The tradition of giving your guests little gifts – known as wedding favours – dates back to the 16th century when they were common at weddings in the French and English upper classes. Bestowed as a symbol of good luck, the original favours were five sugared almonds gifted to each person, to represent fertility, longevity, wealth, health and happiness. Today, pretty much anything goes, with couples choosing everything from personalised gifts to homemade jam, mini bottles of spirits and – as couples increasingly seek to give back on their wedding day – making a charitable donation. If there’s a particular cause that is close to your hearts, you can simply make a donation in lieu of favours and include the details at each place setting to help raise awareness of your chosen charity. Here’s a round-up of some other benevolent ideas…
Adopt a lobster
The recently launched ‘Adopt a Lobster Wedding Favours’ from The National Lobster Hatchery in Padstow have the bonus of being local as well as benevolent. You’ll receive a lobster certificate so you can fill in the name of the person the adoption is for, as well as being able to choose the name of each lobster – perfect for adapting to your theme or even using cheeky nicknames based on your guest. Once released, your guest will be able to track their lobster by seeing where it was released – a cost-effective and sweet way to bring a love of the ocean into your big day.
nationallobsterhatchery.co.uk/wedding-favours
Plantable place cards
Doubling up as place names, these plantable cards from Parkinson’s UK will make a gorgeous addition to a tablescape, which your guests can then take home with them and plant. Made from post-consumer waste, printed with vegan-friendly ink and fully biodegradable, the place cards are embedded with wildflower seeds, so once planted in soil, they’ll grow a beautiful reminder of your wedding day.
shop.parkinsons.org.uk
Chocolate pebbles
Ideal for a coastal-themed wedding, these milk chocolate pebbles from the RNLI will look beach-brilliant scattered across your tables or dessert station. Let people know they’re edible or just picture their shock when those in the know bite into them! Alternatively, add a bag to each place setting and let your guests enjoy them into the evening and beyond as a super-sweet memento from your day. 
shop.rnli.org
Charity seed packets
If you like the idea of giving back to the environment, opt for the seed packets from Wildflower Favours, which support animal and sea-related charities, from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust to the Hedgehog Preservation Society. Each packet comes with sweet illustrations that are customisable so you can have your names and wedding date printed on them. With a mix of up to 15 UK-grown wildflowers in each packet, they’ll be bringing beauty to guests’ gardens for years to come.
wildflower-favours.co.uk
Pin badges
Support a cancer charity by gifting your guests a covetable pin badge. Available in a range of designs such as bees and doves, the pin badges from Marie Curie come in a pillow box or you can use the backing cards to write guests’ names on. We’re also big fans of the charity’s celebration confetti, which is not only colourful and biodegradable, but comes embedded with seeds, so if they’re scattered at a place where wildflowers can grow, they’ll keep the celebrations going year after year! Cancer Research UK also has a range of pin badges, from angels, rainbows and flowers through to dinosaurs, footballs and unicorns for your child guests.
shop.mariecurie.org.uk
cancerresearchuk.org
Children’s toys
We adore the idea of gifting toys to the young guests attending your wedding while lending support to a children’s charity – and you’ll find a large range of gifts, homeware and books available in the NSPCC shop. There’s a wide choice of toys under £5, including wooden yo-yos, colourful notebooks and mini paint sets, which will double as on-the-day entertainment as well as favours. 
shop.nspcc.org.uk
words Lucy Lawrence
