40 Frugal DIY Wedding Favors Your Guests Will Actually Want To Take Home

Have I mentioned how much I absolutely adore weddings? I really do. I love planning and decorating for them and I really love attending them.

On that note, as much as I love weddings, I also know how very expensive they can be.

From the dresses and tuxes to the food for the reception and right down to the wedding favors, you could easily spend tens of thousands of dollars before you know it – which is why DIY wedding décor and accessories is always best, right?

Jump to:

• 1. DIY Romantic Wedding Mixed Tape
• 2. Homemade Birdseed Hearts
• 3. DIY Wood Bud Vases
• 4. Easy DIY Soy Candle Wedding Favors
• 5. Handmade Coaster Wedding Favors
• 6. DIY Cocktail Kits
• 7. Adorable Coffee Bean Wedding Favors
• 8. DIY Glitter Confetti Bags
• 9. Yummy Cookies In A Jar Wedding Favors
• 10. Monogrammed Mug Wedding Favors
• 11. DIY Customized Drinking Glasses
• 12. Customized Fortune Cookies
• 13. DIY Burlap Coffee Or Tea Bags
• 14. Homemade Extract Wedding Favors
• 15. Homemade Granola Favors
• 16. DIY Lemon Body Scrub
• 17. Homemade Hot Cocoa Kit Favors
• 18. DIY Infused Oil Favors
• 19. DIY Lace Tambourine Favors
• 20. Homemade Elderflower Jelly Wedding Favors
• 21. DIY Lemonade Wedding Favors
• 22. DIY Honey Favors
• 23. Glass Magnet Wedding Favors
• 24. DIY Matchbook Covers
• 25. DIY Personalized Mint Tins
• 26. DIY Noisemakers
• 27. Paint Sample Keychain Favors
• 28. DIY Mini Pansy Favors
• 29. Homemade Pie In A Jar Wedding Favors
• 30. Upcycled Vintage Fabric Sachets
• 31. DIY S’mores Wedding Favor Kits
• 32. Scrabble Magnet Favors
• 33. DIY Wildflower Seed Paper
• 34. Homemade Soap Bar Wedding Favors
• 35. Homemade Love Spice Favors
• 36. DIY Succulent Wedding Favors
• 37. Personalized Tea Bags
• 38. Lottery Ticket Favors
• 39. Homemade Vanilla Sugar
• 40. Handmade Wooden Coaster Wedding Favors

1. DIY Romantic Wedding Mixed Tape

What better gift to your wedding guests than a CD of the very songs that you had played during the ceremony?

Mixed tapes have been around for decades and that’s just what this DIY wedding favor is.

You simply burn CDs – however many of them you need – of your wedding songs. When you’re compiling the CD that you’re going to use in the ceremony and reception, just make several additional copies.

You can even make a lovely CD case for each one.

Tutorial/Source: freepeople

2. Homemade Birdseed Hearts

These little birdseed hearts are the perfect DIY wedding favor. Not only are they hearts, which symbolize love, they’re also made of birdseed so they’re really environmentally friendly and so very inexpensive so make.

You just mix the birdseed up and then mold with cookie cutters or silicone molds. Tie a nice ribbon or piece of twine to the top and you’re all set. You can even add a little personalized tag.

Tutorial/Source: intimateweddings

3. DIY Wood Bud Vases

These little bud vases serve two purposes. They can help with your seating arrangements at the reception and when the festivities are over, your guests can take them home.

They’re really easy and inexpensive to make and are perfect for decorating for a rustic wedding. Plus, guests will adore taking home a flower from your wedding as a reminder to them of your special day.

Tutorial/Source: weddingnewsday

4. Easy DIY Soy Candle Wedding Favors

Everyone loves a good smelling soy candle, so these DIY wedding favor candles are sure to be appreciated by your guests.

They’re pretty easy to make and the supplies are not at all expensive, especially if you have a few small glass jars on hand.

Just fill your jars with your candle mixture and then add a nice label or other design to the jar itself.
Tie on a little thank you message with a piece of twine or thin ribbon.

Tutorial/Source: ruffledblog

5. Handmade Coaster Wedding Favors

These little coasters are really easy to make and are the perfect DIY wedding favor if you want something inexpensive and unique.

They’re made from square ceramic tiles, which you can get at any home improvement store for under $1 each.

Use Mod Podge to add your design and then tie a couple of them together with ribbon, twine or burlap – depending on your wedding décor – to give to your guests as they leave.

Tutorial/Source: gomodernvintage

6. DIY Cocktail Kits

These little cocktail kits are perfect for giving your adult guests something to remember your special day.

