22 Eco-Friendly Wedding Favors Guests Will Flip For
22 Eco-Friendly Wedding Favors Guests Will Flip For
The typical wedding in the United States generates up to 400 pounds of trash and sixty-three tons of CO2. Regardless of your point of view, that is a significant amount of waste for just one wedding! Select reusable eco-friendly wedding favors for your guests to help lessen the event's detrimental environmental effects and encourage future sustainability initiatives.
Eco-friendly wedding favors allow couples to show their loved ones how much they care while protecting the environment. From reusable items to organic food arrangements, we examine a range of environmentally friendly wedding favors that will wow and delight your guests. Learn more about our top picks for eco-friendly, sustainable wedding favors.
Explore eco-friendly wedding favors that your guests—and the planet—will appreciate
Eco-friendly wedding favors that promote sustainability
1. Reusable BPA-free water bottles
Americans throw over 35 billion empty water bottles away annually, with only 12% recycled. To help cut down on waste and the excessive use of dangerous plastics, give guests at the wedding personalized or customized reusable water bottles. Stainless steel is long-lasting and infinitely recyclable, and aluminum is also very durable and recyclable. Look for BPA-free goods made of sustainable materials.
2. Bamboo straws
Give engraved bamboo straws to wedding guests to help reduce single-use plastic waste. Reusable straws are long-lasting and environmentally beneficial; guests will remember your special day each time they use them.
3. Trendy totes
Reusable tote bags, all-natural, sustainably sourced cotton tote bags, are stylish and functional. They can be given to guests as welcome presents or as take-home wedding favors. Place personalized wedding bags on a visitor welcome table and stuff them with snacks, folding fans, or other little presents. Friends and family members can pick up a bag when they arrive and use it to transport goods they purchase at the event. After that, visitors can store or carry groceries in their totes.
4. Coconut cups
Natural coconuts may be cut into coconut cups, which make amazing favors for destination and tropical weddings! They are available for guests to enjoy fruity cocktails at the reception and to keep on display as a visually appealing memento. Do not worry if you lack the time or means to make unique coconut cups for every guest on your list; specialty stores like Coconut Greetings offer personalized coconut cups.
5. Woven fans
At summer weddings, outdoor gatherings, and festivities in tropical destinations, give guests woven hand-fan favors at the start of the ceremony to help keep them cool. Natural materials like palm leaves, seagrass, and straw can be used to make eco-friendly hand fans. In addition to keeping guests cool on hot wedding days, hand fans can enhance the aesthetics of weddings with boho, rustic, farmhouse, or beach themes. Additionally, visitors are welcome to take the fans home for use on the following lake excursions, getaways, and summers.
6. Cork wedding coasters
Consider getting personalized cork coasters if you're looking for eco-friendly wedding favors with a bohemian or farmhouse theme. Natural cork is an environmentally friendly substitute for conventional coasters since it is impervious to liquids. It benefits all visitors since it absorbs moisture and helps shield surfaces. Choose personalized pumpkin coasters for an affordable fall wedding, or use custom coasters from Etsy artists or stores to commemorate your wedding theme. Couples who are nostalgic would love these typewriter-themed accessories from
Eco-friendly wedding favors for plant lovers
7. Personalized seed packets
As wedding favors, give guests personalized seed packets so they can enjoy gardening. Add seeds for fresh herbs that are easy to cultivate (and difficult to destroy) or pollinator-friendly flowers. Provide mixed wildflower packets, considering that some species may be invasive in your area. Consider selecting one of the following gorgeous species if you're unsure which seeds to include in your customized packages:
- A baby's breath is a traditional wedding flower that is simple to grow.
- Freesias have vibrant blooms that smell sweet and spicy.
- Beautiful blossoms that follow the sun across the sky are the hallmarks of sunflowers.
- For an annual flower-themed present, choose Penstemon wedding bells.
You can acquire personalized, eco-friendly seed packets from an eco-friendly online merchant or download and print your design on sustainably sourced seed packets.
8. Plan table place cards
You may use organic seed paper to make wedding place cards that "go green" in several ways. When planted, these environmentally friendly wedding favors yield beautiful blooms and look great on reception tables. Put the guest's name and the wedding date on one side of the place card. On the other, provide information about lighting, watering, and plant spacing for the plants growing from the included seeds. Guests can put their favors straight into the ground after the wedding, and the budding plants will act as a sweet memento of the occasion.
Potted cactus and succulents make fabulous, one-of-a-kind, low-maintenance live wedding favors. Succulent favors are inexpensive, low maintenance, and available in various hues, sizes, and forms. Some flower, while others grow trailing tendrils. Before adding a guest's name and the wedding date to each present, arrange the tiny plants in tiny terracotta pots, wooden boxes, or other environmentally friendly planters.
10. Grow-your-own herb kit
Grow-your-own herb kits make excellent presents for foodies and plant lovers. Budget-conscious couples might order the favors in bulk or manufacture them themselves—stow seeds, planting guidelines, and potting ingredients in tiny, biodegradable boxes. Place one of the occasion-themed, custom-printed decorative stickers on each package. Young herbs can be displayed in biodegradable planter pots ready to be planted in the ground to make a more visually appealing version of these favors.
Sustainable wedding favors for food fanatics
11. Organic tea set
As a wedding favor, give tea sets to friends and family to thank them for joining the celebration. For those who adore the cottage style, organic tea sets with a farmhouse theme are ideal for rustic weddings and parties. A tea set could include an assortment of organic loose-leaf teas or a tea strainer, eco-friendly honey, and tea. Impress your guests at the wedding by serving them whole-leaf teas with unexpected floral aromas, fresh herb notes, or apricot overtones.
