17 Retro Wedding Favors From The ’70s You’d Never See Today
Wedding favors have come a long way since the far-out days of the 1970s! I’ll never forget my Aunt Diane’s wedding—guests left with party favors so quirky, they’d make today’s Pinterest-perfect brides break into a cold sweat.
Think tie-dye matchbooks, macramé keychains, and tiny plastic doves glued to glittery lava rocks. Yes, lava rocks! The ’70s were all about bold colors, flower power, and experimental everything—so naturally, wedding keepsakes followed suit.
These groovy gifts were less about elegance and more about free-spirited flair, often handmade and proudly odd. While today’s favors lean toward artisanal soaps and monogrammed succulents, there’s something charmingly offbeat about those retro relics.
Sure, they’ve been lovingly retired to dusty attics and funky vintage shops, but the memories? They’re as vibrant and unforgettable as the disco ball spinning above the dance floor that night.
1. Cigarette Packs with Custom Labels
Believe it or not, personalized cigarette packs were all the rage at ’70s weddings! My cousin’s wedding featured Virginia Slims with the couple’s names and wedding date printed right on the pack. Guests puffed away at their tables, creating a foggy haze that permeated everyone’s polyester outfits.
Health concerns? What health concerns? This was before the surgeon general’s warnings really sank in. Couples thought they were offering a sophisticated adult treat, not a cancer-causing party favor.
Some extra-fancy receptions even provided engraved cigarette holders or matchbooks with cutesy sayings like “A Perfect Match” or “We’re On Fire For Each Other.” Can you imagine the horrified looks if someone handed these out at a modern wedding?
2. Fondue Set Miniatures
Tiny fondue sets caused big excitement at ’70s wedding receptions! I scored one at my neighbor’s disco-themed wedding and proudly displayed it on my bookshelf for years. These miniature ceramic pots came complete with itty-bitty forks and a tea light to “heat” your imaginary cheese.
Couples believed these kitschy conversation pieces would remind guests of fun fondue parties for years to come. The reality? Most ended up collecting dust or getting tossed during the next spring cleaning.
Colors typically matched the wedding palette – harvest gold, avocado green, or that unmistakable burnt orange that dominated ’70s décor. Some ambitious couples even included a handwritten recipe card for their favorite fondue mixture, ensuring their cheesy legacy lived on.
3. Decorative Ashtrays
Gaudy ashtrays topped many wedding favor lists when I started attending ceremonies in the ’70s. These weren’t your basic glass dishes – we’re talking ceramic masterpieces shaped like hearts, bells, or doves with the couple’s names and wedding date emblazoned in gold lettering.
Smoking wasn’t just accepted at weddings back then – it was practically encouraged! Guests would cluster around tables, flicking ashes into these commemorative treasures while discussing how beautiful the bride looked.
The irony? Many non-smokers received these ashtrays too, leaving them to repurpose them as candy dishes or trinket holders. My aunt used hers as a soap dish until the names finally washed away. Today’s health-conscious couples would rather give out hand sanitizer than smoking accessories!
4. His & Hers Cocktail Recipe Booklets
Boozy booklets filled with potent drink recipes made perfect take-home treasures for ’70s wedding guests! I still have Uncle Bob’s wedding favor – a spiral-bound collection of liver-pickling concoctions with names like “Honeymoon Hooch” and “Marital Bliss Mixer.”
These personalized pamphlets often featured embarrassingly cheesy photos of the couple on the cover, sometimes in matching outfits or striking disco poses. Inside, guests found heavy-handed recipes calling for generous pours of Southern Comfort, Kahlúa, and other trendy spirits of the era.
The cocktail guides reflected a time when drinking and driving wasn’t stigmatized and hangovers were badges of honor. Modern couples might offer signature cocktail recipes on elegant cards, but the unapologetic celebration of intoxication has thankfully been toned down considerably!
5. Macramé Plant Hangers
Knotted cotton cords transformed into bohemian plant holders became wedding favor sensations during my hippie cousin’s summer wedding. Each guest received a handmade macramé creation, complete with a small potted spider plant – the ultimate ’70s houseplant.
Crafty bridesmaids spent countless hours tying intricate patterns, their fingers raw from manipulating the rough cord. The finished products dangled from the reception ceiling, creating a jungle-like atmosphere before being distributed to guests.
