Giving gifts to wedding guests is still a common tradition. A 2023 study by the Knot showed that 52 percent of nearly 10plea8,000 couples who were surveyed handed out wedding favors.

But there’s now a new spin on the custom. Couples are creating gifting suites, lounges and tables, where guests can choose gifts to take home after the celebration. Experiential gifts, where guests participate in activities in which they make their own presents, are also a popular option for couples looking to treat their guests to a distinctive gifting experience.

This approach stems from guests increasingly appearing to have grown tired of the old-fashioned wedding favors and welcome baskets that were often left behind or unused. (Think baseball hats with the couple’s names, bottle openers or mints.)

A 2024 study from the wedding platform Zola said that 62 percent of around 7,000 couples viewed traditional wedding favors as “somewhat outdated.”

Vanessa Kreckel, the founder of TPD Design House, a design agency in Wayne, Pa., said that she was now creating gifting suites and experiential gifts for around 80 percent of her wedding clients, a 50 percent jump from two years ago. “Couples always want different,” she said.

Abby Argo and Phil Sprio were married on July 4, and they hosted an Eras Tour-themed welcome party. Guests could choose from more than a dozen items in the gifting suite, including tube socks, lanyards, Vail sweatshirts and hats, and friendship bracelets similar to those exchanged by Swifties. Credit...Kristen Kilpatrick

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