but we only
    thought of it because of having a photo booth. It was $25 for 150
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  • Kristal
    Expert February 2020
    Kristal ·
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    Ive seen both sides of this. Personally, i remember getting excited over favors that I was given as a guest at a friend or family member's wedding. At the same time, i know a lot of weddings I have seen so many of them left behind.

    That said, it might be good to make the favors something you can use the left overs of and keep them in a basket near the guest book so you dont have to play quite as much left over clean up. Also, i recommend getting a number slightly smaller than your expected guest count (my expected guest count is 100 but will have 85 ish favors). The guests who want and appreciate them will get them when they sign the guest book. The rest will be easy for you to collect and redistribute.

    I have a literal drawer FULL of beads and wire which i never planned to use. I bought Shamrock-heart, Triskelion and Celtic knot heart charms in large packs (Celtic theme, can you tell?) and will add some beads to make book marks. each favor will be under 50 cents and left overs will be used repeatedly as both FH and I's families are a bunch of book nerds.

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  • Shaureeka
    Devoted June 2019
    Shaureeka ·
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    Its definitely not necessary at all but ypu can find some cheap and also budget friendly items on amazon if your mothers rrally want to help out and get them for you
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  • Kim
    Super September 2019
    Kim ·
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    We are technically not doing favors, unless you consider photo booth strips as one. The last few weddings I've been to, I don't remember seeing any favors. And it was not missed at all. You are more than okay not to have favors.

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  • Kelly
    VIP October 2020
    Kelly ·
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    Not needed at all.
    If you do them the idea of having the favor be the table placecard (photo frame or glasses are popular) is good for money saving. if you want more traditional like a table for the favors do something edible, or reusable. Like candy or coosies.
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  • Mandi
    Master October 2020
    Mandi ·
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    We are doing favors.
    I've been to 2 weddings without favors.
    I noticed.
    One couple just bragged that they weren't doing coozies... apparently that also meant they were doing nothing.
    Another couple put slips of paper on tables and said that in lieu of favors they made a donation to [insert cause]. We kinda laughed because the wedding planning was so disorganized, we just assumed they forgot.
    • Reply
  • MD
    Super July 2019
    MD ·
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    Definitely not needed. We're doing a candy/snack bar during the reception and we're going to put a label on the cups and use that as our favor, but even that is unnecessary.

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  • J
    Master 0000
    Judith ·
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    Unnecessary. More than half the weddings I have been to, no favors. And where there are favors, so many get left behind. Even nice little things. Near the end some folks will take 20-30 of some items that have not been taken.
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  • Cyndy
    Master May 2019
    Cyndy ·
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    They definitely aren’t necessary and are added costs. We did really cute S’mores favors and had so many leftover. They weren’t expensive to make but took a lot of time. I wouldn’t stress about it for sure.
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  • Future Mrs. McCully
    Devoted July 2019
    Future Mrs. McCully ·
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    We were debating on doing favors but decided it was sort of a waste of money so we decided we would make a donation in lieu of favors to the local humane society that I used to work at.

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  • Katie
    Super November 2019
    Katie ·
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    I have opted to skip the favors for my wedding. Every wedding I have been to the favors have been left behind so I decided to save money and skip them.
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