How to Choose the Perfect Party Favors (Without Overspending)

For me, one of the most confusing parts of party planning was party favors. Always doubting, is this enough, or too much? You need to balance the budget, usefulness, and come up with a unique party favor. So, if you are confused about return gifts, this post will guide you step by step to come up with the right one that is within your budget and crowd-pleasing. I have tried to cover everything from budget to finding a balance between theme, DIY, and packing to elevate it.

Step 1: Decide If Party Favors Are Needed

Before you start picking out party favors, the very first thing to do is ask yourself: “Do I even need party favors for this event?” There is no need for party favors for every party, and that is totally okay. Of course, you can give gifts to guests at any party, but if you are wondering, “Do I need to give a party favor?” then probably you don’t need to. In fact, sometimes offering favors can even make guests feel awkward if it’s the kind of event where they’re not usually expected.

So to simplify for you, here are the celebrations that need and do not need party favors.

Celebrations that NEED Party Favors	Celebrations that DON’T NEED Party Favors
Birthday Parties (Never miss for kids party)	Casual get-togethers (BBQ party, game nights)
Bridal showers	Dinner parties
Baby showers	Holiday gatherings at home
Graduation party	Sleepover or slumber party
Housewarming party	Potluck gathering
Corporate or Office parties	Retirement or Farewell parties

Now, this is not an established rule. But yes, surely a popular social norm when it comes to giving party favors. Another rule to help you decide is that if the event is formal, go for it, but for casual gatherings, it can be skipped. To clarify, holiday presents, like those for Christmas and Thanksgiving, are traditions and not counted as party favors.

Step 2: Set a Realistic Favor Budget

Once you know you want party favors, the next step is figuring out how much money you can spend on them. Setting a realistic budget is important because no one wants to overspend or buy favors that don’t match the size of the party. Think about your total party budget and decide what portion of that can go toward favors. As a rule, 3–10% of the total party budget can be allotted for return gifts.

I like to budget per guest to take into consideration the volume of guests, too. For simple events like a kid’s birthday, baby shower, or similar $1 to $5 per guest is enough. However, for rare events like milestone birthdays, a housewarming party, you can go for $5 to $15 per person. Again, this is just for reference; it is totally up to your budget and how much you are willing to spend on return gifts. You can totally have a good party and give amazing party favors even with less cost by being mindful and smart.

Don’t forget your guest list matters, so for a large gathering, aim for a lower range of per-person cost. And go for things that are value for money on bulk buy.

Step 3: Match the Favor to Your Guests

With the budget sorted, now is the time to pick the right party favor. Age group and the occasion of the party are the key considerations to finding favors for your guests to make your gift extra thoughtful and fun.

Kids like favors that are fun, interactive, and even edible favors work great for them.

Some sure things that make them happy are:

Small toys
Bubbles
Stickers
Mini puzzles
color set or DIY craft kit
Cakepops
Personalized cookies
Candy bags

Teens usually love things that are trendy, practical, or snack-based, like:

Phone accessories
Cool bag stickers
Reusable water bottles
Cool stationery items
Gourmet popcorn
Chocolates

Grown-ups appreciate useful keepsakes or gourmet treats like:

Candles
Fancy tea
Gourmet coffee
Small jars of local honey
Small potted plants
Self-care items
Decor items

When guests include a mix of ages, go for neutral favors like plants, food, with custom thank-you notes. Succulents in tiny pots, a quality mug, or a stationery stand. Or a custom thank-you card with a small treat attached works for any group.

Being mindful of guests’ likes shows the extra effort you take to make them part of your celebration.

Step 4: Align with the Occasion and Theme

When picking party favors, it’s important to match them with the occasion and the party theme to make them feel more natural part of the celebration and memorable.

I always match the favors to the birthday theme. For my daughter’s recent mermaid-themed party, I wanted to keep the favors practical and gave a stationery set that was mermaid-themed. It was useful and super cute; everybody loved them. Another thing I observed is that theme-based favors bunches with multiple items cost a little less than individual ones if you are going for a size of up to 12. For a bigger-sized party, individual item bulk buy may be better. These days, there are many birthday theme-based favor packs available. If you don’t find something specific, you can also go for the theme color favor ideas.

If you want to have a single item, you should go for something that is symbolic of the theme or practical. For example, for a superhero party, little masks or action figures work great. For a princess party, tiaras or sparkling bracelets are good ideas.

For baby showers or bridal showers, go for favors that lean toward sentimental or pampering items. like small candles, bath salts, or cute photo frames, preferably matching the theme and fitting the thoughtful, cozy vibe of the event.

Step 5: Choose Between DIY or Store-Bought

You can also DIY party favors instead of buying them ready-made; it will significantly reduce your budget, but only after careful consideration. It depends on your time, budget, and how personal you want your favors to be.

