How Many Wedding Favors Should I Order?

Written by Erin in Budget and Finance,Planning Tools and Tips,Themes and Decor

Wedding favors are small, take-home gifts that serve as a means of saying thank you to your guests. Although it is not compulsory, it is a great way for guests to have something to look back on from your big day! If you are having difficulty deciding on the number of wedding favors you need to order, we’ve got you covered!

To decide the number of wedding favors to order, determine the final number of guests and budget one wedding favor per guest, couple, or household. Consider buying some extra favors to cater for any unforeseen risks like damage during transit or last minute extra guests.

Without further ado, this article will guide you through all you need to know about the number of wedding favors you need to order, who gets one, why you should buy extra favors, and tips to choosing a wedding token your guest will love.

6 Tips to Estimate The Number of Favors to Order

Deciding on the number of wedding favors you need to order can be a tricky process. It may not be as simple as one per guest, and you may have cost factors to consider. 

Below are some suggestions for calculating an estimated amount to order.

1. Consider the Budget Available for Wedding Favors

As with all aspects of wedding planning, it’s important to first know your available budget. 

While the favors will be a special keepsake for your guests, don’t let the budget for these take away from other important areas in your wedding budget. Favors should definitely be lower priority than other guest experience items such as food, beverages, and decor. 

Once you have set the budget for favors, this will help to narrow your choices so you only consider things you can afford. In general, you would probably allocate no more than 2-3% of your wedding budget for favors.

2. Guest Count

The number of guests you have should be the first thing on your mind when deciding how many to order. 

Suppose you’re having a small ceremony in the garden. In that case, you don’t need as many favors as if you’re throwing an elaborate party for 200 people, and so you can consider spending more per item.

3. Decide Who is In, and Who is Out

You should provide a favor to everyone you invited who is attending the celebration, including children, parents, and grandparents. People who did not attend do not need one. Also, vendors, officiants, etc do not need a favor.  Parents, and the wedding party may be considered separately.

Even if you are already getting your parents a separate thank-you gift for any help they are providing for your big day, you should still plan to give them a wedding favor. Particularly if it is a memento to keep, your parents will cherish this more than other guests, so don’t leave them off the list!

Many couples will plan to give specific thank-you gifts to their bridal party.  These are normally given before the wedding.  So, it’s not strictly necessary to give them another favor during the wedding. However, there is no hard rule about this! If you have the budget and want to include the wedding party, then go right ahead! 

4. One Favor Per Guest, Family or Couple

Depending on the favor you choose, it may not make sense to give one per person.  It may be better to divide your guest list into couple, family, or household units, and count favors per unit.  

The per unit approach is typically used when the wedding favor is on the expensive side, or when it is a keepsake rather than a consumable. Limiting favors to one per household is fair you’re spending money on a more expensive item.

For example, you don’t have to provide one sophisticated wedding favor—like a throw blanket—to each guest. It is sufficient to provide one to each couple or household.

You should aim for one favor per guest if you’re thinking about giving out a smaller, less expensive, or a consumable/edible gift.

5. Factor in Kid-friendly Wedding Favors

It’s possible that the wedding favors you select for adults won’t be suitable for the children attending your wedding reception. You should factor this in when calculating the approximate quantity to order. You could provide a kid-friendly wedding favor as an alternative for children. Kids will love gifts like chocolates, cookies or cupcakes.

If you’re providing any kids’ entertainment items, such as coloring books or toys, this would be sufficient so you don’t need to add a favor on top of this. 

6. Consider Ordering a Few Extra Favors

One of the worst things that can happen when planning your favors is to think you’ve got the right amount, only to find that some of them have been damaged or broken in transit, and you don’t have time to order more of the same item.  For situations like this, it’s a good idea to order extra.

Additionally, if there’s a last minute change to guest count or more people RSVP than you expect, you don’t want to run out. 

Ordering a few extra upfront will save you a lot of hassle if you need more later on.

Are you struggling to decide how much you need to spend on your wedding?
Download our free calculator here to help you finalise your wedding budget number.

How To Let Your Guests Know How Many Favors To Take

There are a few ways to let your guests know how many favors they may take.  This will depend on your seating arrangements, and whether you decided on one per person or couple/family.  

If it’s a planned seating reception with one favor per person, simply placing the favor at each place setting will be very clear to guests. For one per couple or family, place the item at one of the place settings, with a card attached addressing who the gift is for.

For a cocktail reception, consider placing all the favors on a separate table with a sign indicating how many they may take.  

For some items, such as throw rugs or wine glasses that you want the guests to use during the event, you could label the wedding favors with the names of the couple or family and set them out on a table for guests to take as they enter the venue.

FAQs 

What is the Etiquette for Wedding Favors?

Although wedding favors are not compulsory, giving them is a long-standing custom. In the past they were commonly a small package of sweets, or even just a piece of cake.

Today the custom has evolved, to where there’s really no rules any more!  If you want to provide favors, that’s fantastic. If you don’t, there’s no pressure on you to do so.  

When Should I Order Wedding Favors?

It’s a good idea to begin thinking about favors early on, at least one year before your wedding date.  Take note of shipping times, prices, and any sales that might come up so you can get the best deal.  

Once you have an idea of what the final guest count will be you can think about ordering.  This should be no less than 3 months before your wedding day, to allow for custom production and shipping.

Final Thoughts

When planning your favors, the biggest thing to remember is that no matter how long you think about this decision, and how much money you spend, you’ll never find one thing that all the guests will love. 

Some people will forget to take them when they leave, some people don’t like clutter, and some people will miss the meaning you’re trying to convey. 

So, with this point in mind, you have the freedom to let go of this decision if its stressing you out! 

If you’re running out of time, and considering buying a cheap box of “things” that you’re not really into, then don’t do it. If you don’t love the favors you’ve picked, then skip them and use the money somewhere else in your wedding budget. 

But if gifting favors is high on your priority list, follow our tips above to make the process as easy as possible.

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