By Georgina Clatworthy

Wedding favors have become one of those wedding day details that can leave you frustrated when it comes down to choosing perfect little gifts for your guests and balancing the budget at the same time.  Favors originated in the 13^th century when wealthy brides would give their female guests luxurious little gifts of sugar cubes in jeweled boxes made from precious metals.  The concept quickly caught on and as favors spread to the masses, then cheap wedding favors became more widely available.

Favors weren’t always a staple part of any wedding celebration and only really enjoyed a resurgence after the end of the Second World War.  Even then though favors where still a cheap gift, based rather more on symbolism than a display of gratitude.  Modern wedding favors though seem to have come full circle with an industry that now turns over millions of dollars each year and an ever increasing choice of little gifts for wedding guests.

The traditional almonds have been replaced with chocolates, candies and more expensive items such as miniature photograph frames, crystal ornaments and coaster sets.  But finding cheap wedding favors is not as hard as it may seem and it is perfectly possible to achieve beautiful favors for under $1 each.  Here are my tips on how to achieve them:

Think Wholesale: if you have a lot of guests, and I mean in excess of 100 then wholesalers are your best option for favors which are cheap on the budget.  I don’t mean purchasing favors from online stores at the bulk prices, but instead going directly to their suppliers and buying from them.  If you can meet the minimum order quantities you will save yourself many dollars in terms of what you usually pay in retail stores.  Even if you don’t have sufficient guests to meet the minimums required, consider purchasing the minimum anyway and selling the excess on through EBay or the like – you could even make back what you spent with the result: Free Favors!

Sweet Options: Candies, chocolates, mints and nuts are all very cheap and can be bought in large quantities making them perfect for inexpensive wedding favors.  Simple packaging such as clear bags tied with ribbon will only cost a few cents each or consider having a candy bar at the reception where your guests can help themselves to their wedding favors.

Supermarket Sweep: supermarkets and dollar stores are a mecca for cheap options for wedding favors.  Candles and tea lights can be bought for a fraction of the cost of specialist favor stores or look for edibles, tea, coffee, mini soaps or small decorative objects.  Enquire with the store manager about purchasing the quantities you need as you maybe able to score an extra discount for quantity!

Make your Own: handmade wedding favors are very special and even if you are not that creative you can still create something your guests will treasure.  From scented sachets to handmade chocolates you will find plenty of kits online to help you get started.  Other ideas include small bags of flower seeds, seedlings you have grown yourself, homemade cookies or even cupcakes and decorative objects such as painted wooden shapes or carved pebbles.

By Georgina Clatworthy

With budgets tight for many couples at the moment, many brides are looking for cheap wedding favors and inexpensive wedding favor ideas for their special day.

If you are having a large wedding, with say, more than 200 guests, the cost of your wedding favors can quickly mount up.  Many brides fail to include the cost of packaging, decorations, tags and labels, as well as shipping costs and taxes which may be applicable.

But there are a number of inexpensive wedding favors available to you and with a little creative thinking and some savvy shopping you can come up with perfect favors for your wedding on the cheap!

Firstly you need to set a budget.  You should have included a figure for your wedding favors in your original wedding budget which you did at the start of your planning.  Now is the time to go back to figure and work out if it is still realistic and more importantly if you can still afford it!

Putting together cheap wedding favors for $1 each is not impossible but will require some creative input from yourself and possibly some compromise.

When it comes to shopping for your wedding favors there are a number of places to look.  Start online with the favor stores.  Many compete with each other on price and will hold pretty much the same stock so you should be able to easily compare prices.  Where they can differ is on the offers and discounts they have.  Some will offer discounts on the total price over a certain amount (usually $150) whilst others will offer free shipping over a certain amount and others will run regular discounts or offers throughout the year.

Even if you are certain you would not be able to afford these stores they are great places for wedding favor ideas and can give you lots of inspiration.  Many will also have a section for discount wedding favors or closeout stock which is always worth keeping an eye on as you can get some great bargains here.

Next you should look for wholesalers, not just those who specialize in wedding favors but also those who provide wholesale food items as edible favors are one of the cheapest and most popular favors around.  Food wholesalers can offer you great prices on bulk purchases of candies or chocolates for instance, allowing you to easily create favors with a selection of treats inside for relatively little expense.

Supermarkets are also great places to look for wedding favors.  A packet of gourmet coffee from the supermarket will cost you just a few dollars but you can split it into many favors for a fraction of the cost of the sachets offered by specialist favor stores.

Other wedding favor ideas which can be found in supermarkets include candles such as votives or tea lights, chocolates, candies and plain cupcakes which you could decorate yourself at home.

In terms of packaging you can find good deals on wholesale favor boxes online, check out sites like Ebay for bulk quantities of boxes, voile bags and decorative items like ribbons and embellishments like flowers and stickers.