The ingredients for mojitos or any other cocktail aren’t terribly expensive, particularly if you choose not to provide the liquor. Just print up the directions for making the cocktail that you choose and attach with a piece of twine to the package.

Guests will love you for this one and they’ll think of you when they are relaxing and enjoying their after wedding cocktails.

Tutorial/Source: somethingturquoise

7. Adorable Coffee Bean Wedding Favors

These adorable little coffee bean wedding favor jars can be made in under an hour – several of them, that is. They’re not expensive, especially if you have a collection of tiny jelly jars.

Even if you have to buy all of the ingredients and materials, you’re still not spending much and your guests are going to adore their own little coffee bean gifts.

Tutorial/Source: somethingturquoise

8. DIY Glitter Confetti Bags

Guests will love these little confetti bags, that you make with mini treat bags. Just add the glitter confetti when the bags are done and add in a special message for your guests.

The bag serves as the favor and they can use the confetti to send you off in style when all of the festivities are over. Embellish your bags with the date of your wedding and a special thank you message that they can cherish for years to come.

Tutorial/Source: ohlovelyday

9. Yummy Cookies In A Jar Wedding Favors

Everyone loves a good cookie, right? Instead of serving actual cookies to your guests as wedding favors, why not provide them with a cookie in a jar kit that they can make themselves at home?

Cookies in a jar have been popular gifts for years and you don’t have to do large jars.

If you’re on a tight budget, choose smaller jelly sized jars and just give them enough ingredients to make a half dozen or so cookies with each one.

Tutorial/Source: intimateweddings

10. Monogrammed Mug Wedding Favors

This project may be a bit complicated, particularly if you don’t have an iron clad RSVP list. But, you could do something aside from monogramming if you prefer.

Create custom mugs with your own initials and the date of your wedding or if you know who will be at the wedding, you can make custom monogrammed mugs for each and every one of your guests to take home afterwards.

Tutorial/Source: designmom

11. DIY Customized Drinking Glasses

Here in the South, mason jar drinking glasses are very common. Everyone has at least one in their cabinet, which makes these custom drinking glasses the perfect DIY wedding favor.

They’re not at all expensive – you can get an entire case of mason jars for under $10. Then you just draw or paint the design that you want to include or even embellish it with the date of your wedding.

Tutorial/Source: soulmakes

12. Customized Fortune Cookies

This is such a neat idea! You can buy fortune cookies in bulk from many different manufacturers.

Once you get them – and this is a bit time-consuming – you just take tweezers and remove the fortune that is in them and replace it with your own special message.

It’s a great way to get a customized fortune cookie without spending an actual fortune having the custom messages added.

Tutorial/Source: asubtlerevelry

13. DIY Burlap Coffee Or Tea Bags

These burlap coffee and tea bags are great and your guests are sure to love them. You can buy small burlap sacks or you can make them yourself – which is actually the least expensive option.

Just add coffee beans or tea – or a combination of both – and then tie them up with ribbon or twine.

You can put a label on them so that guests know what’s inside them and add a special message, too.

Tutorial/Source: ruffledblog

14. Homemade Extract Wedding Favors

Give the gift of deliciousness when you offer your guests these homemade extracts. You can choose any flavor that you want or make a combination of different flavors, labeling them so that guests can choose their favorites.

The little bottles can be found at Hobby Lobby or any other craft supply store and they’re relatively inexpensive.

The extracts are really simple to make and create a wonderfully unique wedding favor for your guests.

Tutorial/Source: justputzing

15. Homemade Granola Favors

Small jelly jars are perfect for housing homemade granola and your guests are going to really love this wedding favor. Granola is not at all difficult to make, or you could buy it already made and just pour it into the jars.

Label your jars with a special thank you message to your guests and tie the lids up with twine or ribbon to make them extra-special.

Tutorial/Source: realsimple

16. DIY Lemon Body Scrub

Body scrub is a great gift to off your wedding guests. Once they’re home again after your special day, they can relax and exfoliate a bit. This is more a gift for women but there are plenty of men who enjoy a nice relaxing scrub now and again.

You just make the scrub in bulk and then add it to mason or jelly jars. Add your special message on a label or tag and tie it all up with ribbon or twine.

Tutorial/Source: thesleepytimegal

17. Homemade Hot Cocoa Kit Favors

Treat your guests to a nice steaming cup of hot chocolate after the festivities with these homemade hot cocoa kit wedding favors.

You can even add special flavors and labels so that guests can choose the ones they want or make all of your hot cocoa recipes the same and just add a label with your special thank you message and directions for whipping up their hot cocoa.

