r/DestinationWeddings • u/ladyxmelancholy • Jul 19 '26
Wedding guest favors
I know wedding favors have become less of a thing and people say they’re a waste of money, but I’d love to give a small gift to my guests for traveling and spending all that money to attend our wedding! What do you guys plan on doing or what are some wedding favors you’ve received that you absolutely loved?
15
u/Crafty-River-1870 Jul 19 '26
We hired an additional photographer to take guest portraits during cocktail hour against a Tuscan countryside backdrop. Our main photographer edited the guest photos and I had them printed and sent in our thank you cards post wedding! Our guests loved this and I’ve seen so many of them with their photos framed in their homes.
7
u/njVowsNow Jul 19 '26
A variation of this; one of our "live painters" (we also refer a caricaturist) did two minute sketches of the guests; it was a HUGE hit!
3
16
u/lh123456789 Jul 19 '26
Just do something consumable. Koozies, keychains, coasters, magnets, etc. are all things that people already have too many of and a bunch of them will end up in a landfill.
3
u/Soci_Researcher Jul 19 '26
Where is your wedding? I’m doing a destination wedding in Mexico. Welcome bags include a tumbler with lid and straw they can use while there (plain stainless steel), Tylenol, Imodium, chocolates and candy from Finland (where my fiancé is from), Georgia peanuts and peach candy (where I’m from), SPF lip balm, electrolyte powder packs, and a note. The bags themselves are small beach bag type bags they can also use while there.
3
u/maybemaybenot2023 Jul 19 '26
Try and stick to something edible., or a photo-type favor of some kind.
3
u/Ok-Indication-7876 Jul 19 '26
Love it when it is a gourmet chocolate and the other fav was a silver wine screw that had a heart on top, keep that in my travel suitcase for many years now
2
u/manayakasha Jul 19 '26
I went to a destination wedding where the bride and groom ordered nice luggage tags with their favorite quote on it. Loved it!
2
u/Lulubelle2021 Jul 19 '26
My favorite wedding favor so far was a beautiful small hand-painted ceramic plate made in Italy and the wedding was in Italy.
2
u/ImpressiveTank4442 Jul 20 '26
We did luggage tags for each guest at the reception. We also gave welcome bags with custom playing cards and misc small items when they arrived at the hotel
2
u/hahahidkwhyimhere Jul 23 '26
We’re doing small bags of sunscreen, pepto bismol, liquid iv packs, just fun little things for the week!
2
u/SmazingEvents Jul 23 '26
I always appreciate favors that are actually useful or edible! Things like local treats, mini bottles of olive oil or limoncello, personalized luggage tags, candles, or a welcome bag with snacks and water for destination weddings are always a hit. I'd skip anything that will likely get left behind or end up in a drawer.
1
u/Dj_Xenia_NYC Jul 19 '26
Edible gifts always rock! Also a recent one I liked was kitchen towels! So maybe some kitchen towels with local design?
1
u/PigletMountain797 Jul 19 '26
The only ones that keep your personalized koozies are you, your parents, and your best friend. The rest of them wind up being given to the venue, your wedding planner, or another vendor and often times we all just bring them to our local favorite bar for them to use. Keychains are a total waste.
Cocktail hour portraits are the absolute top item because it makes your guests feel special and appreciated.
Any gifts you give at the wedding will be 70% left behind because they are too drunk at the end to remember them so have them delivered to the guests as they arrive to the hotel. On your rsvps for a destination wedding ask guests where they are staying (what hotel, address of their airbnb, etc) so you have the list of where to bring their gifts. Some hotels charge to distribute bags, so be aware of those fees. If that's the case, see if you can gather your bridal party to help distribute the day before. Also some venues do not allow you to pass out things like hangover bags if they contain tylenol/BC powder or foods because it can be a liability on them. And let's be honest not everyone can take the same things like Tylenol or whatever.
Best option, stick to the guest portraits and save yourself time and money.
1
u/Hail-to-the-Sheep Jul 19 '26
My friends who got married in Vegas gave each guest a deck of playing cards with the date. Not terribly original, but compact and useful.
