01
Bridal shower favors at a glance
The quick answers before the full list of favor ideas.
- Per guest
- $2 to $4A thoughtful favor does not need to cost more, and the money goes further on the food
- Required
- NoFavors are a thank you from the host, not an obligation. A shower without them is still a complete celebration
- The safest choice
- Something sweetCookies, chocolate, honey or jam: easy to love, easy to take home, and gone within the week
- The rule
- No printed datePut the names and date on a tag rather than the favor itself, so guests can keep using it
02
Edible bridal shower favors
Sweet treats and pantry favors guests enjoy at home.
Decorated sugar cookies
Cookies iced with a ring, a heart or the bride's initials, wrapped in a clear bag with a tag. A classic favor that suits any theme.
Honey jars
Small jars of local honey with a meant to bee tag, perfect for a honey or spring bridal shower.
Jam or preserves
Mini jars of jam or homemade preserves, a sweet favor for a brunch shower or a garden party.
Chocolate bars and bonbons
A good chocolate bar with a custom wrapper, or a small box of chocolates. Simple and loved.
Macarons
A two or three macaron box in the shower colors, which doubles as decor on the favor table.
Candy jars and popcorn bags
A candy bar where guests fill a bag, or a popcorn bag with a fun label. Easy, cheap and colorful.
Coffee or tea
Small bags of coffee for a love is brewing theme, or loose leaf tea for a tea party.
Mini sparkling wine
A mini bottle of prosecco or sparkling wine with a custom label, for guests over twenty-one.
03
Pampering and practical bridal shower favors
Small gifts guests will actually use.
Lip balm
A lip balm with a custom label, one of the most practical bridal shower favors and easy to add a tag to.
Hand cream or soap
Floral hand cream, a handmade soap or a goat milk soap bar, wrapped with ribbon.
Candles
A small candle in a tin or a votive, lightly scented, with the shower colors on the tag rather than the label.
Bath salts and shower steamers
Rose bath salts or essential oil shower steamers in a jar, for a spa or self care theme.
Sheet masks or mini skincare
A single sheet mask or a mini skincare set, a favorite for a younger guest list.
Tote bags and tea towels
A plain tote or a tea towel with a simple design, useful long after the party.
04
Plant and garden bridal shower favors
Favors that grow, with a let love grow tag.
Seed packets
Wildflower seed packets with a custom tag. Cheap, light and easy to mail to guests who could not attend.
Succulents
A small succulent in a clay pot, which also works as place card holders on the table.
Herb growing kits
A mini herb jar kit with basil or mint, for a kitchen or recipe shower.
The flower bar bouquet
If the shower has a flower bar, the bouquet each guest builds is the favor.
05
Personalized and unique bridal shower favors
Keepsakes guests can use every day. Keep the personalization small so the item stays useful.
Ring dishes and trinket trays
A small ceramic dish for jewelry, with a subtle heart or initial.
Custom matchboxes
Matchboxes with a sweet phrase for the candles at home.
Wooden spoons or measuring spoons
A personalized wooden spoon or heart shaped measuring spoons for a kitchen shower.
Drink koozies or stemless wine glasses
Practical favors for a relaxed shower, with a tag rather than a printed date.
Luggage tags
For a travel or adventure theme, a leather luggage tag each guest will use on the next trip.
06
DIY bridal shower favors
Easy handmade favors that look special and keep the cost down.
Seed packets in mini clay pots
Paint small pots in the shower colors and tuck a seed packet inside.
Dried lavender sachets
Small fabric bags of dried lavender tied with ribbon, for drawers and closets.
Tea jars
Mini jars of loose leaf tea with a hand lettered label.
Coffee favor bags
Ground coffee in small kraft bags with a love is brewing sticker.
Homemade cookies or mini pies
Bake a batch the day before and wrap them in cellophane with a ribbon.
07
How to choose bridal shower favors guests will love
Whether to give favors, what to spend, matching the theme, and how to present them.
