Party Favors - How to make sure your guests take them?

We had favors on welcome table. Most guests took them.

I am not a fan of signs so we did not use them.

In my experience, the only way to ensure that guests will take wedding favors is to have an edible favor, and even then, some might get left behind.

We're having ours right on top of the plates. They're edible, so I'm thinking most people will take them or eat them there, lol!

I've noticed people don't really take things if they aren't edible or something they can use later on. I have beer koozies I got from a friend's wedding and we only took them because they were on our drinks all night. They've been sitting in a drawer ever since.

View Quoted Comment

I am doing edible favors.

I'm a fan of edible favors so we are having a cookie table and after dinner/dessert we are putting out little bags for people to fill up with cookies to take home.

My parents also wanted to buy us coozies (I think these are a waste, but they insisted). We ordered 100 for our 150 person wedding, knowing everyone won't take them. We plan to put them in a cute basket on the bar so people can grab one as they get their beer. Even if they don't keep it at the end of the night, it'll be cool to get a few pictures of people holding them.

I've seen people put them at each seat, I've seen favors by the sign in table so you can grab one as you go but it definitely depends what it is.

If its edible, safest bet is to put it at each seat. Maybe guests will eat it as they wait for their food or they'll at least remember to take it home.

I think no matter where you put them, a number of your guests will forget or simply choose to leave them. For maximum impact choose something edible or truly handy (less likely to use the reasoning "we don't need more clutter, just leave it"). Your best bets are either on the plates, where they'll definitely see them, or right next to the exit with a prominent sign - unless you have a DOC or venue staff that you could have stationed at the door to hand them out...but most of us aren't that lucky. I'll most likely have them on the tables so everyone knows they have one (and people don't confuse them with the "free for all" cookie table that we'll also have)

View Quoted Comment

I am doing edible favors. I am thinking putting them on the tables is the best option, but I just didn't want so much stuff on the tables. Plates, Charger Plates, Cups, Wine glasses, Silver wear, napkins and adding favors just seems like a lot of stuff.

Put on their place setting

I like having them at a place setting, then people can either eat them at their leisure.

I'm doing edible favors. I'm also having a metal christmas tree by the entrance to the reception, and will hang my favors on the tree branches

Personally I am going to have them placed on their place settings. We're giving jars of local organic honey

Mine will be at an entry table. Im only leaving one per couple, obviously one per single guest, as they are succulents im sure most households wont even take 2, and no biggie if people dont take them at all

I think the best way to ensure they take them, is to either place them at each seat, or have their escort card attached to them somehow so they're forced to pick it up. But as PP said, people still may not take them, even if they're edible.

My favors are magnetic frames to put the photobooth picture in. I will be placing each one at the guests seats. I'm hoping this encourages them to use the photobooth and take the frame home

We're not doing favors. We are serving a good meal, open bar, and great music. I don't want to deal with the amount that would be left over, and the money wasted.

I never take them, I don't want another thing in my home. And to be honest, I've usually had a few drinks and its the farthest thing from my mind. And this is how we ended up deciding not to do favors - our favor is a fabulous black tie wedding with all the trimmings and more. We will have 'eat cake for breakfast' boxes, since we have a dessert bar, and there will be baskets of custom cookies. But these are more just dessert bar enhancements. All that to say, make sure its at least edible.

I'm giving mini wine bottles and a TY card to be placed at each setting. I am okay with people not taking it. That means more for me

We are having airplane bottles of cafe patron with the escort cards attached to the top of them. Like this, it will be on the table when you first walk into the barn.

Patron

I plan to put our edible favors on a basket near the front door. We are renting a beach house for reception. Also a sign to explain they are local favorites, something like that..

We are doing wine stoppers, left on each plate. I don't know how we can get more obvious than that. We may send them with thank you cards if people forget them and let us know!