While beautiful, these weren’t exactly practical for out-of-town visitors staying in hotels! Many plants died sad deaths in car trunks during the journey home. Today’s succulent favors might seem similar, but they lack the handcrafted, bohemian charm (and impracticality) of these macramé masterpieces that screamed “peace, love, and houseplants.”
6. Bride & Groom Salt and Pepper Shakers
Tacky ceramic duos dressed as newlyweds once graced dinner tables everywhere thanks to ’70s wedding favors. My grandmother collected these kitschy condiment holders, displaying them proudly in her china cabinet despite their questionable artistic merit.
The bride shaker (always salt, never pepper) typically featured an elaborate white dress with painted lace details, while the groom stood stiffly in a black tuxedo. Some designs even incorporated the actual wedding colors, resulting in powder blue tuxedos or peach gowns that matched the bridesmaids’ polyester nightmares.
Quality control wasn’t a priority – many had wobbly bases or holes that dispensed seasoning in unpredictable sprays. Modern couples might opt for useful kitchen items, but they’ve thankfully abandoned these dust-collecting figurines that served as constant reminders of dated wedding fashion!
7. Personalized Vinyl Records
Groovy couples with musical aspirations sometimes splurged on custom 45 rpm records as wedding favors. My first boyfriend’s sister handed these out at her wedding – small vinyl discs featuring the couple singing their favorite love song in a recording studio.
The sound quality rivaled a drive-thru speaker box, but nobody seemed to mind. The record sleeves featured psychedelic artwork or wedding photos, often with swirly fonts announcing “Our Wedding Song” or “Jim and Nancy’s Greatest Hit.”
Most guests lacked the proper equipment to play these treasures even back then. The records usually ended up as coasters or wall decorations rather than actual listening material. Today’s equivalent might be a custom Spotify playlist – infinitely more practical but lacking the delightful awkwardness of hearing your dental hygienist attempt to hit high notes on “You Light Up My Life.”
8. Scented Drawer Sachets
Potent potpourri packets packed powerful perfumes that lingered in closets for decades! Attending my mom’s friend’s wedding in ’76, I received a sachet so strong it made my eyes water when I opened the organza bag.
These scented surprises typically featured dried flowers, herbs, and mysterious aromatic substances that smelled like a combination of your grandmother’s perfume and furniture polish. Many included lavender, rose petals, and spices, all doused in synthetic fragrance oils that could survive a nuclear winter.
The sachets came wrapped in fabric matching the wedding colors, often with the couple’s initials embroidered or stamped on top. While modern couples might offer subtle scented favors, they’ve mercifully abandoned the industrial-strength fragrances that once dominated dresser drawers and eventually migrated to garage sales across America.
9. Collectible Souvenir Spoons
Shiny silver-plated spoons engraved with wedding details once delighted guests who apparently needed more cutlery. I inherited a drawer full from various relatives’ weddings – each featuring ornate handles with hearts, bells, or doves surrounding the couple’s names and dates.
These commemorative utensils served absolutely no practical purpose. Too fancy for eating cereal but not valuable enough for actual collecting, they occupied that special category of items too guilt-inducing to throw away yet too useless to actually use.
Some ambitious couples created custom display racks for their spoon favors, ensuring guests could properly showcase their growing collection of matrimonial silverware. The tradition thankfully faded along with other ’70s phenomena like mood rings and pet rocks, though I occasionally spot these relics at estate sales, still in their original presentation boxes.
10. Monogrammed Coasters with Cork Backing
Circular drink protectors emblazoned with golden initials found their way into many households after ’70s wedding celebrations. My parents’ collection contained dozens from various family weddings, each featuring different fonts but identical questionable taste.
These coasters typically came in sets of four, packaged in clear plastic boxes tied with ribbon matching the wedding colors. The tops showcased the couple’s intertwined initials in metallic printing, while cork backing supposedly protected furniture from condensation (though they usually curled up after the first use).
Popular designs included faux wood grain, textured vinyl in harvest gold or avocado green, or white leatherette that yellowed impressively with age. While modern couples might still offer coasters, they’ve abandoned the aggressive monogramming and synthetic materials that made these particular favors unmistakably products of their groovy era.