Tutorial/Source: greenweddingshoes

18. DIY Infused Oil Favors

Infusing your own oils is really easy and these are beautiful when they’re added to small bottles. They make wonderful wedding favors for your guests when you add a label with your names and special date – as well as the flavor of your oil. Small glass bottles can be found at any craft supply store and you can get the corks for the lids really cheap, as well.

Tutorial/Source: pepperdesignblog

19. DIY Lace Tambourine Favors

These little lace tambourines serve a dual purpose. Not only do they serve as a wonderful wedding favor for your guests, they also help your wedding attendees to really send you off on the honeymoon in style.

They can shake their tambourines as you leave. These are easy to make and actually look really lovely on a table – they triple as décor for the wedding until the time comes for guests to grab them up.

Tutorial/Source: honestlywtf

20. Homemade Elderflower Jelly Wedding Favors

Guests will really love receiving this lovely jelly as their wedding favor. Now, you certainly don’t have to go with elderflower jelly.

You can make any jelly that you want. The gist of the idea is to label the jelly jars with your names and even the date of your wedding.

These are great for a rustic outdoor wedding and you can even add a small loaf of homemade bread – if you have a lot of time and really want to make your guests feel special.

Tutorial/Source: oncewed

21. DIY Lemonade Wedding Favors

If you’re having a summer wedding, and especially and outdoor rustic type summer wedding, then these DIY lemonade wedding favors are perfect. You can hit up yard sales and thrift stores and get a collection of small glass bottles to store the lemonade or put it in small jelly jars.

Lemonade mix is a wonderful gift and you can add a custom label with your special thank you message and the recipe for mixing up their drinks.

Tutorial/Source: chanceycharmweddings

22. DIY Honey Favors

If you have the local market for it, honey is a great DIY wedding favor. Of course, you won’t be making the honey yourself, but you will be bottling it and adding your special message.

Local farmers will really appreciate you thinking of them when you buy your honey and honestly, who wouldn’t love a jar of local honey? These are adorable little jars that you can dress up with ribbon or burlap and they are definitely something that your guests will love.

Tutorial/Source: applebrides

23. Glass Magnet Wedding Favors

You can easily DIY a few glass magnets to give to your guests as a memento of your special day.

They’re made from clear glass gems and you completely customize the picture or message so they’re the perfect wedding favor. Glass gems are pretty inexpensive at the Dollar Store and you get several in a bag so depending on your guest list, you won’t need to spend much on these at all.

Tutorial/Source: intimateweddings

24. DIY Matchbook Covers

Matchbook covers are a traditionally popular wedding favor, although having them customized with your names and date can get rather expensive when most printers charge by the word.

You can make them yourself instead of ordering and save a bundle. Just cover each matchbox in craft paper and then hand write your personal message or use a computer to print out your message onto the paper and save yourself some time.

Tutorial/Source:stylemepretty

25. DIY Personalized Mint Tins

Mints are a tradition at Southern weddings and these personalized mint tins are perfect for wedding favors. While you don’t make the mints yourself (although you could if you wanted) you do personalize the tins so that they reflect your special day.

Guests are going to love grabbing these as they leave your wedding and they’ll think of you each time they toss a tasty mint into their mouths.

Tutorial/Source: marthastewartweddings

26. DIY Noisemakers

What better wedding favor than a DIY noisemaker? Guests will have the memento from your wedding day and they’ll get to use them to send you off on your honeymoon in style – loud style, that is.

You can buy noisemakers in bulk pretty cheap but they’re even cheaper when you make them yourself. Plus, you get to personalize them however you want and they’re really easy to make.

Tutorial/Source: stylemepretty

27. Paint Sample Keychain Favors

Paint samples are really inexpensive – about 25 cents each or so – and they make wonderful keychains that you can give your guests as wedding favors. All you have to do is add the actual keychain and maybe a special message for your guests.

You can print off the date and anything else you want to add and then use Mod Podge to adhere it to your keychains. These won’t take long at all to make and they’re really inexpensive.

Tutorial/Source: ruffledblog

28. DIY Mini Pansy Favors

Giving the gift of living plants is a wonderful way to commemorate your wedding.

You can give each of your guests a small potted pansy, which also works as a decoration for your reception tables until guests take them home at the end of the celebration.

You can buy pansies pretty cheap and then just transplant them into smaller planters. Add a special label with your thank you message and you’re all set.

