Main image courtesy of Victoria’s Heavenly Cupcakes

Edible wedding favours – like cookies, jams, and chocolate – are no-fail favourites. Look no further than sweet buffets and their popularity… is there anyone who can say no to yummy treats? So whether you want to give your guests something to nibble on before your meal, or a sweet taste to take home, we promise they’ll love it. Are you having – or considering – edible favours at your wedding? We’d love to hear what you’ve chosen – so let us know!

Bride and groom cookies by LizzieMay’s Cookies & Cakes

Edible wedding favours ideas

Sweets are the preferred choice for many brides, as a perfect accompaniment to the lovely occasion that is a wedding. There are so many varieties, it all comes down to your own personal preference really – and whatever fits your celebration.

Some of the most popular options include:

• Cupcakes
• Muffins
• Donuts
• Jam jars
• Honey jars (perfect for a Winnie the Pooh wedding)
• Cake pops
• Ferrero Rocher and other individually wrapped chocolate
• Chocolate chip cookies
• Gingerbread men
• Homemade rice krispies treats
• Layered cake mix in a jar, with baking instructions
• Lollipops

For a spring or summer wedding, why not consider little punnets of fresh in-season fruit? They don’t cost much, and you can get them from a local farm already pre-packed, all you’ll need to do is ensure they are washed and kept cool – your venue can help with that. The fruit can be anything that’s not easily perishable – strawberries, grapes, apricots, cherries, blueberries… avoid soft or large fruit like raspberries, plums, or apples, it’s best to stick to nibble size. To personalise, you can add little flags or labels with the guest names, or with your own and the wedding date. Place one box at each table setting, and we guarantee your guests will love it.

Image from madeinheaven.hu

Wedding favours – make or buy?

There are three things to take under consideration – time, your DIY skills, and helpers.

Do you have lots of time to consider the best option, and then make an appropriate number of treats? Be smart about it – when you have just a little time, simplicity is your best friend. This is why Krispy Kreme donuts keep appearing at weddings with amazing regularity – because they’re tasty, fresh, gorgeous – plus easy to find and inexpensive. If you’re making something from scratch, the best way to figure out how long it will take is to make a batch, and time it from start to finish. Then multiply by number of guests, add another hour or two on top for any mishaps and delays, and you’re all set to add it to your diary.

When you make your own favours, being organised is just as important as getting the recipe right. Be realistic – if you last baked when you were seven years old, or if the nerves get the better of you every time you make something for an occasion (like a festive dinner), making your own wedding favours from complicated recipes probably isn’t going to be a great success. Of course, if you have loads of time, you can hone those skills until your cookies are worthy of a Nobel prize. But if you don’t, you’ll just get frustrated – and you don’t need to add yet another thing to your already long wedding to-do list.

Image from theknot.com

Who can help with your favours? Has your Grandma or Auntie offered to bake those gingerbread men? Fantastic – say yes, and be sure they get mentioned in one of the speeches. Got bridesmaids? Get them together to layer those ingredients, tie those ribbons, or stick labels onto jars. Is your Mum a wiz with icing? Ask for help. The point – you don’t have to do it alone.

There are some things that are just better when bought. Obviously, Ferrero Rocher and other wrapped chocolate treats are a given. Cake pops are best when made by a professional baker – trust us, we’ve seen a few brides who wish they’d never gone near them. Jam and honey – you should buy it in bulk from a local farm if possible, and put them into jars yourself (more on that below). Donuts – sure they can be made at home, but buying them is easy and inexpensive. Everything else – the choice is yours. But do always keep in mind the three things – the time, your skills, and helpers.

Image from Miriam & Michael’s real wedding by Michelle Prunty

Edible favours – what to keep in mind

Allergies – try to avoid products with nuts, and if you’re concerned about glutens, choose things that don’t need flour – for example, jam or honey.

Freshness – some things keep, some things don’t, so you have to think about the timings and storage. Cookies, gingerbread men, cake mix and anything in a jar can be made quite a few days in advance and stored until the wedding day. Cupcakes, muffins, donuts, cake pops all have a shorter shelf life, so they’ll need to be made almost at the last minute to be at their best.

Decorations – the good news is, your favours won’t last long, so you really don’t need to spend loads of hours (and euros) making sure they look their best. If you’re a fan of icing, keep it simple and think of it as just adding a drop of colour – you don’t need to do elaborate calligraphy. A simple twine or ribbon bow tied around a cellophane bag is all you need to make it pretty. Custom stickers on jars cost mere cents, but add a lovely touch. And if you opt for Ferrero Rocher, or other wrapped sweets, they don’t need anything at all.

Image from Lisa & Derek’s real wedding by Ebony & Pearl Photography

Jars – as soon as you decide about things that go in jars (like cake mix, jam or honey) ask everyone you know to start collecting empties, and make sure to specify the size and that they should keep the lids. Don’t worry if some of them will be mismatched – it’ll look lovely. There’s no need to spend money on brand new jars.

Simple recipes – the internet has gazillions of recipes of all kinds – so there’s really no need to go for the complicated ones that require you to measure every last chocolate chip, and massage the dough for hours while singing inspirational songs. Keep it simple – just a few ingredients, mixer instead of hand whisk, even a delicious banana bread recipe for an electric bread-maker. Be sure to search using terms like simple, easy, quick, beginners.

A single bowl – if you want to make things even simpler, consider a single bowl or platter for your chosen treats, one per table. Arrange the favours neatly, place in the middle – and tell the guests to help themselves. It’s a wonderful ice-breaker too.

If you have any questions or recipes to recommend, let us know – we’d love to hear your ideas!