Thinking of not doing favours....?

[kocerhan3]

So many people have commented to me how "pointless" and "unnecessary" favours are at weddings - yet I feel like we'd still be judged for not doing any?! Would people care if we didn't? Would they notice? I don't want to spend loads of money on them for no reason. So therefore:

Can I get away with not doing favours at all?
If I have to, what's cheap/cheerful and will be appreciated/taken/eaten?

Thanks in advance!

@Slightlyperturbedowlagain

Oh yes we did table gift boxes for kids too

Stickers, colouring etc

My sil didn't do them and I've only just noticed and she got married last year!! I did do them and what a waste of time and money, I wouldn't bother.

We did little bottles of cocktails, it was something I wanted to do and didn’t cost too much. Two alcoholic cocktails and an alcohol free lemonade. We filled a few bottles with sweets for the few kids we had there. Rather than placing on each place setting we put them in the middle of the table so guests could choose whichever one they wanted.

I have never been to a wedding with favours. It seems so pointless. So my answer is that I would definitely not notice their absence. (Unless it was regular sized bottles of gin, that would be good)

We did 3 lindor chocs in little gift bags I got on eBay. They looked nice on the table and were all gone at the end.

We didn't have wedding favors or a cake. We did have, however, fireworks, free champagne, a photo booth, a brilliant band, millionaire shortbread and a ton of cheese.

It was totally brilliant.

We donated to a charity close to us and printed cards telling guests that instead of favours there was a donation in the name of "guests of Mr and Mrs Soaring's wedding)".

Cards explained the charity (nobody would have known it - entirely legit, but can't give details as 100% outing!) and what the donation bought exactly, because I bought the actual items, after asking what they wanted, rather than simply making a bank transfer.

As the cards were on the table, when people sat down and were waiting for others etc, they actually read them. Quite a few guests commented that they really liked it, better than something they didn't really want/need, and some people sought the charity out and made donations themselves! That wasn't the plan, hadn't even thought of that, but it was really nice.

Everyone should have a photo booth at their wedding.

No favours here either but we didnt hav formal seating as we had a hog roast. Didnt have any table decorations either!
As some pp have said we did all food and drink provided.

we went with tradition - 5 sugared almonds in a bag for each guest. 4 white one gold.

five representing fertility, longevity, happiness, health and wealth (gold one)

cost pennies, still remembered fondly by all the oldies - well those who are still with us...

ImogenTubbs

I hate photo booths! So tacky

Absolutely no need. My least favorite part of weddings.

I don't want to plant a sunflower, no grown up actually eats jelly beans, etc etc etc..... what I do like is a personalized table setting - eg, a photo, etc, that goes in the memory box.

We did retro sweets and charity pin badges for charities that meant a lot to us. From experience unless they can eat or drink it, it often gets left on the table x

hot natured

I agree with you completely about photo booths, but you may have missed her previous post where she says they also had (among other things) fireworks and 'a ton of cheese' (!) I don't think she's worried about being tacky.

I'm not doing favours
The favour is that you're invited

I think if you do them they need to be something consumable on the night. I've got so many bloody packets of seeds in our drawer that I should just chuck but feel bad. I'd rather not have to take anything home

I love sugared almonds

Why would anyone imagine a wedding guest wants a packet of seeds to take home with them?
And the sweets thing had me baffled...

Kids sweeties

I never had favours. We had a free bar instead.

We had mugs which the tea and coffee was served in - they were mocked up to look like the Charles and Diana royal wedding mug (not the best marriage to copy I grant you ) but with our photos on. Very cheap and many years on seem to be in use in friends kitchens.

Iamagreyhoundhearmeroar the ones I've received say some sort of twee poem about watching them grow like their marriage or something like that. Bit cringe.

I've been to a few wedding and ice only kept one set of favours, they were glass ornaments and very pretty (and not cheap I suspect!). All the others I've never kept. Just a heart shaped chocolate on each place setting would do imo but wouldn't bat an eye at nothing.

I think doing without favours is a good idea, but if you really feel you have to have them how about iced cookies with guests names on, which will.then double up as place names, or as PP suggested: doing charity- find out if your favourite charity does wedding favours. They are usually either pins, ribbons or place names etc.

Hotnatured and GorgonLondon

You are both right - our photo booth was extremely tacky - feather boas, sparkly hats, fake moustaches. Everyone loved it and the photo booth album is by far the superior wedding album.

And no, I wasn't worried about it being tacky because otherwise I'm dead posh.