Bridal shower favors are a small thank you from the host to every guest for coming to celebrate the bride. The best ones are thoughtful, fit the shower theme, and are easy for guests to enjoy at home, whether they eat them, plant them or use them.
Do you have to give bridal shower favors?
No. Favors are a nice gesture, not an etiquette requirement. If the budget is tight, spend it on the food and skip favors, or let an activity like a flower bar or recipe cards double as the take home gift.
How much to spend on bridal shower favors
Two to four dollars per guest is plenty. For a shower of eighteen guests that is about $36 to $72, which makes favors the easiest line to trim if the budget is small. Buying in sets or making DIY favors keeps the cost down.
Match the favors to the theme
A theme makes choosing easy: honey for a meant to bee shower, lemon soap or lemonade mix for a main squeeze theme, coffee for love is brewing, seed packets for a garden party, mini prosecco for petals and prosecco, and a mint to be tin for almost any theme. The bridal shower themes page has 42 ideas to match.
Personalized, but not too personal
A custom tag with the bride's name and the shower date makes any favor feel special. Printing the date on the item itself makes it less likely to be used again, so put the personalization on the tag, the wrapper or the sticker.
How to present bridal shower favors
A favor table by the door with a small sign saying thank you for coming, favors at each place setting, or a basket guests pass around at the end all work. Display favors in the shower colors so the table doubles as decor, and make sure there are a few extra for guests who arrive late.
Wedding shower favors for a couples shower
At a couples or wedding shower with both families invited, choose favors that suit every guest: coffee or tea, a mini bottle of hot sauce or olive oil, a candle, a seed packet or a treat. A small gift of appreciation that anyone would enjoy is the right fit for a mixed guest list.
The same rule applies to the design: a tag with the couple's names and the wedding date, and a favor that feels like a thank you rather than wedding merchandise.
Favors and prizes are different
Favors go to every guest; prizes go to the winners of the games. Keep them separate in the budget, and see the bridal shower game prizes page for prize ideas.
Put the names and the date on the tag, not the favor. Then guests can keep using it.
The personalization ruleTag, not item
08
Bridal shower favors, answered
The questions hosts ask about favors for a bridal shower.
What are good bridal shower favors?
Decorated cookies, honey or jam jars, chocolate, lip balm, small candles, seed packets and succulents.
Choose something guests can eat, plant or use.
Do you have to give favors at a bridal shower?
No. Favors are a nice thank you, not a requirement.
An activity like a flower bar can double as the favor.
How much should bridal shower favors cost?
Two to four dollars per guest.
For eighteen guests, about $36 to $72 in total.
What are cheap bridal shower favors?
Seed packets, cookies, candy bags, tea or coffee bags and DIY lavender sachets.
Buying in sets keeps the price down.
What are unique bridal shower favors?
Ring dishes, custom matchboxes, herb growing kits, luggage tags and mini sparkling wine.
Keep the personalization on the tag.
What are good DIY bridal shower favors?
Seed packets in painted pots, dried lavender sachets, tea jars, coffee bags and homemade cookies.
Make them the week before, and bake the day before.
What favors match a bridal shower theme?
Honey for meant to bee, lemon soap for main squeeze, coffee for love is brewing, seeds for a garden party.
A tag in the shower colors ties it together.
How do you display bridal shower favors?
On a favor table by the door with a thank you sign, at each place setting, or in a basket at the end.
Make a few extra for late guests.
Who pays for bridal shower favors?
The host, as part of the shower budget.
The bride does not pay for her own shower favors.
09
What to read next
The budget these come out of, the gifts going the other way, the games, and the themes.
10
Where this comes from
The costs are Revelwick estimates. The one week test is ours.
What the figures are
Every cost on this page is a Revelwick editorial estimate for a bridal shower of about eighteen guests. It is a starting point for a budget conversation rather than a quote, and prices move, so check the current price before you book anything.
What is ours
The test, that a favor should be gone inside a week because somebody used it, is ours, and it is what puts food and seeds above objects.
So is the instruction to print the names on the tag rather than on the thing. We do not name shops or brands.