It’s an exciting time of year! April is only a few days away, which means Earth Month is just around the corner!! As someone with a degree in environmental science and sustainability who’s also a wedding photographer in the gorgeous state of Colorado, I’m always looking for ways that couples can do the most to enjoy their wedding day while still taking care of mother earth. That’s what’s led to this article, as I have found 5 incredibly fun wedding favor ideas that are also sustainable and environmentally friendly (plus even a few extra ideas)!! Before we get into them though, I wanted to quickly talk a little bit more about why sustainability is important when it comes to wedding favors.

Bride and groom scream at the camera with guests on a dance floor decorated with disco balls at their Colorado wedding. The bride wears her hair down in loose curls and the groom wears a dark green suit.

Why Sustainability with Wedding Favors is Important

It’s time to be honest, nobody really wants a can koozie with your name and wedding date on it. It’s not that they aren’t happy to be celebrating you, or even that they don’t want something to remember the day by, it’s just not something they can really enjoy and engage with. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a wedding planner forcing koozies, custom pint glasses, or Christmas tree ornaments in the hands of guests as they leave the wedding day. People just don’t want these types of items, so they (and your budget for them) end up going to waste!

This is where sustainability comes in as there are SO many ways to give your guests environmentally friendly wedding favors that they actually want!! A general rule of thumb to follow is to give them things that are consumable, usable, or repurposed (with bonus points if they’re homemade or from a local business!) Let’s take a loot at some of my favs:

His and her favorite candies sustainable wedding favors, edible wedding favors.

Honey wedding favor, made to bee with the couples names on the jar.

1. Something to Eat or Drink

One of THE best ways to make sure your wedding favors don’t go to waste is to give your guests something they can consume. Snacks, candies, coffee, tea, syrup, honey, the list goes on and on! These options are great as not only are guests more inclined to take them home (or eat them on the spot), but if there are leftovers at the end of the night you can take them home for yourselves!! You could even go the route of putting the money you would have used on the wedding favors towards a late night snack for your reception if you’d like!

Wildflower seeds and lip balm for wedding guest party favors.

2. Something Natural

Another option for sustainable, environmentally friendly wedding favors is to give your guests plants, flowers, or seeds for them to take home! Whether you give them seeds to plant on their own, or some plants that have already begun growing, both are fantastic ways to give your guests wedding favors that they’ll actually want!! Everyone loves their house plants, and what’s more special than a house plant that reminds you of the wedding of some of your favorite people? If you go with the potted plant route for your guests you can also use some as your centerpieces. Just be sure to tell your guests that these are the party favors!!

Simple wedding favors that guests will actually use, lemon eucalyptus soap and a centerpiece with real flowers.

3. Something Thrifted

There’s not much that’s more sustainable or eco friendly than thrifting your wedding favors! Thrifted items like stem glasses or mugs not only make for great wedding favors, but they also can be used during the wedding itself. They can make your tablescapes more fun, and your guests can use them to drink out of throughout the night as well! They also make for great conversation pieces once they’ve been taken home, and are some of the easiest gifts for your guests to include into their day to day lives. Last but not least, if you do have leftovers you can donate them to be thrifted by someone else later on, unlike leftover glassware that has your wedding date and names on it!!

4. Some Chapstick

Chapstick is one of those things that’s hard to have too much of! I still have tubes of Chapstick from my clients' weddings that I keep in my fanny pack, camera bag, my car, and my home. Thanks to the dry air and high altitudes of Colorado I end up using my Chapstick every single day, so they’re extra appreciated for anyone planning a wedding here! You can also go the extra mile when it comes to how sustainable and environmentally friendly these wedding favors are through ordering plastic free Chapstick like Kobee’s for your guests!!

Sustainable wedding favors a glass shelf with bud vases and flowers for each of their guests and an ice cream sandwich sign for a wedding late night snack.

5. Something Without Your Wedding Details on It

Less a specific item and more so a general rule of thumb, if you’re looking to give your wedding party or your guests something physical as a gift for your day avoid items that say "Bridesmaid" or your names and wedding date. Unbranded items are much simpler (and more fun!) to work into your home than something that says "Sam and Chris 2025" in big bold letters. If these items do happen to end up in a thrift store at some point they’re much more likely to be repurposed, whereas an item that specifically references your wedding will most definitely end up in the landfill.

Wedding photo booth inspiration Shutter Bus Colorado, VW bus photo booth as a as a party favor for guests.

Bonus Ideas

Something Experience Based

Rather than getting items for your guests as wedding favors, a very sustainable and eco friendly option is to put your budget towards something more experience based! There are SO many fun ways to do this for a wedding day!! Have a photobooth or caricature artists at your reception, or a formal portrait photographer to take couples and family portraits since everyone will be all dressed up. You can even go with smaller, more personal gestures like handwritten notes or framed photos of you and each of your guests for them to take! This is a much more fun and personal option than many of the more common wedding favors you might see!

Late night snack bar breakfast burritos for wedding day favor to guests.

Put Your Budget Elsewhere

What’s more sustainable than environmentally friendly wedding favors? No wedding favors at all! Along the same lines as the more experience based options, putting your budget elsewhere is another fantastic option for your day. I’m not sure if this is a hot take or not, but I think buying your guests a nice dinner and drinks for your wedding is a MUCH better use of your budget!!

A bride and groom lifted up on chairs at their jewish wedding reception by guests in Colorado.

Those are 5 ideas, and a few extra tips, for sustainable and environmentally friendly wedding party favors! Remember that sustainability is a long game and something that you can constantly work towards. It’s incredibly hard to be 100% sustainable, so it’s important to do your best in the ways that you can to help keep our planet the beautiful place we’re lucky enough to call home! For more tips on sustainability in the wedding industry check out some of my other articles, and for anyone looking to have me document their wedding or elopement head over to my contact page to send me an inquiry!!