12. Fairtrade coffee
Offer your loved ones tea sets as wedding favors to thank them for joining the celebration. Organic tea sets are ideal for rustic weddings, gatherings with a farmhouse theme, and anyone who likes the cottage style. Tea sets could include a variety of organic loose-leaf teas or a tea strainer, eco-friendly honey, a soy candle, and tea. Whole-leaf teas with apricots, fresh herbs, or surprising flower aromas will wow your wedding guests.
13. Spice blends
Craft delectable and aromatic wedding favors by individually packaging your preferred spice blends. For an autumn wedding, pumpkin spice mixes are ideal, and for a summer wedding, guests will adore a Smokey BBQ rub. Pick a seasonally appropriate spice blend, or if you have a special recipe, make it up to share with your guests, but don't give away too much.
14. Homemade organic preserves
Offering delectable, organic homemade jams, jellies, or marmalades to wedding guests is a great way to express gratitude. To impress your wedding guests with easy yet exquisite condiments, make delectable preserves using seasonal, fresh fruits. Transfer the preserves to small mason or jelly jars. Make cute gift tags with recycled paper, seed paper, twine, or other items to go with them.
Pamper wedding guests with environmentally friendly favors
15. Soy wax candles
Soy wax is an inexpensive, environmentally friendly substitute for conventional paraffin candle wax. Not only are soy candles more environmentally friendly than paraffin candles, but they also burn more slowly, extending their lifespan and lowering the need for renewal. Additionally, soy wax candles burn cleaner, resulting in less filthy soot that could go on your hands, clothes, or furniture.
16. Sugar scrubs
Present a sugar scrub, a fragrant, natural exfoliator, to your wedding guests. Excellent do-it-yourself wedding favors that are inexpensive and a great way to express gratitude to guests are sugar scrubs. Numerous recipes for organic sugar scrubs include a variety of substances, including honey, coconut oil, brown sugar, vanilla, lavender, and essential oils. Pick a tinted sugar scrub to match the wedding's color palette, or put a brown sugar-based scrub in tiny baking pots for a present with a baking theme.
17. Handmade soaps
Present herbal soaps made locally or by hand to your visitors. Invest in a nearby company that prioritizes sustainability, or make your own to save a few dollars. Incorporate oatmeal, coconut, essential oils, lavender, and other organic ingredients to add a fresh scent and homoeopathic qualities to these eco-friendly wedding favors.
18. Shampoo bars
Over 550 million shampoo bottles are discarded and dumped in landfills in the United States each year. Out of this total (excluding body wash, conditioner, and other personal care items), a tiny percentage of bottles are recycled and used again. To help reduce the trash from shampoo bottles, give all-natural, zero-waste shampoo bars to wedding guests.
19. Eco-friendly lip balm
One of our favorite eco-friendly wedding favor ideas is sustainably created lip balm, perfect for any season. Seek out balms created with coconut, beeswax, jojoba oil, or other organic, reef-safe, and paraben-free ingredients in tiny, reusable tins or paperboard push-up containers. To customize your organic lip balm wedding favors, make unique labels with the guest's name, the wedding date, or the couple's initials.
Planet-friendly eco-friendly wedding favors
20. Bird-feeder ornaments
With just a few basic materials, anyone can create these charming wedding favors: inexpensive, easy-to-make, and environmentally responsible hanging birdseed tree ornaments. Mix wild birdseed and egg whites until the seeds are completely coated and adhere to one another to create the ornament base. Then, transfer the mixture into cookie cutters in the shape of hearts. Put a straw in the Centre to make a hole through which you will hang it with ribbon or twine.
The yolk acts as a binding agent as the mixture dries, creating a solid heart-shaped wedding favor that guests may display on their porch or garden to draw in wild birds. The couple's initials and wedding date can be put on a recycled, bespoke paper gift tag.
21. An acre of the rainforest
Donate the money you set aside for wedding favors to a worthy charity, such as protecting the rainforest, rather than giving your guests useless trinkets or knickknacks. Donate to a respectable rainforest conservation organization in each visitor's name, like the Rainforest Protection Trust or the World Land Trust. For a predetermined price, contributors can "buy an acre" of rainforest to preserve through these organizations and other nonprofit conservation groups. Give each visitor a customized donation certificate that includes information on their acre's location and explains how their donation will support rainforest conservation efforts.
22. Evergreen saplings
Live evergreen seedlings make incredibly kind and environmentally responsible wedding favors. They make considerate presents for guests at ceremonies with a Christmas theme and winter wedding celebrations. Individual seedlings are simple to assemble; they can be wrapped in a little burlap bag, tied with ribbon or twine, and set in planting material. Gifts that are sustainable and meaningful, guests will enjoy seeing their wedding favors blossom and serve as a colorful memento of your wonderful day.
Frequently asked questions about eco-friendly wedding favors.
1. How can you sustainably wrap wedding favors?
Avoid wrapping eco-friendly presents for friends and family in non-recyclable or wasteful materials. Instead, use eco-friendly wrapping materials like paper, glass, cloth, or biodegradable paper.
2. Do you have to give wedding favors?
Guest favors are unnecessary for couples planning an eco-friendly wedding or throwing a zero-waste event. Instead, donate to a nonprofit charity or organization that focuses on the environment.
3. How much do couples care about sustainability?
The Sustainable Wedding Alliance polled engaged couples to determine how important sustainability is to the wedding planning process. 98% of all respondents stated that sustainability played a role in their wedding planning process, and 89% of couples polled indicated they had grown more environmentally conscious in the previous 12 months. Additionally, 78% of responding engaged couples regarded sustainability as an "important or very important" component of the process.