by Beckie Knowles

Created on: August 01, 2009   Last Updated: August 03, 2009

Over time, weddings have become a competition to show who has the most wealth, style and friends. Weddings are about unions, the coming together and joining of two families. Guests at a wedding are there to celebrate with the bride and groom, not to pick holes in the hard work and planning that have undoubtedly gone into organizing the event. If a guest attends a wedding expecting a favour, they are there for the wrong reasons.

However, it is nice to be able to provide a small gift to your guests, especially if they have travelled some ways to be at your wedding. Favours need not be expensive and many of your friends and family will appreciate something with a more personal touch, rather than a couple of truffles from an online bulk buy. Here are my tips for saving money on your wedding favours.

Hand Make

Baking a huge batch of cookies and decorating them with a group of friends is not only great fun, but also works out much cheaper than ordering them from a baker. All you need is a good, tasty recipe, some helping hands and enough ribbon to tie each little parcel of biscuits. Another easy to make, sweet treat uses dates. Wrap each date in marzipan before dipping in chocolate and leaving to set. Just check whether any of your guests have nut allergies. Hand making favours shows you have put time and thought into your 'thank you' presents, rather than having felt obliged to provide them.

Donate

Instead of giving favours, donate some money to charity. Apart from being an act of kindness, donating money allows you to choose the amount, rather than cost depending on the number of guests. Giving money to charity is much easier than organizing favours and will save you time and stress, as well as make you feel great. Your guests will think your donation is much better than individual favours and feel included, as it is instead of giving them presents. Remembering others in need is a selfless thing to do on your wedding day.

Double Up

Use part of your decoration as a favour at the end of the night. For example, if you choose to have place cards framed at each setting, make sure your guests know that they can take the frame home with them. The current trend of cupcake towers, instead of a traditional fruit cake, works really well as favours. Each cake is beautifully decorated and individual, rather than being just a slice. Flower favours are perfect for doubling up. Decorate each table with a small pot of flowers at each place setting, which then also acts as a favour.

Cut

If your budget just can't hold up to the cost of favours, or you simply don't want to give them, cut favours completely. Simply don't have them! The people who have helped you the most in your organising, or are the closest to you, can be given gifts at a later date, or earlier in the day. Choose presents for your attendants, the Mothers of the Bride and Groom and of course, yourselves!

Always remember that favours are not compulsory. It is a choice that ultimately lies in your hands. Saving money can be done easily and at the same time make your gifts more personal and practical. At the end of the day, having an expensive favour isn't going to make your guests any more happy than seeing you walk down the aisle. Good luck!

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