When to order wedding favors and how many to get: the practical guide

When you write to me about wedding favors, two questions almost always come up together: «How soon do I need to order them?» and «How many should I get?». They are linked: to know how many you need, you wait for guest confirmations, but if you wait too long, you risk running short on your order.

Here I explain how I see it, as someone who prepares these favors by hand one by one, and what industry guides recommend. At the end, you'll have a reverse timeline and a simple way to do the math.

How far in advance to order wedding favors

Wedding guides provide different timelines. Some recommend ordering at least 2-3 months in advance, especially if you want them personalized. Others, for weddings with many guests, suggest four or five months. For small events, on the other hand, they say you can even do it last minute.

For me, the minimum is this: order them at least 30 days before the event. I do everything myself, by hand, in my workshop in Viggiù, and each candle is poured one at a time. I make every favor myself, individually: the 30 days is what I need to ensure the quality of every piece.

Thirty days, however, is the minimum, not the ideal time. If you write to me sooner, we have time to calmly choose colors and fragrances, and you don't have to decide everything in a rush during the busiest month of preparations. And if the number changes slightly in the meantime, a few extra pieces can be added up to a week before the event.

A reverse timeline

Here is how I would organize the timeline if I were in your shoes:

• Two or three months before: decide what type of favor you want and how much you want to spend per piece. If you like the candle idea, this is the time to try the fragrances. With the Olfactory Journey box, you have six soy wax samples to smell at home, with cards that explain each scent. If you then confirm your order with me, the cost of the box will be deducted from the final quote.
• When guest confirmations arrive: do the math (I'll explain it below) and write to me for a quote.
• At least 30 days before: confirm the order and I will begin preparing them.
• The last few days: pick them up by appointment in Viggiù, or I will ship them to you. We'll agree on the date together, but they are usually ready a week beforehand.

On the Handcrafted Favors page, you'll find the four steps, from when you write to me to when you receive them.

How many wedding favors are needed

The most common etiquette rule is this: one favor for every household, not one for every guest. A family of four receives one, a married couple receives one.

There are some exceptions worth knowing:

• Engaged couples, according to traditional etiquette, receive two favors, one each, because they are not yet a single household.
• Single guests receive one each.
• Adult children who attend alone count as a separate household.

The easiest way to count

Take your list of confirmed guests and count households, not people: families, couples, singles. Then add a small buffer. Industry guides recommend around 10% more, and I agree: a leftover favor can be given as a gift to a friend, but one that is missing is noticed all night long.

If the list isn't ready yet, there is a quick formula often found: number of guests divided by 1.5, plus 10%. With 100 guests: 100 divided by 1.5 is about 67, plus 10% is about 74 favors. It's an estimate, not a precise count: as soon as you have the confirmations, redo it based on the actual households.

Baptisms, communions, confirmations, and graduations

For smaller parties, the reasoning is the same: one favor per invited family. Additionally, you should always think about godparents, grandparents, and close relatives, who usually receive their own even if they are part of a family already counted. A 5-10% buffer is sufficient.

For a graduation party or a birthday, where guests are often friends who attend alone, it is better to count one favor per person.

For me, the minimum is 10 pieces, so it works well even for a small family party.

The people you always forget

When you do the count, remember those who are not on the guest list but worked for your day or have been close to you:

• witnesses, godparents, and parents, if you want to give them something special;
• the photographer and the videographer;
• the celebrant;
• the vendors you worked with the most;
• close friends who couldn't make it, but to whom you want to leave a memory.

And if you run short at the last minute?

It happens: an extra guest, a late confirmation. With handmade favors, it's not like reordering from a catalog because each piece must be prepared. If there are only a few pieces to add, it can be done up to a week before the event. That’s why a 10% buffer is the most stress-free way to avoid having to worry about it.

If you are in doubt between two numbers, let's talk about it: regarding the price per piece, which for me ranges from €3 to €9 based on format, packaging, and personalization, the difference for a few extra favors is easy to calculate. If you want to better understand how the price is formed, I also wrote how much favors cost and how to save.

Write to me when you have a date

You don't need the exact number to write to me: the date, the type of event, and an estimate of the guests are enough. I will provide a proposal with fragrances, colors, packaging, and price, and sugared almonds if you want them (I get them from a confectioner in Varese).

You can write to me using the form on the Handcrafted Favors page or on WhatsApp at +39 333 930 6397. You can pick them up by appointment in Viggiù, in the province of Varese, or I can ship them throughout Italy. If you want to get to know my candles first, you can find them all in the Home Scents collection, and here I talk about my workshop in the province of Varese.