Top 5 Ideas for Eco-Friendly Wedding Favours

As the impact of our throwaway lifestyles becomes increasingly evident, more and more couples are seeking to minimise the environmental impact of their wedding. Between transport, decorations and catering, there’s a lot to consider when making your wedding as sustainable as possible.

Your wedding guests are likely to have come from far and wide to celebrate your big day. Love them or loath them, wedding favours are traditionally a little treat or gift given as a thank you for joining the celebrations. While not strictly necessary, they are a lovely way to show your guests a token of your appreciation. But to ensure your gifts don’t end up in landfill once the day is over, here are some eco-friendly wedding favour ideas to lower your environmental impact.

Eco-Friendly Wedding Favours

Go green

Let your guests take a little part of the day home with them. An eco-friendly wedding favour that gives your guests something to do when they get home will keep your wedding day in mind and memory.

Wildflower seed packets: an increasingly popular option. Encourage your guests to give the bees a boost in their own gardens. The packets themselves can be personalised with the details of your day or a memorable quote. As the wildflowers grow and bloom, they will be a continual reminder of a wonderful wedding day.

Plants: if you are especially green-fingered, gifting potted plants is a great option. Succulents are the most popular choice as they’re easy to care for before and after the big day (for any guests who don’t ‘do’ plants). They also create a beautiful table display for a real visual impact.

Charity shop finds

If you want to go super personal, head for the charity shops. Find the perfect gift for each guest to really show your thanks for joining your special day. Going second-hand is an excellent way to make your wedding favours eco-friendly, and by buying from charity shops all your money will go to good causes. Just don’t leave this to the last minute as it might take you a few trips.

Things to eat and drink

It’s hard to go wrong with food and drink. A tasty treat will always go down well with guests. There are many ways that you can make this personal to you.

The perfect blend: many beverages can be blended to create a unique wedding drink. If you’re a coffee aficionado, pick your favourite artisan beans and combine to create your own blend. This can be given to guests in small packets to take away and grind at home. The same can be done with whisky. Or craft your own gin. The exclusivity of the gift will really make your guests feel special.

Foodie heaven: make your wedding favour personal and delicious. Anything from maple syrup to hot sauce to olive oil can be labelled and personalised for the big day. Make sure the ingredients are ethically sourced and have plastic-free wrapping and you’re onto a winner. (Just accounted for any dietary requirements).

Go DIY

If you want to make all the little touches yourself, there are many ways to put your crafting skills to good use. Handmade gifts will always go down well when they’re made with love.

Homemade jam: continuing the food theme, cook up a batch of your favourite jam for your guests to take home. Add a little sticker with your guest's name and you have a ready-made place name - the perfect eco-friendly wedding favour.

Handmade soap: they look great and smell great, what’s not love about handmade soap as an eco-friendly wedding favour? Wrap in personalised paper or card and you’ve got something useful for your guests to take home.

Reusable and practical gifts

For truly eco-friendly wedding favours, beautiful yet functional is the name of the game. To make sure they fit into your guests' everyday lives, avoid personalising these wedding favours:

Water bottles: especially handy if you’re going for an outdoor wedding on a sunny summer day. Keep your guests hydrated with water bottles they can take home afterwards.

Beeswax crayons: Not forgetting the children among your wedding guests. Crayons will keep little ones entertained during speeches and other slower parts of the day. For an eco-friendly option, look for crayons made from beeswax.

Reusable straws: another great gift idea that is useful both on the day and for a long time afterwards. Reusable straws can be made from metal, bamboo or glass and personalised for a perfect eco-friendly wedding favour.

Or opt for no physical gift

As a bonus sixth option, it’s worth mentioning that the most eco-friendly wedding favours are those that don’t exist at all. Donate the money that you would’ve put towards wedding favours towards a good cause.

The setting for the wedding of your dreams

Find your perfect wedding venue at a Strawberry Hill Gothic mansion overflowing with 18th-century style. With exquisite architecture and lush lake views, Donnington Grove is a friendly country house hotel with everything you need for a fairytale wedding day.

Whether you’re looking for a private, intimate ceremony or a grand celebration, we’ll help you make your vision come to life.

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