Weddings are notoriously expensive affairs, but if you can afford it then budgeting for a small gift for your guests can be a nice way to thank them for celebrating the day with you.
Wedding favours come in all shapes and sizes, but we think the best gifts are the ones the guests can eat, drink, or keep. After all, who needs more pointless tat that simply gets chucked in the bin?
Here’s our pick of the best affordable favours available on Etsy, featuring plants, sweets and materials for DIY hacks. We’ve worked out the prices for 100 guests, but they can all be bought in a variety of pack sizes.
Mixed Succulent Plants, Concrete Lab Co, Etsy, £180 for 100
These living breathing mini plants could be a perfect gift to include along with your place cards. Available in packs for 20 for £36 from seller ConcreteLab, or at £7.40 for a single plant, they could also add a flourish of colour to your table.
Buy them here.
Rustic linen bags with a lace design, Vintage Lullaby Design, Etsy, £169.70 for 100
Perfect for a boho wedding, you can stuff these rustic linen bags with anything you like - you could bulk buy Jelly Beans or Smarties to give your guests a sweet treat. Or if you really want to push the boat out, fill them with dried lavender buds so that your guests can pop them into their clothes drawers for a vintage scent. These could also be used as confetti bags.
Made by Vintage Lullaby Design, they are sold in packs of 10 at £16.97 each.
Buy them here.
Miniature empty glass bottles with a cork, Little Bottles UK, Etsy, £88 for 100 and personalised bottle tags, £34.95 for 100
This requires a little bit of DIY, which will be worth it if you want to pack your guests off with their very own tipple. Etsy seller Little Bottles UK sells glass bottles with cork tops for £12.50 for a pack of 10 (or £88 each for a pack of 100) and seller Favours For U sells personalised bottle tags from £7.95 for 10 or £34.95 for 100.
Combine them both together and fill the bottles with homemade sloe gin, limoncello, or your favourite spirit for an extra special treat.
Eco seed bombs, Little Soap Bar, Etsy, £25 for 100
These colourful little seed bombs are a really bright idea: they’re made from recycled paper and wildflower seeds. Your guests will need to simply push them into the soil, water them, and watch them flourish into plants that are bee and butterfly friendly.
Sold by Etsy seller Little Soap Bar from £3.50 for one, a pack of 100 costs an affordable £25.
Buy them here.
Honeycomb seed paper, Flowerseed Paper, Etsy, £47.20 for (more than) 100
Sticking to the subject of wildflowers and bees, these cute little hexagon shaped pieces of paper also contain seeds and can be planted directly into the soil.
Sold by Flower Seed Paper in packs of 24 for £9.44, you’d need to buy five packs for 100 guests. Or you could always try contacting the seller to request a custom order.
Buy them here.
Watercolour Vanilla Bean Cookies, Sweet Enchanted, Etsy, £120 for 100
At more than £1 a cookie the price does sound a little steep for a gift that will be gobbled up in seconds. But these handmade and hand painted cookies are really beautiful and the colours are lovely. You can also get them embossed with a personal message up to 15 characters - or stick to XOXO for a modern twist.
They’re available from £70 for a pack of 30.
But them here.
Personalised scratch card holders, Favours 4 U, Etsy, £64.95 for 100
You’ll probably have promised to stay together for richer or for poorer during the ceremony, so why not spread a bit of love to your guests with a personalised scratch card? These envelopes, from Favours For U, have the name of the bride and groom names as well as the wedding date included on the back.
They cost from £8.95 for 10 - but they don’t come with pennies or the scratch cards. You’ll need to buy those separately yourself. Fingers crossed your guests split any big wins with you.
Buy the envelopes here.
Mini Cactus Disco Mix, Planet Parcel, Etsy, £151.99 for 100.
If you prefer your plants prickly, these colourful cacti are a dream.
Sold by Plant Parcel and starting from £7.99 for a single plant, or £151.99 for 100, they’re a lovely gift for any gift. They also require minimal care, which is great for people who aren’t naturally green-fingered.
Buy them here.
Luxury Swiss Chocolate Hearts, Twisted Designs For You, Etsy, £80 for 100
These Swiss chocolate hearts, sold by Twister Designs, can be personalised and cost from £9 for 10. You can choose the colour of the card, the colour of the foil, and the text on the front of the card. For an extra £2 per 10 cards you can also have your guests name added to the gift.
Buy them here.
We all work hard to earn our money – so it shouldn’t feel like hard work to spend it well. At HuffPost Finds we’ll help you find the best stuff that deserves your cash, from the ultimate lipstick to a durable iron to replace the one that broke (RIP). All our choices are completely independent but we may earn a small commission if you click a link and make a purchase.