Soap as a wedding favour?

[jumperweather]

They'd be personalised or have our names on.

What do people think of this?

Thank you

[HeelsHandbagPerfumeCoffee]

I'd never give scratchcards just because I'm not sure I could cope with buying the only winning scratchcard of my life for someone else

That’s really mean spirited

[BackforGood]

I'd never give scratchcards just because I'm not sure I could cope with buying the only winning scratchcard of my life for someone else

100% agree.
I always think this when people talk about buying friends / family a scratch card "as a 'fun' thing" . Can you honestly say you'd be fine with it if a ticket you'd bought and given away then won someone else a life-changing amount of money whilst you were struggling ??? Particularly at a wedding - it could be your dh's colleagues partner or someone you don't even know that well.

[Pukkatea]

I'd never give scratchcards just because I'm not sure I could cope with buying the only winning scratchcard of my life for someone else

Shots or prosecco etc usually go down well but obviously don't work for kids or people who don't drink. A token for a drink at the bar works better (if it's not already open bar).

Don't overthink it, noone remembers or cares about the favours whether they're bad or good.

[OhioOhioOhio]

Thank you.

[missmouse101]

Favours are truly a waste of time and money. Don't bother!

[Greenandcabbagelooking]

I read soap as soup...

Soup would not be good. Although you could have fun with a mutlipack of different flavours from Costco, but with the labels taken off so your guests have to play soup roulette.

[LegendDairy]

@Lucindainthesky

I can't believe somebody gave lush soap as favours. The reception must have really stank.

It was a massive gazebo seating over 200 and they were in bags on a table in the corner of the room put out late in the evening which you could help yourself or not if you didn't want to. They weren't on the plate and they didn't stink the room out.

@OhioOhioOhio I think she contacted head office in Poole.

[SciFiScream]

I'm with @DolphinDreams! (Have only for this far through before putting my own comment on).

Soap useful so opposite of tat. Not plastic yay!
Supporting a start up business by a women - another yay.

Wouldn't go personalised though. That's a bit naff.

I didn't have favours at my wedding (cost and to reduce waste). Married 17 years ago.

[lemonsquashie]

Mini bottle of Molton brown soap? Yes!

[TheFriendlySoapmaker]

No problem
I should also say, don't feel guilty if you just don't fancy soap and want to say no. There are many other options that might be more 'you'. Her business won't stand or fall on whether you agree to do this - it will be her costings and the quality of her planning, branding and recipes that will determine that.

But if you do ask her any questions - I'm sure she won't mind your asking if she holds Cosmetic Safety Assessments, if she's a nice person. In any case, any customer is entitled to ask her this - and occasionally some do - so it's worth her getting used to it before she starts selling. I'm always aware when people are not-so-subtly checking out whether I'm compliant and I never mind it - I've also done it to others in my time...
I have also had Trading Standards turn up at my stall and give me a spot check...

I hope you get some nice favours, soapy or not.

[jumperweather]

@TheFriendlySoapmaker Wow, thank you for such a detailed response!!
I have no idea about everything you've mentioned in regards to her soap making process...and that's the thing, I'm worried that by asking id be deemed as difficult or rude etc.

The way you've described your product does sound lovely, and I like the paper packaging idea with the names on. I'm going to read through your response and others and then speak to the future DH and see if he has thought about it any further.

Thank you

[TheFriendlySoapmaker]

Soapmaker here who does wedding favours. Evidently some people do like them, because I never did them until people started to approach me and ask for them.

My opinion is it depends completely upon the type of soap and also the strength and attractiveness of the branding. If she's skilled and is doing proper cold-process, and has all of the relevant legal paperwork, then it could be great. I have to say I would be worried that she's willing to do them for free - the set-up for being a professional soapmaker is expensive, when you take the safety assessments into account, and the ingredients for good soap are likewise expensive. This is why good-quality handmade soap costs the price it does. You get what you pay for, unfortunately. Full-sized bars of really good soap would work out really expensive if you have 70 or so to buy.

There are soapmakers using melt-and-pour bases - this isn't regarded by most of us as 'real' soapmaking, but it is much cheaper. The product is less kind to the skin, as it needs to be formulated in a certain way to allow repeat re-melting. There isn't a lot of skill involved, unless the soapmaker is doing really elaborate decorations on them. It still needs to have the relevant paperwork.

