Choosing Memorable Wedding Favors for Guests
Turnquist Collective’s Guide to Memorable Wedding Favors for Guests
Wedding favors for guests are a small yet meaningful way to show appreciation to your loved ones for sharing in your celebration. Wedding favors add a personal touch to your wedding day. In 2025, more couples are opting for creative, meaningful, and eco-friendly gifts that their guests will use. Whether you are looking for traditional wedding favor ideas or something a little more creative, there is something out there that every couple will love! If we haven’t met, we are Jesse and Rebecca Turnquist, a husband and wife photography videography team based in Hudson Valley. We love sharing expert tips to help couples plan their dream weddings, and we hope you love our ideas for wedding favors for guests!
The Tradition of Wedding Favors
The tradition of giving wedding favors to guests dates back to European and Indian traditions. Modern-day wedding favors have evolved from traditions across cultures where small tokens were given to guests as a symbol of appreciation or luck. These tokens ranged from edible treats to fine decor items or handmade trinkets. Today, couples give favors as a personal touch on their wedding day, a way to show appreciation to their loved ones, and for their guests to have something special to remember their day by.
Do People Still Give Wedding Favors?
Centuries later, the tradition of giving wedding guests favors is still going strong! It is rare to attend a wedding in 2025 and leave empty-handed. So, what are couples giving as wedding gifts this year? Many of us want to lessen waste and avoid excess clutter, so wedding favors are evolving to meet that desire. Most guests simply don’t want or need a trinket from your wedding that doesn’t serve a purpose. Often, these favors are discarded at the end of the night. But, most couples still want to give their guests that small token of appreciation. So what should you consider giving as a wedding favor? Let’s explore some of the most popular tried-and-true wedding favors, as well as some more unique options.
Popular Wedding Favors for Guests
If you are looking for a classic wedding favor that is easy to find, cost-effective, and well-loved by wedding guests, here are some of the most popular wedding favors in 2025:
Edible Favors
Edible wedding favors are popular for good reason—they are something your guests can enjoy immediately! Whether it’s gourmet candies, custom sugar cookies, or mini jars of honey or jam, your guests will surely appreciate edible treats. Many edible favors are easily customized with a personalized label that incorporates your names, wedding date, or wedding colors. Edible favors are a sweet and practical way to say “thanks!” that doesn’t require much storage space to bring home—if it makes it out of the building before being enjoyed! Some edible favors include custom macarons, handmade candies or chocolates, mini bottles of olive oil, cake pops, honey, jam, tea, or coffee!
Eco-Friendly Wedding Favors
If you are concerned about your environmental impact, consider opting for an eco-friendly favor. Sustainable wedding favors are typically recycled, reusable, biodegradable, or plantable, making them a great way to show you care for the planet and appreciate your guests! Some eco-friendly wedding favors include wildflower seed packets, plantable seed paper, reusable tote bags, bamboo straws, tumblers, or mini succulents.
Personal Alcohol
Who doesn’t love a personal-sized wine or liquor gift? These are so cute and can often fit beautifully with your wedding decor. Mini champagne, wine, cocktail, or liquor bottles can be packaged with custom labels or tags as a classy yet fun favor. Just be sure to check with your venue to make sure alcoholic favors are allowed. If your venue doesn’t allow outside alcohol, you could opt for a cocktail kit for guests to add their own liquor.
Personalized Drinkware
Personalized drinkware is another trendy wedding favor that is here to stay. From custom-engraved wine glasses to reusable mugs or tumblers, drinkware is practical and valuable to your guests. The personalized aspect makes this favor even more of a unique keepsake, reminding guests of your special day for years to come!
Unique Takes on Wedding Favors
If you are looking for favors that will wow your guests and create a truly memorable keepsake from your wedding day, these unique options are great alternatives to traditional wedding favors for guests:
Custom Puzzle or Game
A fun and interactive wedding favor idea is to gift your guests a custom puzzle or small game. The puzzle could include a photo from your engagement shoot or something meaningful to both of you. Along the same theme, you could create a custom card game or personalize a deck of playing cards with images or your wedding colors. These favors will be memorable and practical for your guests to enjoy!
Experiences
If you are looking for something different, include an experience in the place of a wedding favor. Some ideas include vouchers for local activities, such as a wine tasting or a class. You could include a live experience on your wedding day, such as a caricature artist or a magician, as a surprise to entertain your guests. Experiences create lasting memories and add a unique element to your wedding that guests will not forget!
