The Wedding Nutritionist

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Edible Wedding Favors

Wedding favors are a great way to say thank you to your wedding guests for taking time out of their busy lives to come and celebrate your love. But what are they supposed to do with them after the wedding? That’s why edible wedding favors are such a great idea. You can send guests home with something personal to use that will remind them of your big day.

You can also include parts of your personality, the heritage of your and your partner or something reflective of your location! It’s totally up to you. It could be something in your favorite color, like a cupcake with bright yellow icing. It might be a treat that reflects where your families are from, for example maple syrup to celebrate Canada. Or it could be a local delicacy to recognize the land on which you’re getting married. The choices are endless.

Some things to consider when choosing your wedding favors are they need to be enjoyed by everyone, or at least as many people as possible. It can be hard to please everyone! But if you know that there are a lot of people who have special diets, gluten intolerances or religious reasons for not eating certain foods, make sure you consider this when selecting your wedding favors.

Edible Wedding Favors

Jars of Honey

I love this one as it’s such a sweet little treat for them to take home with them! Look for something made in the local area where you’re having your wedding. There are bees in most places and lots of small, local producers that make beautiful little jars that are such a great wedding favor idea. Look for a producer that allows you to add custom labels to the jars so that your guests will remember where they got the party favor from.

Olive Oil

Don’t have a sweet tooth? High quality olive oil could be the perfect edible wedding favor idea for you! This really does depend on your wedding theme though. I love this for weddings that are set in vineyards, especially if they produce the olive oil on-site! Check with your venue as there may be an olive grove nearby as they often like the same conditions as grapes for wine. Ask them to create labels for you, or create swing-tags that you can add to the neck of the mini bottles to make them personalized. This is such a key part of any wedding favor! You can easily turn a simple bottle of oil into a treasured gift with a few words and some gold foil on a little card.

Hot Sauce

Give the people what they want! A jar or mini bottle of hot sauce can be a great edible favor if you and your family love it a bit spicy! This can also be a great idea if you’ve got a destination wedding somewhere that does great spicy food, like Mexico. Let your friends and family take home some great memories of their holiday with their own bottle of hot sauce. Look for one where you can personalize the labels so that it’s a keepsake bottle. If you don’t mind a bit of DIY wedding fun, you could even look at making your own hot sauce!

Chocolate 

Sometimes, the wedding favors aren’t about what people will take home with them. Instead, it might be a little snack to keep them happy until appetizers are served. A small chocolate bar or chocolate covered treat can be great for this. Look for high-quality dark chocolate without milk products. This can be a great way to make sure it’s suitable for any vegan or lactose intolerance guests. It might be harder to create packaging that is personalized, but you can always add a small card, an extra layer of wrapping or note to explain the significance of the chocolate bar. 

Cotton Candy

If you have a slightly whimsical streak, then this is the ideal wedding favor for you. Glossy and pink, with personalized labels, this is such a great gift to give to all your wedding gifts. Especially if it ties in with your wedding cake. This is a great gift if there are going to be a lot of children at the wedding as well, as they always love the carnival vibes of cotton candy. If this is too pink and girly for your wedding day, consider using it for your favors at your bridal shower. The color might be more appreciated there!

Coffee Beans

I love that you can personalize a bag of coffee beans with a message of helping them wake up and recover from your wedding! It’s a great chance to add some personality into your wedding favors, rather than making them just run of the mill like all the others out there. Be a bit cheeky and embrace your wit to help these go down a treat. Obviously, you want to think if most of your guests enjoy coffee. I mean, who doesn’t?

Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are the classic wedding favors that always go down so well! You can either make your own if you’re feeling adventurous or buy pre-made ones. If you’re making your own, consider making a few practice batches first. You’ll want to share these with friends and family. Don’t attempt to eat them all yourself! But it’s a great way to find the perfect recipe between chewy and crunchy to your taste. Do you need to add more chocolate chips or do you want to add some nuts? All important questions to be answered. Then you can also create your own packaging that is branded to match your wedding theme and is a reminder for those that wish to keep it as a souvenir.

Fresh Fruits

Sometimes amidst all the drinks, sweet treats and rich foods, all we want is a palate-cleansing piece of fruit. This can be a great way to celebrate local delicacies (fresh Florida oranges or Georgia peaches!) too. Make sure you embrace where you are, the theme of your wedding and use any wrapping or notes to make the gifts more festive. You could include a reference to or pun about freshness or sweetness, thanking them for attending your wedding. The ideas are endless!

Fresh Popcorn

Now if you really want to serve up a universal favor guests will love on your wedding date, you can hardly ever go wrong with popcorn as an edible favor! Offer an assortment of popcorn flavors — think plain, buttered, and go gourmet by offering a variety of popcorn toppings and seasonings that bring the sweet, savory, and spice. Make it elegant by packaging the popcorn in custom monogrammed bags and staging them on shelving like on a repurposed hutch, rustic cabinet, or a beautiful wall display. A bonus is that plain popcorn before the butter and toppings often suit many special diets including being gluten-free, dairy-free/ vegan and even low calorie.

Hot Chocolate Kits

Is a winter wedding on the horizon? Hot chocolate kits make the most perfect favors for guests attending a wedding in the cooler months. It’s a great way to incorporate warm and cozy vibes, especially with the classic hot chocolate flavor. And it’s really simple to put together! Just include a portion of cocoa powder, sugar, and toppings like marshmallows and peppermint. You can even wrap the ingredients with the mug already included along with instructions for the mixture to add a more complete and special touch.

Gummy Bears

Got a sweet tooth? Delight your guests with mini jars or bags of gummy bears as another edible favor guests will love. Gummy bears make the perfect snack once the party’s over or in the waiting period before the reception. You can keep it classic by purchasing a large rainbow assortment of flavors or you may even decide to limit the colors to match your wedding theme. How you present them on your wedding date can help tie in the purpose of serving gummy bears with your theme and help guests feel extra special. You can attach little note cards that say, “Thank you Bear-y much” or have a similar phrase explained on signage near the gummy bear display so your guests can get the message.

Homemade Pesto

If you have a bit of cooking chops, why not show it off by sending your guests home with a homemade jar of pesto from the bride and groom? Anything homemade helps add that personalized touch to your wedding date. Your guests will love coming home with an edible favor like homemade pesto. Why? It’s more memorable than a treat like fruit or candy that they can get from anywhere and probably already consume on a regular basis. Also, even if you don’t already know how to make your own pesto, you can sign up for a cooking class with your bride or groom-to-be, which can double as a date night idea and give you the guidance you need to whip up a homemade batch. Put the final touch on your mini bottles of pesto with custom labels.

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