Regarding the scent - the people saying it will make the room smell horrible are, I think, used to Lush-type scents which are very far from natural, extremely powerful in terms of scent throw, and can be problematic for many people with sensitivities to artificial scent. Soap scented using essential oils give a scent which projects much less and don't seem to give a problem when they are spread throughout the room, particularly if the soaps are small (together in the box, they do smell stronger). I don't use artificial scents myself and certainly wouldn't want it at a wedding. They are cheaper to use, though.

As a branding exercise I'm not convinced it will work. I'm not aware whether I've ever gained a customer because somebody saw my soap at a wedding - I think it's usually the other way around, in that people who know my soap and can vouch for the quality then opt to use it at their wedding.

In my case, people ask me to do the favours because I'm a known local/handmade ethical small business with an attractive branding that is strongly tied to the local area. I wouldn't ever expect to get an order for wedding favours from outside the area. The soaps I make for weddings are not full-sized, which would cost too much for favours I think, but mini hand-soaps of the type you'd use in a downstairs loo.
I put the couple's names on the wrapper, not on the soap itself. I also provide full ingredients listings and an allergen declaration in case any of the guests needs to know this. I don't know whether anyone has ever asked to see it, though.

[TheLetterZ]

We gave soap as our wedding flavour. We got married in Port Sunlight and gave everyone a bar of Sunlight soap. It was a bit of fun,

That wasn’t even ‘nice’ soap. I would be very happy with some nice soap to take home as it is something I would use.

If you like it go for it, 10% will love in 10% will be unhappy and the rest will be in the middle, same as for any other wedding favour.

[NailsNeedDoing]

The bathroom idea is a good one, go with that. It shouldn’t be offensive, you’d be using her lovely product to make a dull area nicer, that’s a good thing!

[londongirl12]

@jumperweather

I'm really appreciative of everyone's responses.
Some really good points to consider, a lot I hadn't really thought of.

I would like to support her somehow but I don't want to offend her by suggesting we put some samples in the loo! Even though it's a good idea.....

My OH is becoming annoyed with me, and I think he's already regretting having mentioned it!

I've started to realise that I'm actually a really anxious person as this decision and the thought of saying no is really taking over my brain!

Don't be afraid of the bathroom idea. That's generally where people use soap!

[Lavendersquare]

I'd hate soap as a wedding favour, I'm sensitive to scented soaps so I'd leave it on the table or give it to another guest, rather than take a chance that it wouldn't give me a rash. No one really wants a keepsake from day, except maybe immediate family.

I'm quite traditional I love favours you can eat, beautiful sugared almonds, luxury truffles or hand made cakes. Once went to a wedding in Wales and every guest had beautifully wrapped parcels of three Welsh cakes, delicious.

[TDMN]

I agree with other posters who have mentioned that soaps on the same table as the food might not be a good idea smell wise!
Id also be cautious of triggering a migraine for someone, my partner is really sensitive to strong scents and i know a few other people with similar.
Honestly the only good favours are edible or charity or one of those photobooths where people can pose for photos of themselves!

[icelollycraving]

Hen party bags are a great idea. Didn’t know they were a thing!

[Nohomemadecandles]

Can you just message back and say "its a lovely idea, thank you but we don't think soap belongs on a dining table. We'd love to support you another time, though."
They'd be better in those hen-party party bags that people give out.

[ursuslemonade]

My friend had some fancy, proper honey in those tiny glass pots (like tiptree jams) , there were none left on the tables.
Soap? I love a nice bar but probably not on a dining table.

[jumperweather]

P.S - I hate sugared Almonds!

[jumperweather]

I'm really appreciative of everyone's responses.
Some really good points to consider, a lot I hadn't really thought of.

I would like to support her somehow but I don't want to offend her by suggesting we put some samples in the loo! Even though it's a good idea.....

My OH is becoming annoyed with me, and I think he's already regretting having mentioned it!

I've started to realise that I'm actually a really anxious person as this decision and the thought of saying no is really taking over my brain!

[NaughtipussMaximus]

It was always sugared almonds when I was young - my parents would bring them back when they’d been to a wedding without us and share them out. But I suppose there’s much more awareness of nut allergies now.

[FinallyHere]

Our wedding was admittedly way back in the 20th century... for favours I bought a box of sugared almonds wholesale.

Tied them up ( seven in each bubble) in Ivory creme net, with a ribbon to close. I expected people to taken them home but loads were eaten on the spot.

Making those favours was my favourite part of all the wedding prep.

[squeezeapplesmakejuice]

Ummm I like soap but it has to be good quality usually
Homemade soap.
If the soap is cheap then no way
Also I wouldn't want to wash myself using soap that has the names of the bride and groom on it

I think I would either 'accidentally' leave it at the venue or donate it