by Events • August 1, 2025 • Wedding Planning Guides
What are wedding favours? | Heaton House Farm
Wedding favours are those small gifts that a married couple often give to their guests as a little thank you – a token of appreciation – for sharing in their special day.
When you’re planning your wedding breakfast, choosing how to dress your room, exploring centrepieces and sorting out seating plans, wedding favours are the finishing touches. The little detail that can really bring a table to life and put a smile on your guests’ faces.
Traditionally, these keepsakes serve as a memorable part of your big day. They can be something meaningful for guests to take home, or just something fun and irrelevant that reflects your personalities.
You could go with something sweet and tasty to eat, something personalised, or something that matches your wedding theme – whatever that might be.
Wedding favours are not a new ‘fad’ or modern trend – far from it. They’ve been part of weddings for centuries, and you’d have to go all the way back to Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries to find the tradition’s roots.
There, wealthy families would often give wedding guests precious items like jewellery or expensive trinkets presented in ornate boxes.
As sugar became first a delicacy – a real treat – the tradition evolved into small trinket boxes known as ‘bonbonnière’, filled with sugar cubes, sweet treats or small gifts that symbolised wealth and good luck. In France, these gifts were traditionally five sugared almonds (called ‘dragées’), with each almond symbolising health, wealth, happiness, fertility, and longevity.
The meaning of wedding favours has always centred around gratitude and good fortune, and while its scope and creativity has grown, the core reason behind them remains the same. Wedding favours are a heartfelt way to thank your loved ones for being part of your celebration, and an opportunity to wish everyone good health and fortune.
If your wedding favours are sweet and edible, they’re almost guaranteed to be a hit as everyone can enjoy them!
You could, of course go super traditional, with sugared almonds. Or maybe you pick your favourite childhood ‘retro’ sweets, or treats from a place you’ve visited together.
Or why not think about local specialties that reflect your wedding venue’s character. If you’re celebrating at a farm venue like Heaton House Farm for example, you could pop mini jars of locally-sourced honey, homemade jam from farm-grown fruit, or artisanal chocolates from nearby producers onto your tables as wedding favours.
2. Something personal
For more personal favours for wedding guests opt for something that is memorable and that they can treasure for years to come.
Think engraved candles with your wedding date, personalised mini photo frames, or a small crafted item made by a local artisan. If you want to tie it into a popular barn wedding theme, you could give everyone woollen socks (from sheep in the fields), a small bottle of locally brewed beer or gin, or even a little trinket hand-made from hessian and hay.
The key is choosing something that feels authentic to you as a couple – whether that’s elegant and sophisticated or fun and quirky – as your wedding favours should reflect your personality and the style of your celebration.
3. Something useful
Some of the most appreciated wedding favours are those that are practical and useful, especially if you can pull them out long after that last dance. Bottle openers, coasters, small potted plants, or beautiful bookmarks are all long-lasting and extremely useful for your wedding guests… and you can of course personalise them too, if you want. They also offer plenty of creative freedom to tie in with your wedding theme.
For rustic or farm-themed weddings, consider small succulents in terracotta pots, wooden spoons for cooking, or packets of herb seeds that guests can grow in their own gardens – perfect for bringing a little piece of the countryside home.
4. Something meaningful
If you prefer something more meaningful and considerate over material items, you could simply make a donation to charity in your guests’ honour as a beautiful wedding favour alternative. Choose a cause close to your hearts and provide small cards explaining the donation. This is a great approach if you’re environmentally conscious, and can even help you bring the countryside into your barn wedding theme at Heaton House Farm.
You could plant a tree for each of your guests, or sponsor a farm animal, or share packets of wildflower seeds that champion pollinators and bring a little countryside charm back to their own gardens.
It’s a wonderful way to spread love beyond your wedding day and start your marriage by giving back to others.
5. Something different
You can always use wedding favours to create lasting memories after your celebration by tying them in with an experience or event.
We’ve already mentioned how something to plant – like wildflower seeds – is a good idea. But what about something to bake at home, with a pre-prepared cake mix? Or how about crafting activities or a picture to paint?
You could even give out vouchers for local attractions, or, if you’ve got activities planned for your reception, why not use your wedding favours to tease the evening fun. Think chips for the poker tables, or tokens for the bouncy castle or fairground rides.
The short answer is yes. If you’re giving wedding favours, every guest should receive one, regardless of age. This includes children, elderly relatives, day guests, and evening guests.
Wedding favours are pretty much all or nothing. Either drop them altogether or plan on giving one to every day guest – those who’ll be at your wedding breakfast.
However, you might want to consider different types of favours for different groups. For instance, children might like something fun like bubbles or sweets, while adults might appreciate something more sophisticated.
As for guests who can’t attend your wedding, it’s a lovely gesture to set aside favours for them, but it’s certainly not expected or required. If you have close family members or friends who can’t make it, you might choose to give them a favour when you see them next, but don’t feel pressured to post favours to everyone who declined your invitation.
No, wedding favours are not essential. As we always say – it’s YOUR big day, celebrate however you’d like!
Wedding favours are a lovely tradition, but they’re completely optional in modern weddings. Many couples choose to skip favours entirely, and guests rarely expect them. In fact, some couples find that favours can add unnecessary stress and expense to their wedding planning, and giving them a miss is perfectly fine.
If you’re short on time, budget, or simply don’t feel that favours fit with your wedding style, just leave them out. Your guests are there to celebrate your love, not to receive gifts. You might want to spend your budget and energy on other aspects of your celebration – like upgrading your catering menu or extending your evening entertainment – instead.The most incredible wedding moments are whatever you make them – if you want one of those to be around unique wedding favours, great! But we’ve got plenty of inspiring real wedding stories at Heaton House Farm that don’t feature favours, so don’t feel tied to them.
Wedding favours can add a wonderful personal touch to your celebration, but you should never feel like you have to give them or that they’re causing you extra stress. It’s your day, your theme, your celebration, your way.
Whether you choose traditional treats, personalised keepsakes, or decide to skip favours altogether, the most important thing is that your wedding day reflects what matters most to you as a couple – from the initial ceremony through to the final dance.
Ready to start planning your perfect celebration? Request a brochure to discover how we can help bring your wedding dreams to life.