Digital Gifts
Instead of offering physical favors, you could create a digital gift to share with your guests. Some ideas include a custom wedding day playlist with your favorite songs, a digital photo album where guests can share their favorite memories and view photos from the wedding, an e-cookbook with your favorite recipes, a virtual thank-you card, or a voucher for an online cooking class or workout class. Digital gifts are unique and save on material waste while still providing a keepsake that your guest will cherish.
DIY Wedding Favor Station
One of the latest unique trends in wedding favors is creating a favor station where guests can assemble and customize their gifts to take home. For example, you could make a popcorn mix station where guests can choose popcorn flavors and mix-ins and bag their popcorn to take home. You could also create a candy buffet with to-go containers for a perfect snack for the drive home. You could create a mini cocktail kit station with ingredients and instructions for making different cocktail recipes to take home.
Seasonal Favors
Some favors are perfect for specific seasons, allowing you to tailor your gifts to the time of year and atmosphere of your wedding! For example, if you are hosting a cozy winter wedding, you could lean into your theme and gift custom blankets, hot cocoa kits, or even snow globes. If you are celebrating in the summer, your guests would love sunglasses, a fan to cool down, or flip-flops to wear on the dance floor!
Charity Donation
For couples who love to give back, you could give a charitable donation in your guests’ names as a meaningful alternative to a traditional wedding favor. You can choose a charity that is important to you and aligns with the theme of your wedding. For example, if you are eloping in a national forest, you could put your funds toward the National Park Foundation. There are countless organizations out there that support wildlife, education, or provide necessary aid. Let your guests know about the donation with a notecard at your reception and explain the impact their gift could have on the cause you chose.
Local Hudson Valley-Inspired Wedding Favors
Here in the Hudson Valley, there are countless ways to find locally sourced items for your wedding favors! We are lucky to have local farms where you can find honey, cider, and maple syrup. Amazing local artisans handcraft everything from knits to handmade soap! We love the idea of shopping local for your wedding favors.
Choosing the Right Wedding Favors for Your Guests
Choosing the right wedding favors is about more than just finding something that looks cute. Your personality, wedding style, and values all play a role in determining the best favor you can give your guests. Here are a few things to consider to make sure you select the perfect wedding favors for your guests:
Is it practical?
Will your guest actually use or appreciate the favor, or is it something they will likely leave behind? Practical favors that can be eaten or used often hit the mark.
Does it match our wedding theme?
Wedding favors often feature prominently in wedding decor, so you want to ensure that they look great and reflect your overall theme. Personalized packaging and designs can help!
Is it sustainable?
As more couples seek eco-friendly weddings, sustainable favors are also becoming more popular. Opt for something biodegradable, reusable, or locally sourced that aligns with your values.
How to Personalize Your Wedding Favors
Adding a personal touch to your wedding favors makes them even more meaningful. Personalization doesn’t have to stop at putting your name and wedding date on items, either—there are endless ways to customize your gifts to fit your wedding theme perfectly.
Monograms
Monograms are a sophisticated and elevated way to personalize your favors. Engrave or print your initials on a keepsake such as a glass, coaster, or tote bag.
Wedding Dates
Including your wedding date in the design creates a timeless memento for your guests. Whether your date is embossed on a bottle opener or printed on a thank-you tag attached to a goodie bag, this small favor elevates your favors.
Thank-You Notes
A heartfelt thank you note goes a long way. Including a custom message on a small notecard or gift tag will touch your guests’ hearts and let them know how much you appreciate their presence on your wedding day.
Turnquist Collective’s Top Picks
At Turnquist Collective, we believe wedding favors should be as unique and special as the couple celebrating. Our connections with local Hudson Valley wedding vendors and artisans mean that we can help you discover the best favors for your wedding day that fit your theme and support local businesses. Our top picks include handcrafted items, seasonal gifts to keep your wedding guests comfortable, and eco-friendly favors that reduce waste. Schedule a consult call with us to see if we would be a good fit as your wedding photographer & videographer team, and we can give you some personalized recommendations too!
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As a husband-and-wife photo and video team based in the Hudson Valley, we believe in capturing your love story in its most authentic form.
With 25 years of marriage, we know a thing or two about love, and our seamless, stress-free approach makes your wedding day feel effortless. Our mind-reading dynamic allows us to work together quietly, capturing every special moment while you focus on soaking in the magic. From candid glances to the big moments, we’re here to tell your love story through both photography and film.
