wedding 2024 | picking your wedding favorites

date posted: March 07, 2024

Send your loved ones home with items they will actually use and love.

Wedding favors have evolved. No longer must we order monogrammed photo frames or miniature mugs. Send your loved ones home with items they will actually use and love, not “cute” stuff destined to gather dust in a drawer, occupying that uncomfortable zone of “mostly useless but hard to toss out.” You can easily get pretty, monogrammed tags to attach to favors, or gift bags to contain them — and find a cool piece of vintage furniture or dress a pretty table and let guests choose from one or more of the following to give the tradition a fresh feel:

Wedding favors have evolved from monogrammed frames or mini-mugs.

EDIBLE FAVORS are great. Cookies, individual loaves of tasty bread, small bottles of hot sauce, bitters or exotic oils, or tiny pots of honey or maple syrup will be welcomed. Specially labeled chocolate bars, or jars of colorful jellybeans…the possibilities are endless.

SMALL ART PRINTS like botanical or wildlife drawings can stand alone or be put on a card with a few words about your wedding or your relationship to the guest inside. You can also commission an artist to make you miniature watercolors or oils, each one unique but sharing a similar theme.

SEED PACKETS in small net bags. How about seeds from your signature wedding flower, if you’ve used one? Wildflower seeds? It’s hard to imagine a more perfect reminder of growth and new beginnings. Or how about a small potted succulent or cactus?

AROMATHERAPY OILS or incense bundles—choose scents that connote purification and good luck.

SCENTED CANDLES will shed the light of your love in their homes.

SMALL VASES OR FANCY BOTTLES. Deputize someone to deconstruct a centerpiece or two and put a bloom in each.

FANS OR PARASOLS have practical benefits, and make fun photo props too.

KEYCHAINS or pens are thoughtful items—everyone needs these at one point or another.

CDs featuring highlights of your wedding playlist.

CUTE CONTAINERS made of tin or china can hold candy or potpourri, and be re-purposed for other uses.

TOYS, too: If you’re including kids at your wedding, it’s thoughtful to give them kid-centric favors: small toys and games or coloring supplies will help them break the ice and pass the time.

Find a cool piece of vintage furniture or dress a pretty table and let guests choose from a selection of favors.