How many times have you been to a wedding and conveniently “forgot” to take a favor because, well, you just weren't that into them in the first place? Guilty as charged! To ensure your guests don't do the exact same thing and throw your hard-earned money down the drain, invest in something they actually want and that won't go to waste. Here are 7 favors that fit the bill according to guests who've literally seen it all.

1. Anything edible (as long as it's high quality, that is)

“Quality is key! Nice chocolates would be my vote or something I can snack on that night or the next morning. If you're going to buy cheap candy for simply the sake of having a favor, just don't have one.” — Catherine

2. Alcohol

“You can never go wrong with mini champagne bottles or airplane bottles of your favorite booze. Even better if you have his and her options so guests can pick their drink of choice. It's doubtful any will get left behind.” — Marisa

3. Scratch off lottery tickets

“We gave everyone dollar scratch off lottery tickets, and they were a huge hit. I decorated envelopes with our name, wedding date and colors to put them in, and the total cost per person wound up being something like two dollars, including the ticket itself and craft supplies. They were really cute and so easy to do! You can always buy more expensive tickets for everyone or mix some of the $5, $10 and $20 tickets in with the dollar ones to make it fun for people to pick an envelope.” — Caroline

4. Mini plants and hanging terrariums

“I'd love to get a potted succulent or a hanging terrarium. I'm always looking for little things to spruce up my home and office so something like this would be perfect. Pretty much anything else I would leave at the table, unless it was food.” — Jade

5. Something local to the area

“If it's a destination wedding, it's nice to get something I wouldn't be able to get anywhere else, such as a little taste of the culture or a souvenir of sorts. For example, we went to a wedding last year that had jam as one of the favors in a flavor that was native to the area and very well known.” — Summer

6. Caricatures

“My friend and her husband hired a caricature artist to work their entire reception. There was a line all night, which was slightly annoying, however, all our friends still rave about their portraits today and a lot of them even have hung them up in their homes.” — Andrea

This article was written by Elizabeth Mitchell for Brides.com.
Photo: Twila's Photography