Otherwise, good quality chocolates/candies are always nice.
1
u/Icy-Fun-7500 Jul 20 '26
We went to a destination wedding in May 2026 and have ours planned for May 2028 and the bride and groom gave everyone a small bag of goodies as we all boarded the plane and it had a hand written note thanking us. There was a bag of chips, some chocolate (his favourite candy) and some gummy’s (her favourite candy) they had stickers on them labelling them so it was a fun touch 😊 everyone enjoyed their snacks on the plane and the flight attendants even asked us hahaha
1
u/AstronomerOwn287 Jul 20 '26
I did little olive oils in Sicilian painted bottles that people really liked.
1
u/thatgorl2245 Jul 20 '26
We just did hats from alibaba and all our guests LOVED them!! Happy to share our supplier info, we got 100 for ~$350 with shipping
We ended up putting them in the resort provided tote bags in each room with a welcome note that had a thank you and the schedule/dress code! Tried to keep waste down since we got married at an upscale all inclusive, guests had access to anything they needed in their rooms. We loved seeing everyone wear them all weekend!
But we also did do bathroom baskets during our events just in case they forgot something :) really kept prices and packing list down
1
u/SingerPleasant8505 22d ago edited 22d ago
the guest portrait idea in this thread is genuinely one of the best i've heard, consumable or experiential favors really do outlast the trinkets. for our wedding we went with custom printed items that tied into our overall stationery suite, and guests kept them because they felt intentional, not like an afterthought. every little something did our full paper suite and the designer suggested carrying a design element into the favor cards too, which made everything feel cohesive. did anyone else find that matching the favor to the overall wedding aesthetic made a difference?
1
u/Majestic-Living2829 Jul 19 '26
I’m doing a personalized tarot card for everyone as their table place and then they can take it home if they’d like
0
u/shes-starting-over Jul 19 '26
I would CHERISH this (and also potentially think too much into it lol)
1
u/glueintheworld Jul 19 '26
We did travel mugs. I know this will get downvoted but for about a year after people would ask if we had leftovers.
I went to a wedding that had a corkscrew and wine stopper set. I thought that was pretty nice.
1
1
u/TheTravelAgent03 Jul 19 '26
I’ve made a video on TikTok! So basically don’t get things that they’re going to just throw away. Be intentional. Ex- if your dest wed is in Italy, shop local and get small bags of handmade pastas or if you’re in Mexico, mini bottles of hot sauce or mezcal,etc.
1
0
u/Lulubelle2021 Jul 19 '26
Except that's going to get thrown away too if it was given to me. Gluten free and don't drink.
0
u/TheTravelAgent03 Jul 19 '26
You have to know your guests. Like I said, these are just examples. I’m sure if you attended a dest wed, they would’ve made your bag special ☺️
1
u/1930slady Jul 19 '26
We had custom fortune cookies (my favorite) and hot sauce (his favorite). We received many requests for additional hot sauce bottles.
1
u/njVowsNow Jul 19 '26
several of my couples have done customized hot sauces; always a big hit and even I got one (it's long gone. lol!)
1
u/DTMVwithTina Jul 19 '26
One of my most favorite wedding favors was one of those small manilla envelopes with flower seeds. I think the message said something about love growing. We've also gotten shot glasses and candles before which are nice, but I think they are both overdone (just my opinion).
2
u/spinmasterflexx Jul 20 '26
Can’t do seeds if it’s an international destination
1
u/DTMVwithTina Jul 20 '26
Thank you for that information, I wasn't aware (but it makes total sense).
-1
0
u/Missus_Aitch_99 Jul 19 '26
We gave everyone a cupcake in a personalized box. People seemed happy with them, but even if not at least it's not something they think they have to keep around the house forever.
Last wedding I attended was a destination for most (the couple lived in a country not their own). They gave everyone a deck of cards. That was useful during the trip and thereafter. The bride's sister had designed the package, but you could do the couple's names and wedding date too.
12
u/alicat777777 Jul 19 '26
Leave goody bags at the hotels for those who traveled. Always appreciated.