Succulent Gift Ideas – DIY Easy Plant Wedding Favors
Succulent Gift Ideas – DIY Easy Plant Wedding Favors (& Other Events Too!)
Welcome! We are Em and Kate. Two sisters, who have decorated weddings for nearly 20 years. On the blog, we share some of our favorite designs, favors, budget-saving tips, and do-it-yourself ideas fit for any wedding. You can read more about our adventures and decor ideas here.
We love all plants and believe succulents make fantastic small gifts for any special occasion! It is no wonder succulent party favors have become all the rage in recent years. We may not be succulent experts, but sharing in creative ways have been a design challenge we have really enjoyed. From baby showers to wedding favors, teacher gifts to table centerpieces, we have shared these little succulents in a unique way at each time. Add personal touches to customize and match each special event theme!
Succulent Wedding Favors – A Perfect Gift for Wedding Guests!
One of our favorite wedding decor designs we have done included succulent gifts as wedding favors. We also used the best selection of succulent plants we could find to create table centerpieces, then paired each with fresh florals. We constructed small glass terrariums for each table centerpiece mixed with vibrant fresh floral arrangements resulting in a display of natural beauty. We added fairy lights to the terrariums for a more whimsical look, which also added to the romantic lighting of the evening. You can see those little pixies below.
Photos by Catie Bartlett Photography
The bride wanted to use small succulents as wedding favors for the guests, and we thought this was the best choice and a cute idea to match the overall design! Not to mention, they are on the cheaper side of the spectrum when considering wedding favors. We ordered a set of succulents from Amazon and had no issue finding a vendor who sourced enough succulents for over 100 wedding guests. (Thankfully, Amazon offers free shipping, saving on cost and offering a promised delivery date which made planning easier as well.) They came in a mix of mini plastic pots that resembled small terracotta pots and some that were black in color.
Due to the fact that succulents are low maintenance plants that require little water to survive, we were able to store, prepare and personalize them before the wedding date. (In our experience, the more you can prepare and do before the event, the less stress you may encounter on the day.) We added a small personalized tag to several plants with the bride and grooms wedding day hashtag for guest reference and photo sharing. We also used twine to add a bow and personal touch to the gift.
As far as wedding favors are concerned, we would rate these as very affordable and easy and are a perfect favor to accommodate a larger guest list. You can see an example of the wedding favor display below.
The bride and groom had such a unique and artistic vision, the wedding day was full of style and live plants. The wedding venue was in an aged downtown railroad house converted to an event center. The couple wanted to bring some modern elements and natural materials to the design.
You can read more about this wedding and all the decoration elements here.
You Can Share Live Succulent Plant Centerpieces As Wedding Favors Too!
Another cool thing about this wedding was that the bride and groom shared the glass terrarium arrangements with their wedding party, family and close friends at the end of the night. It was a unique way to use the table settings, and created a great succulent wedding favor idea that remains as one of our favorites to date. Due to the dual use of the glass terrariums as gifts and wedding decor, it cut costs on purchasing additional wedding party gifts while having creative table centerpieces for the big day! It was sweet to see how much the couple’s wedding party and guests enjoyed the gift!
Little Succulent Party Favors – A Cute Idea for Baby Showers
Another way we have used these lovely little plants was for party favors at a baby shower. These mini size gifts were a hit! We added little favor flags to the plants to tie in the shower color scheme. Although, we would have opted for authentic clay pots if our budget allowed, we found it more affordable and a wise place to cut shower costs by using the mini plastic pots the plants came in originally. Changing out the succulent pot would be an easy way to change the look or even provide a more upscaled design element to consider if you budget allowed.
We also provided small gift bags for guests to transport their new live house plants home. The bags not only made carrying the plant easier, but also ensured no one had to clean rogue plant soil out of their car. This was a great way to show appreciation to our guests for coming and sharing in the big day of welcoming new Baby Hampton!
The Perfect Plant Party Favors for Any Event!
You could take this same idea to use as bridal shower guest favors or a birthday party favor also! You can add custom printable tags or create your own handmade ones using blank cupcake flags to share a personal message. Consider changing the pot out for a different look or to bigger pots so your guests don’t have to repot once the plant grows and matures. I mostly recommend this for a smaller guest count if you are wanting to keep costs low. If you have a plant lover you are celebrating, this is a great way to provide on-theme favors that won’t break the bank.
Other Plants Make Great Party Favors Also!
At a different baby shower we hosted, we purchased one large pothos ivy plant (Hey, Momma Plant!) and took baby cuttings from it. (See what we did there? :)) We shared these cuttings in miniature glass votives we found on Amazon for a great sale price. It was extremely easy to do, was a perfect way to add a Momma/Baby themed element, and share small gifts with our guests. The pothos ivy plant was a relatively affordable plant option. The only other expense for the favors was for the glass votives. We did not have to purchase soil as we shared the cuttings in water only. They propagated wonderfully and our guests loved them!
Many of our shower guests have shared that their cutting had blossomed into a thriving ivy plant and they were able to sharing cuttings of their own with friends! Be sure to look up proper care instructions on where to cut the plant in order to give the best chance of propagation success.
Like succulents, pothos ivy is a hearty plant that tends to share the same low maintenance care.
Best Succulent Gifts for Teachers and Other Occasions Too!
There are many different ideas and ways these easy little plants can be used; another great one is for Teacher Appreciation Gifts. In order to share a personal message of thankfulness, we used printable tags that we placed in the plant using a wooden stick. We used miniature clothes pins to fasten the printable tag to the stick, making it easy to adjust without disturbing the dirt or plant.
(Read about how we made these and see other Teacher Appreciation Gift Ideas here. )
We have printable tags available for just this type of project! You can find those succulent themed tags here. We also have a full post sharing how we used them here. (Use promo code WHSUCCULENT to get 20% off your purchase of “Teacher Gifts” in our Etsy Shop. You can find those listings here. You can use your browser or the Etsy App to shop. 🙂 )
Other Ideas When Gifting Plants…
I was on the receiving end of a sweet plant gift in which my son hand-painted the pot before he gave it to me. It was such a cute idea and just the sweetest thing. (Even though, we had a “Our Love Fern! You let it DIE” moment expressed by my son once he saw that I had forgotten to water it for a couple of weeks. Needless to say, I won’t let that happen again, and I’m happy to report that the little plant made a full recovery.) Painting a terracotta pot is an easy way to customize a plant gift, and kiddos love the crafting opportunity to personalize it in their own way.
In conclusion…
Succulents have been a hit at every event we have utilized them as a guest gift. They have practical functions by serving as both a gift and house plant that can live for a long time after the event. They are non-expensive plants and easy to personalize with tags, favor flags, and can be planted in multiple size pots. We will continue to keep them on our party favor list rotation as an affordable option that have been a guest favorite every time!
However you choose to personalize your plant favors, the process is just as fun as the sharing! Wishing you all the happy crafting and gifting!
You can see other weddings we have decorated and find some inspiration on our portfolio.
Thanks for stopping by! ~Kate & Em