Most brides and grooms want to give their guests something small as a thank you gift, but cheap wedding favors are a reminder of something that will just get thrown away. The last thing you want to do is waste your hard-earned money and precious time giving away something that won’t be appreciated. It’s much more important to give your friends and family something they’ll appreciate or use, rather than something you feel is incredibly unique. Here are some cheap wedding favor ideas that are sure to be a hit, while also giving you the opportunity to add your own special touch.

1. Indulge your sweet tooth

There is no doubt about it. Sweets and other edible wedding favors are most popular with guests for a very simple reason: they can be consumed. Nothing to gather dust on your shelves or get stuck to the bottom of a closet. Your cheapest option is to have a candy bar. Buy bulk candy in your color scheme or theme (like nostalgic candy), set it out on a table in fun containers or jars of different shapes, and give your guests mason jars to fill on their way out the door. A candy bar might sound a bit common these days, but that’s because there are so many ways to use it for decoration and everyone always loves it. Just search the internet for the term “candy bar pictures” and you will get endless beautiful images to inspire you.

2. Other amazing edibles

If you don’t want to have a candy bar, think about other types of food that you can pack in boxes, bags, or jars. Homemade granola, wedding themed chocolates, gourmet teas and spices, decorated cookies, or even your own homemade jams are all popular favorites that your guests will love. Get creative using your own packaging. For example, you can design your own labels and tags, use colorful fabrics, or find mismatched jars and mugs at thrift stores.

3.Cunning solutions

Do you like crafts or do you want to try them? Homemade soaps or candles are a fun activity to do with your wedding party and make unique favors for guests. There are numerous guides online showing how to make soap, candles, jewelry, bookmarks, or other crafts. Just be sure to test before you head out to load up on supplies. Ultimately, it may be cheaper for you to purchase the favor once you figure out the cost of all the supplies.

4. A song and a dance

Another increasingly popular gift is a wedding keepsake on CD. The cost of blank CDs is minimal and all you have to do is create a personal playlist of favorites and burn them from your computer. Then buy or design your own wedding CD labels and place the CDs in a cardboard CD box. Stick on the label, tie with a ribbon, and your guests will have something to listen to when they get home. Just make sure you use music that you own!

5. A solidary solution

Many couples these days would like to give back to the community, especially after spending so much money on a wedding. This idea can be combined with the details of the wedding by creating small cards that tell each person that a donation has been made in honor of all their guests. Depending on the charity, you may still be able to give something to your guests. For example, if you’re making a donation to the American Heart Association, place some chocolate hearts with your card. For breast cancer awareness, include a little bag of pink jelly beans. Environmental charity donations could be combined with seed packets. You can even split it up and donate it to the bride and groom’s favorite charity separately.

There is absolutely no reason why you need to spend a fortune on wedding favors. Even if you buy them and avoid the time involved in DIY favors, there are plenty of options available.