Is Giving Wedding Favors an Outdated Tradition?

One of the biggest issues and questions that arise when planning weddings is cost. Wedding budgets are usually just a guideline, but while some couples have no issues going over budget, other couples cannot pay for the honeymoon if it does.

Giving wedding favors can get very expensive, and this is especially true of couples who believe that they should give wedding favors to everyone who attends the wedding, instead of only giving them to the guests in the wedding party itself.

To Give Favors or Not to Give Them?

For centuries, brides and bridegrooms have given wedding favors as a thank you to wedding guests, rehearsal guests, and those who worked behind the scenes to make the big day happen, and the wedding favor tradition is not something you should take lightly.

Though some couples who have stopped giving favors try to cite the fact that the tradition is a bit outdated, it is usually because of the costs involved that some couples have stopped giving favors entirely. Instead of giving traditional wedding favors, modern couples have come up with a variety of ideas on how to thank their guests and the wedding party.

Personalized and Edible Favors

Taking a different path down the traditional road of wedding favors is as simple creativity and bulk buying. One great way to do this is by giving guests edible wedding favors. Chocolates and other little candies are an excellent example. For the wedding party, you can have chocolate bars personalized, and for general guests you can visit a candy wholesaler and negotiate a bulk price. Alternatively, because companies such as Hershey’s will offer lower prices for buying in volume, it might be cheaper to personalize all the favors instead of just for the wedding party depending on how many guests are on your list.

Buying in Volume

Again, depending on the size of your guest list, you might want to think about visiting a dollar store, or a wholesale outlet. If you contact the store manager or distributor, you may be able to get a price that’s even lower than that on the shelves. Because these types of stores deal in volume daily, sometimes shipping as much as an entire container load at a time, they are usually more than willing to negotiate based on your guest list. Couples have gotten massively inexpensive deals such as buying 500 shot glasses for $1 apiece, or photo frames for $1.50 when buying 200.

In terms of budgeting the cost of a wedding, not giving favors balks at tradition. You don’t want your guests feel as if they aren’t appreciated – especially those in the wedding party – do you? Even if just a thank you card, you really should give something as a favor, no matter what it is.