5 Edible Wedding Favor Ideas

Wedding favors can range from candles to monogrammed items, containers of bubbles to something that's special to the bride and groom. While it's great to give your guests a keepsake they will always have to remember your wedding, it's also fun (and often cheaper) to offer them edible favors. Here are some ideas for edible favors you can buy or make yourself.

1. Tradition rules: The most traditional wedding favor treats are nuts, mints and petit fours or other little bits of chocolate. These items became traditional because they are easy to find, most people like them (other than those allergic to nuts, of course), they are relatively inexpensive and easy to turn into a cute gift. These items can be packaged in small cellophane bags tied with ribbon in the colors of your wedding, or placed in a net bag in a wedding color with coordinating ribbon. You can also purchase small boxes to place chocolates or other small items in. The addition of a little wedding charm (like a pair of gold rings) makes this inexpensive gift cute and irresistible.

2. Little bites: Less traditional but still small, easily bagged and much appreciated nibbles include any kind of small candy or mint. Think Hershey's Kisses in a red sack or M&Ms in the colors of the wedding and packaged in a clear bag. Perhaps there's a candy that you and your sweetie love or that plays a significant role in your relationship that you could share with your guests. If the connection is obscure (not something as simple as Clark bars because his name is Clark) you might want to print up little business-card-sized explanations, which you can then punch a hole in and thread through the ribbon.

3. Caterer calls: If money is no object at your weeding, you might be able to get your caterer to offer a small food item for your guests to take away, such as individually wrapped slices of groom's cake or a handmade chocolate item. While this will be an expensive addition to your day, it's very thoughtful to give your guests a nibble they can enjoy on the ride home or in their hotel room while reliving your big day.

4. Simply homemade: If you don't have a huge wedding party and need to work off some of your pre-wedding jitters, consider baking cookies or something else special and small to give to your guests. Cookies can be made a few days in advance if stored in air-tight containers, or you can make the dough well in advance (at least a month), freeze it in a log shape, then thaw, cut, bake and package on the day of the wedding. This is a particularly nice idea if you have a family member you want to honor through food, like if your family always has your grandmother's cookies for special occasions but she is no longer alive to make them herself. Again, share your stories with the guests who might not understand. Letting them in on your family history will make it much more meaningful for them.

5. Goodies with a theme: If you have a theme for your wedding, you might be able to think of a food-related favor that goes with that theme. We had Cajun food at my wedding, so the favor was a tiny bottle of Tabasco, which the guests could use then or keep and use later. A beach theme could lead to a favor of salt-water taffy. For a garden party theme you could give a nice selection of a couple of bagged teas. Think about pralines for your southern wedding, or any kind of regional treat that's small, portable and not very perishable. Again, if something is meaningful to you, that's an excellent choice.

No matter what kind of food favor you're considering, think about things that are meaningful to you and your spouse or your families, things that will make people laugh, or cry, things that will make your guests smile and perhaps make them wonder what you were thinking. Favors are a fun addition to the party and with a little creativity you can offer your guests a parting treat that will cause them to remember your wedding for a long time to come.