Are wedding favours necessary?

Absolutely not necessary. We had them but only because my mam offered to make truffles - we weren't going to until then.

My friend just bought a load of Thorntons gold foil covered hearts and gave one per person - think they cost her about 30p each.

I'm not having any so I hope it's acceptable!

We're having favours but it's because I like them, and we're having a small wedding so costs aren't too ridiculous.

I wouldn't be bothered if I turned up at a wedding where there weren't any though! Sometimes it's better NOT to get them (ahem...sugared almonds..ahem).

The best one I had was just a single ferrero rocher in a little gold box. But then I LOVE ferrero rocher!!

Ours are more for the novelty factor, rather than a 'proper' gift.

I'm a sucker for favours, I get excited seeing them on the table.

We're doing ours as a thank you gift, and hope that they'll actually be taken away by guests and enjoyed so we're doing monogrammed espresso cups.

Possibly put sugared almonds in them (yeah, yeah I know) but they're traditional favours in Italy where we're getting married and also in Cyprus where OH is from.

They're definitely not necessary, and if you'd rather not have them - don't. Feels like a lot of people are moving away from them.

If you're doing a sweetie table, how about leaving personalised paper bags on the tables - this way they can be place marks too?

We are not having any and having been to lots of weddings I couldn't tell you if they had them or not, which I suspect is true of a lot if guests. I think all this detail (in which I include centre pieces, colour schemes, themes, card boxes, decorations, sweet tables etc) are very 'bridey' ie the only person who cares about them is the bride ?

Not at all necessary! If you have the time/money/energy, then great, but if not, guests are not going to wonder where the favours are! I personally have no time for favours at weddings, UNLESS it's something to eat or drink, then I'm all over it. I once got a plastic butterfly keyring at a butterfly themed wedding, which was cute enough, and I did put it on my keys...but it broke about a week later! I was planning on doing mini bottles of homemade limoncello for mine, but like you with your jam, it's going to work out too expensive for 80 guests. My mum is keen to make heart shaped welshcakes though so I think that's me done!

How very very true!! We didn't have favours. I was going to, then decided against it, thinking it was just one more thing to organise that I didn't have time for, and none would notice or care if we did or didn't have them. Last 2 weddings I went to didn't have them. One was my cousin, who I think did a charity donation instead, and the other was OH's friend, where the had no favours, but spent the money on a free bar instead, which was far more appreciated!

Definitely not necessary, but a nice gesture if there is something you particularly wanted to do.

We wanted something people could think of us when they saw it. We toyed with the idea or seeds or bulbs people could plant, very inexpensive. We are now making little heart shaped bird seed feeders and popping them in a hand stamping bag my friend is making for us.

I could tell you the wedding favors at the last three wedding I've been too, but I could just be a saddo! lol

Nope not necessary ? That's the great thing about weddings now, there's no must haves and you can do pretty much what you like!

Thanks everyone! I'm so glad other people think the same as me, that they are not necessary and a waste of money! I think a sweetie buffet is more than enough...the main reason we are having that is because me and my H2B love pick n mix! We have about 12 children attending our wedding...just hope they don't all get hyper on the E numbers!

I feel much better knowing that people won't think that we are tight/ungrateful for not having favours!

Oooh tough one, but loving the food route! Whats that saying? The food one....ah brain not working!!

I desperately tried to talk my daughter out of favours...... but she won and I ended up making 20 personalised candles wrapped in organza and 20 walnut whips presented the same.... all wrapped up with a ribbon and luggage label.

I told her that half of them would be left disguarded on the tables..... mum was right! Mind you.... I went round and collected up the 'left behind' walnut whips for 'Ron'!!!!!!!

I'm doing favours - 5 homemade biscuits in mini jam jars, with name tags as place cards. But we only have 19 coming to the wedding. If we had more people coming I would have done something a bit cheaper.

I don't think they are necessary though. I've done things in our wedding because I've wanted it, not because it's traditional or because everyone else does it (it's funny how many people say 'you have to do that, it's tradition'!)

If you chose not to, then I don't think anyone will complain. They should be happy enough to be invited to your special day

As a guest they wouldn't be something I would hope to see. I would rather the bride and groom spent the money on something for themselves. But if someone really wants them and can afford them, why not

Duplicate post __ life's too short to wait for these things to post without wanting to click again ?

Absolutely not necessary in my opinion!

