Weddings can be very expensive affairs, so a great way to cut back on costs is to cut back on some of the traditional, yet unnecessary, aspects of a white wedding. You don’t really need a 3 tiered cake, a weekend-long hen party, a second dress to wear in the evening or luxury wedding stationery… To be honest, in 5 years time nobody is going to remember that you didn’t have these things. However, one way you can impress your guests, create memories, and still cut back on your costs is to create your own DIY rustic wedding favours!
9 Rustic Wedding Favour Ideas
You don’t need to be a creative genius to make your own rustic wedding favours. Some of the best wedding favours that people remember are those that are a little on the rough side, as it shows that you’ve handmade them! Check out our top 9 ideas for chic wedding favours that will wow your guests, but not max out your budget…
1. Potted Herbs
The best wedding favours are those that are useful to your guests, as well as being good-looking! If you’re having a wedding in the country, then filling small pots with a fresh herb of your choice is a great way to give something genuinely useful to your guests. Next time they whip up a bolognese, they’ll think of you! The cheapest way to create these mini herb favours is to buy a few of the large, fresh potted herbs that you can buy in supermarkets. Then all you have to do is very gently take the whole herb plant out of its pot and ease it apart into individual plants by pushing your thumbs into the roots. Repot the smaller plants into little terracotta pots or ceramic pots with fresh compost, then add a rustic name tag which can act as a place holder!
2. Packets Of Seeds
If herbs are too complicated, then you could always just give your guests a little packet of seed that they can plant themselves. Why not attach a cute little note to each packet asking guests to plant the seeds in their gardens and ‘watch love grow”. Although that might be a bit too cheesy for some…
3. Infused Oils
If you and your partner are foodies, then small bottles of infused olive oils make great rustic wedding favours. Infused oils are so easy to make as you simply choose which flavour you want to infuse, then place the ingredients (garlic for example) in a glass bottle and pour your plain olive oil over it. Let the flavour infuse for a a set time period; depending on the ingredient this can vary from a few hours to a few weeks. You can then strain the oil into smaller wedding favour sized bottles, or dispense small bits of the flavouring ingredient into your bottles alongside the infused oil for a more rustic look.
4. Mini Candles
Everybody loves a scented candle! Candles are always popular gifts, as they can be kept by the recipient for a long time as a ornamental piece or for use on special occasions. Yet again, you can also double up these wedding favours as place holders, by attaching stickers with your guests’ names on them to the jars. We’ve got a great range of glass candle jars that would ideal for presenting your DIY candle wedding favours. You can easily make candles at home fairly quickly; simply search for candle making tutorials online to find them most suitable method for you.
5. Pots Of Preserves
Jams, honeys and chutneys are a popular option for wedding favours that many people having a country wedding choose. Jam is very easy to make at home and you can get creative with the flavours that you choose for your guests. If the area where you’re getting married has a specific type of preserve that they are famous for, then you can make your own version of that preserve or buy some of the real stuff! Our 30ml Mini Glass Jam Jars would be perfect for this idea. They come with Twist Off Lids included and are just 29p each!
6. Magnets
Your guests will love the memento of a personalised magnet, as every time they open the fridge they can be reminded of your special day. There are plenty of websites that allow you to upload your own artwork or photos to print on a variety of different items, magnets included. You can keep it very simple by just picking a nice background and printing the date of your wedding day in a stylised font.
7. Personalised Biscuits
Fancy yourself as a professional baker? Use your wedding as a barometer of your skills by baking your friends and family a biscuit or cookie each! Make sure to check if any of your guests have any food allergies before deciding on a flavour.
8. Sloe Gin
Winter weddings are the ideal time to serve up a warming shot of sloe gin as a wedding favour. You can start the preparation for this wedding favour many months in advance by going out to pick your sloe berries when they are at their ripest (around autumn).Your sloe gin needs to mature for at least 2 months before it is ready to drink, so this tasty favour is a great choice for Christmas or New Year weddings. Check out our guide to making sloe gin here.
9. Bottle Of Bubbles
No we don’t mean a bottle of bubbly, we are referring to actual bubbles. This fun wedding favour is perfect if there are going to be plenty of small children at your big day, as it will keep them occupied during the more ‘boring’ aspects of the wedding breakfast for them, such as the speeches and waiting time in-between courses. You don’t need to buy loads of bottles of the branded stuff, as it’s so easy to make your own bubble mixture using household ingredients. Simply mix washing up liquid with water and vegetable glycerin!