If you are good at DIY and have enough time, and have planned for the event well in advance, which I highly recommend. You can check my post on party planning timeline for a good start. In such a case, DIY is a great option that’s effective and makes guests appreciate the return gifts more. You can bake cookies, make scented candles, or create little jars of homemade jam. These favors show your effort and care, making them extra special.

However, if you are on a tight schedule and have no time and energy to spend, it’s better to go for store-bought favors. They will have a more polished look.

A smart middle ground is to go for a hybrid approach. Especially if you are looking for a goodie bag or hamper-style party favors. For example, you can buy plain mugs and do a custom design on them. Or make a hamper with one main item that is store-bought and add simple, small DIY items to make it more valuable.

Step 6: Focus on Practical and Memorable Choices

When choosing the party favors, look for things your guests will use or enjoy, not something they might toss in a drawer. Practical favors are more appreciated by guests.

Some of the party favors that I appreciate as a mother are always the useful items, like coloring books, a pen stand, and cute bags. Useful items are a smart choice.

If you want to give a useful return gift and are confused, or you have guests of a range of ages, go for edible return gifts. They are always a crowd-pleaser because everyone loves a tasty treat. You can give cookies, gourmet chocolate, or small jars of mixed candies or dried fruits for a healthy treat.

For grown-ups, it’s better to go for decorative favors that can also be memorable. Small plants, pretty candles, or small, unique ornaments will add charm to homes and remind guests of your celebration.

It is always good to go for a quality item, even if it’s something small. I prefer to give a single small item instead of multiple cheap or single-use items that might get lost or thrown away. A smart return gift is a combination of usefulness and thoughtfulness.

Step 7: Mix Small Favors into a Hamper

If you want to give your guests something unique without spending a lot on one big item, go for several simple items as a hamper or goodie bag. Mixing different small favors makes a fuller, more exciting gift that feels fun to explore. The best thing that I like about giving a hamper is the ability to customize it to the theme and different range of ages at the party. And sometimes I am unable to come up with a useful item that is enough for a single item as a return gift, but several small items combined together as a useful hamper. For example, for a housewarming party, we gave a cozy “relaxation hamper” with a tea bag, a small scented candle, and a packet of chocolates. It brings variety, and the favor feels like a mini surprise rather than just one thing.

When done smartly, a hamper or goodie bag can be an impressive return gift while keeping costs manageable.

Step 8: Elevate With Packaging and Presentation

A little effort to pack and present simple or budget-friendly favors can make it look special and fancy. There are so many creative ways to pack that you will be spoiled for choice. Sometimes I spend so much time looking at gift packing ideas on YouTube; there is something pleasing about watching them. Instead of going for a simple wrapping with paper, go for something unique.

For birthday parties, you will find many themed gift packaging options that will come with unique packaging bags, along with tags. They look super cute and just elevate your gift. It is best that you keep a small amount of your gift budget for gift packing, too. If you are looking for a

cost-effective option, you can go for DIY. For my daughter’s mermaid birthday, I made a cone of thick blue paper and stuffed all the party favors in it and sealed the bottom with tape, and added a small mermaid tail cut out in purple glitter paper and pasted on the top.

For an elegant packing, especially for grown-ups, I love to use a transparent gift box. Simply add all items to it and tie a bow with some flowers. Super easy and looks fancy. Finish your party favor with a thank-you note or a custom label for a personal touch.

From My Party Notes

Here are some of my learnings from hosting parties and receiving some favors from the parties

For a kid’s birthday party favor, I always go for a goodie bag with the main party favor and add small things like stickers, a few candies, or a cute keychain. 2 years back, I got a mixed sticker pack of 1000 stickers for $4, and I have used it for 5 parties now, and I still have many stickers. These things just make party favors more exciting for kids and are not expensive when purchased in bulk.
Don’t waste time on buying individual items and look for 15 identical pieces, you may not find. It is best to go for a bulk buy. I have made this mistake, and it was tedious.
For a kid’s birthday with a mix of girls and boys, go for gender-neutral items or colors. Buying separately just doubles your work. For a princess-themed birthday, I made this mistake. We gave cute compact mirrors for girls and cute lapels for boys. I really had to scratch my head to come up with something for boys, and it cost me more, only because I wanted to follow the theme for the party favors, too.
When looking for party favors for grown-ups, I do not like to follow any theme, but just something helpful, because it’s already not easy to find something for grown-ups.
Maybe it’s just me, or all grown-ups; novelty items do not excite me. So I either go for something that is around relaxation, like a scented candle, or small indoor plants. Or edible items like mini coffee jars, snacks.
Once I bought a kg each of different dried fruits and small-sized storage boxes. I made small individual packs of the dried fruits and assembled them into storage boxes with a bow on top. It was one of the most appreciated return gifts. No waste, useful, and healthy.
Oh, and when making hampers instead of bulky baskets, go for transparent gift bags. They are cheaper, convenient, and give a chic look with less effort.

I hope this guide has simplified choosing the right party favor for your next celebration. Let’s not complicate and overthink; start with a budget and get creative with options that can be useful.

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