Tutorial/Source: intimateweddings

29. Homemade Pie In A Jar Wedding Favors

These delicious little pies in a jar are going to be very well received by your wedding guests. They are similar to cookies in a jar, but they’re already baked so guests can enjoy their little pies instantly.

I love the idea of adding a little pie crust heart to the tops and they’re made in small mason or jelly jars, so a few ingredients will make several little pies.

Tutorial/Source: greenweddingshoes

30. Upcycled Vintage Fabric Sachets

You can make these little sachets to give your guests as a wedding favor and tackle that huge stash of vintage fabric at the same time.

If you don’t have fabric on hand, you can find it at any thrift store and many yard sales really cheap. Just fill with lavender or your favorite dried flower and add a special message on cardstock.

Tie it all together with twine, burlap or ribbon and you’re all done.

Tutorial/Source: intimateweddings

31. DIY S’mores Wedding Favor Kits

Most people love s’mores, right? If you’re planning an outdoor wedding, these s’mores wedding favors are perfect.

The easiest – and cheapest – way to do these is to just stack your graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows on cellophane and then tie it all up with a ribbon or a piece of twine. This is a really great idea for rustic weddings, and especially rustic weddings that you may be having at night.

Tutorial/Source: thehungrybride

32. Scrabble Magnet Favors

These Scrabble magnets are adorable and they’re housed in a little tin that holds your special thank you message.

You can find Scrabble tiles at thrift stores or check with friends and family to see if they have an old game that they are no longer using. Just hot glue a small magnet to the back of each and then add a few to each customized tin that you create.

Tutorial/Source: evermine

33. DIY Wildflower Seed Paper

You can give your guests the gift of beautiful flowers in these DIY wildflower seed paper wedding favors. These are so easy to put together and you can make several with a bag of wildflower seeds.

These are really perfect for rustic outdoor weddings and you can attach them to a printed sheet of paper that relays your special message and has your names and the date of your nuptials on it so they have something to keep even after they’ve planted their wildflowers.

Tutorial/Source: weddingomania

34. Homemade Soap Bar Wedding Favors

Everyone loves homemade soap! You can make your guests super happy when you give them these easy to make homemade soap bars.

The label on the soap can contain your thank you message and inside, guests will find the great smelling soap that you created just for them.

You can use any number of soap recipes and scents and these are really easy to mold.

Tutorial/Source: fabyoubliss

35. Homemade Love Spice Favors

Give your guests a wonderful treat with these BBQ rubs that you can make yourself and house in a small jelly jar. The rubs or spices themselves are easy to put together and you can use any homemade spice recipe that you want.

Print out labels for your jars – which you can pick up at any craft store, or check the Dollar Tree for salt shakers. The labels hold your special thank you and the insides hold a delicious treat for your guests.

Tutorial/Source: somethingturquoise

36. DIY Succulent Wedding Favors

Succulents can be used to decorate your reception tables and then double as wedding favors for your guests. Plus, these little plants are very hardy so there are no worries of them getting overheated in case you’re planning an outdoor wedding and/or reception.

Plant your succulents in tiny jars or tin containers and then label them and tie everything together with jute or twine or a nice ribbon.

Tutorial/Source: weddingsbylilly

37. Personalized Tea Bags

Instead of bags of tea, how about just a single tea bag that is personalized with your wedding information and your special thank you message? I found these on Etsy and they’re already printed for you.

You just have to let them know what you want to say. You have to print them off yourself and then just add a teabag, any flavor that you want. The personalization is under $12 and teabags are really inexpensive so this is a really cheap way to offer a personalized wedding favor.

Tutorial/Source: etsy.com

38. Lottery Ticket Favors

Who wouldn’t love to receive a free lottery ticket? I’ve used lotto tickets as gifts before but never thought about using them as wedding favors – for guests over 18, of course.

You just print up the special holder and then add a lotto ticket to each one. You can buy lottery tickets for a dollar each, so this is relatively cheap considering you won’t have to spend much for the envelope.

Tutorial/Source: weddingchicks

39. Homemade Vanilla Sugar

Give your guests a sweet treat with this homemade vanilla sugar wedding favor. You put the sugar in test tubes, which are pretty inexpensive, and then tie on a special thank you message with twine. These are great for outdoor or indoor weddings and offer your guests a wonderful treat when they get back home.

Tutorial/Source: applebrides

40. Handmade Wooden Coaster Wedding Favors

Coasters are a great wedding favor, because you just know your guests are going to use them. These wooden ones are amazing and they’re really simple to make. If you have a lot of trees in your yard, you may even be able to make these for nothing and they are perfect for rustic outdoor weddings!

Tutorial/Source: ruffledblog