How many wedding favours should you order for your guests?

Short answer

Order one favour per guest, not per couple or household. Count every adult and child who is invited, including the wedding party and yourselves. Add a small buffer of five to ten extra favours to cover last-minute changes or breakages.

The simplest rule is one favour per person, because each guest is an individual. Even if a couple attends together, they each receive their own favour. This is especially important for edible items, where sharing is not always possible. Count everyone on your final guest list, including children, the bridal party, and any vendors who will stay for the meal, such as photographers or musicians.

Once you have your exact number, order a few extra. People sometimes bring an unexpected plus one, or a favour gets dropped or damaged. A buffer of five to ten is usually enough. For very small weddings, even two or three extra is fine. For larger weddings, you might want a slightly bigger buffer, but do not over-order, especially for personalised or perishable items.

If you are making favours yourself, make a few extra batches. If you are ordering online, check the minimum order quantity. Some suppliers only sell in multiples of ten or twenty. In that case, round up to the nearest multiple. Remember, it is better to have a few left over than to run out. Leftover favours can be given to your wedding party or kept as keepsakes.