We did not have favours at our wedding. We did have a free bar though and I like to think that was much more appreciated.

I guess it is about what is important to you..... for me it is good quality food and free flowing drink but for others it is the finer details. For you and your partner, it seems a pick n mix table suits what you like and shows some of your personality. I'd say go with that.

We are having favours, but don't want to spend a fortune on them, so I'm making them myself. We are having wine glass charms, and I can make 100 for £20 (including special ones for immediate family and the wedding party). it will take some time to make them as they can be a bit fiddly, but the wedding isn't until 2015 so I have lots of time! OH's sister made a donation to charity and as part of that the charity sent little cards with the wedding date and a pin badge on them to have on the tables, which worked well too. I don't think they are necessary though, but quite fun if you want to do them. ?

We toiled with this for months ,pricing up boxes and bags and what to put in them (oh wanted them ) we settled on sweets, chocolates and mints ect.

But once the sweets and things were eaten people would leave boxes and bags, which I though was a waste of money.

Put to oh , we could have chocs personalized with our names and wedding date and thank you for attending our special day and put them on tables or if you really want bags and boxes with sweets, chocs and mints that's your job to do .

Im now waiting for a delivery of personalize box of chocs !.

Any left over I can eat and catch up on all the chocolate iv not eaten in the run up to the wedding?.

Favours are a nice touch if budget allows.

We had one little Chabonnel et Walker chocolate in a box, but if budget had been tighterI would have got a little chocolate or something.

That being said, I normally get too drunk and forget to take my favour home unless it's something I've already eaten.

We had three different chocs in a box with a trivia card. We got the chocolate for free and bought boxes on ebay. So favours for 100 people cost about a tenner.

Although this sounds a bit lame we are both known fir our sweet tooth (despite my h being diabetic! ) and I love quizzes hence the trivia card.

I don't think they are necessary but I do like them!

I do like favours but it's not like it'd spoil my wedding experience if there were none! I prefer food and drink favours to keepsakes, not least because I don't have to remember to take them home and I'd love some sugared almonds! Having said that if you're having a sweetie table you've kind of got that covered.

Sugared almonds is an old Italian tradition. But they were the original confetti. So they'd be given to guests in odd numbers, I'm assuming to throw (ouch)! I thought about it purely as we're marrying in Italy but no one would get why so seems pointless!

im not doing favours as I'd rather put more wine on the tables!!

They are not necessary, I have seen a fair few couples opt to leave them out this year so they can put that money towards another aspect of their big day.

I think it's up to you at the end of the day. I've got really lucky as one of my BMs mothers is a chocolatier and has offered to do my favours as a wedding gift. I'm also putting a handwritten note in each napkin for the guests. Maybe you could do something that doesn't cost a lot but has a lot of meaning?

I can only tell you how I feel now, a few years after my wedding.

Whilst I was planning my wedding, every tiny detail seemed filled with the utmost importance - everything had to be perfect, and I was fraught. I was doing a lot of things myself, which didn't help! Personally I blame "Four Weddings" etc - that convinced me subconciously that guests would be ripping my wedding apart looking for flaws and being critical of everything. I realise now that this couldn't be further from the truth.

My wedding venue went bankrupt a month before the wedding. I went from needing everything to be perfect to thinking I wouldn't be able to get married at all. Fortunately we found somewhere even lovelier and it all went well. There was some rain which I was dreading, but it gave us some amazing photos - we had everything from bright sunshine to moody skies and guests with umbrellas...

I made all my favours, place cards, table runners, table plan, etc etc - they were all beautiful and I got lots of compliments on everything. Still, the memories that I and everyone else has are of the atmosphere and things that you can't buy.

Honestly, if I'd had no favours, no-one would have cared - and it's the same with a lot of other things I spent months slaving over and stressing about. I realise now that these things are so unimportant and I can't believe I stressed about it all so much. (Also, the truth that no-one tells you - hardly anyone eats the wedding cake, so a massive three plus tiers is unnecessary - wish I'd known that!)

In my opinion, favours are unnecessary but nice if you can have them - I wouldn't spend much money though. You can often get big lots of small jars on ebay from people who are selling off their unused supplies - I got lots this way to make jars of buttons that I sell so it could be a cheap option. Personally I got round organza drawstring bags - the guys had sweets in then, the ladies had bath petal things, then I made name tags and attached them so they were both favours and place cards. Things that are multifunctional like that are quite handy for the budget and stress levels