The easiest way to save money on wedding favors is to not have wedding favors. There, I said. If you’ve been reading my blog, you know how I feel about wedding favors. It’s on my list of unnecessary expenses. I know you’re going to say, “But YOU gave wedding favors”. Yes, I did. It was because I only had 30 guests, so it wasn’t a big spending for me. Also, I think I was overcompensating over the fact that I didn’t have that much décor, so it was a part of the décor in the tables.

If you feel the need to give wedding favors, feel free, of course. Again, it is your wedding, so it is your choice.

Here are some cheaper options:

1. SECOND HAND BOOKS – I really am cheap, huh? LOL. I am speaking from my heart; this is one of the best ideas I’ve come up with. If I had thought about this before, this is what I would’ve given my guests as favors. The good thing about a book, is that it really isn’t technically secondhand to the person who hasn’t read it yet. It will always be brand new. Here is what I would do:

· Go to any secondhand bookstore, or any thrift stores, they always sell used books there. Our public library here always has an event called Book2buy, where they sell their old books to have more space in the library and make way for the new ones. It’s a great bargain.

· Find all the books that you want that speaks about love, or anything marriage related. Maybe a book of love poems?

· Print some labels you can stick on the book commemorating your day, even just “Thank you for coming to our wedding”

· At your wedding venue, you can put the books in a table outside and put a sign that says “Take a book to remember our special day”, or you can stack them in each table to they have their own pick from there.

If I were at a wedding and they offer free books, specially about LOVE and MARRIAGE, I would be happy, and think it’s a clever way to save money. It’s also something that is useful to the guests.

2. Succulents – Ever since the pandemic, the sales of plants, including succulents, have tripled. People had been working from home, and they have more time to take care of their greeneries. I do not have a green thumb. I’ve tried having plants at home, because yes, I was inspired by Pinterest. You know what they said during the pandemic, right? Because nobody could go outside, they said we should bring the outside in. SO it meant more plants inside. I bought a whole variety: medium, small, tall. Any inside plants you can think of, I bought them. I felt great, because I know it’ll help with the oxygen circulation at home. They all died. Like I said, no green thumb. Then I tried buying succulents, like Aloe Vera, and those cute little ones you’ll find in small pots. My mom said “you won’t kill those ones for sure”. I didn’t. I couldn’t believe it. It was awesome.

If you go to Ikea, they sell really cheap succulents. At my area, they sell for $3 per pot, depending on the size, the price goes up, but usually just around the area of $3 - $5 each. If you can find them somewhere else cheaper, then go for it. I’ve seen some wedding where they put all the succulents on a table outside the reception area, so that the guests can choose which one to take home. It’s usually just wrapped with a little bow or ribbon, and then there’s a cute little signed stuck to the soil, that says “Thank you”, and then the date of the wedding. It’s simple, and people really like it. It will last longer, and they can definitely put in anywhere in their home without being an eyesore, compared to other little knickknacks that you usually get a weddings.

3. Baked Goods – this is the easiest one to do. Either you bake your own favors, or you order them. There are so many things you can bake as favors: brownies, cake pops, mini cakes, chocolate crinkles, caramel apples, cupcakes, and anything else you can think of. If you can’t bake, there are places you can order from. The bakeshops usually offer a discount for bulk orders. To make it even cheaper, if you’re ordering, just order the mini cupcakes, instead of the regular sized cupcakes. One wedding I attended not too long ago, my friend baked these really amazing mini brownies, and she put them in little containers that she got from a craft store. Then she just printed little thank you labels. It was a hit, mainly because her brownies were awesome. I wonder what was in it? HAHA. If you’re baking your own goodies, make sure it’s good, because if not, then you just wasted so much time in the kitchen baking, and packaging everything, and nobody will eat it in the end.

4. Seeds – this is in the same category as the succulents, but for this one, you provide them with the seed that they plant themselves. I found this website that provides that. It’s very cheap. It’s .99 Cents each paper. Here is the link:

https://botanicalpaperworks.com/catalog/wedding-collection/

There you have it. Just a few ideas you might want to try for your wedding. Personally I think the best one is the Second hand book. I’m not big on reading, but when I find a really good book, I really finish it fast. I think for your wedding favor, it will be a hit, because nobody would ever think of giving those ones as favor. It’s a really nice touch. Not only is it economical, but it is also environmentally friendly.

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