11. Candle Sculptures
Waxy wedding bells that were never meant to be burned topped my list of bizarre ’70s favors. My aunt’s wedding featured elaborate candles shaped like doves, hearts, and intertwined rings – all in coordinating pastel colors that matched her bridesmaids’ frilly dresses.
These decorative dust collectors came heavily adorned with plastic pearls, gold paint, and sometimes even miniature plastic bride and groom figurines. The idea of actually lighting these masterpieces seemed sacrilegious, so they remained pristine on knickknack shelves nationwide.
Some ambitious couples offered candles shaped like champagne glasses or wedding cakes, complete with tiny wax flowers and excessive ribbon embellishments. The modern equivalent might be a simple scented candle in a glass jar – practical, burnable, and mercifully free of wax figurines or plastic pearls that would melt into toxic puddles if someone dared light them.
12. Brass Key Chains with Wedding Charms
Heavy metal accessories weighed down pockets and purses after ’70s wedding celebrations. My first wedding as a teenager introduced me to these substantial keepsakes – brass rings attached to wedding-themed charms that would eventually destroy every pocket lining they encountered.
Popular charm designs included miniature wedding bells, engraved hearts, tiny champagne glasses, or disc pendants stamped with the couple’s names and wedding date. The metal quality varied wildly, with some turning wearers’ keys an interesting shade of green within weeks.
Presentation mattered – these came nestled in satin-lined boxes or tiny velvet pouches, suggesting a value far exceeding their actual worth. While modern couples might offer useful key chains, they’ve thankfully abandoned the overweight brass monstrosities that once served as daily reminders of someone else’s special day while simultaneously wearing holes in everyone’s pockets.
13. Napkin Rings with Attached Figurines
Plastic table accessories featuring miniature brides and grooms once cluttered drawers nationwide after wedding celebrations. My grandmother collected these peculiar mementos, eventually amassing enough to host a dinner party where every guest’s napkin was encircled by a different matrimonial scene.
These rings typically featured a circular band with small figurines permanently attached – kissing couples, wedding bells, or pairs of doves with ribbons in their beaks. Colors matched wedding themes, resulting in some truly eye-searing combinations like hot pink doves or powder blue grooms.
The figurines broke off easily, leaving sharp plastic nubs that snagged napkins and tablecloths. Modern couples might offer elegant, simple napkin rings as favors, but they’ve wisely abandoned the tacky miniature wedding scenes that once dominated reception tables and eventually migrated to thrift stores by the thousands.
14. Couple-Themed Playing Cards
Poker nights got personal with customized card decks featuring wedding photos on every card back. My uncle’s 1974 wedding introduced me to this peculiar favor – 52 cards plus jokers, each displaying the happy couple’s faces surrounded by hearts and bells.
Some ambitious pairs went further, replacing traditional face cards with wedding party members. The bride and groom became the king and queen of hearts, while unfortunate parents and attendants appeared as jacks and aces throughout the deck.
The card quality left much to be desired – slippery finishes that wouldn’t shuffle properly and paper stock that bent easily. These decks typically ended up in drawers, brought out only when the couple visited to show you were actually using their thoughtful gift. Today’s couples might offer playing cards with subtle monograms, but they’ve thankfully abandoned plastering their faces across an entire deck!
15. Acrylic Paperweights with Embedded Wedding Flowers
Crystal-clear blocks entombed floral arrangements for eternity as popular ’70s wedding mementos. My mother’s cousin distributed these conversation pieces – actual flowers from her bridal bouquet suspended in plastic like prehistoric insects in amber.
The preservation process wasn’t exactly perfect. Flowers often discolored over time, turning brown or developing strange air bubbles that made these keepsakes increasingly unattractive. Some ambitious couples added glitter or their wedding date to the mix, creating a time capsule of questionable taste.
These hefty paperweights served no practical purpose in an era of decreasing paper mail. Most ended up as doorstops or garage sale fodder within a few years. Modern couples might offer pressed flower bookmarks or seed packets, but they’ve wisely abandoned permanently encasing botanical specimens in inches of clear plastic for guests to display indefinitely.
16. Embroidered Handkerchiefs
Fancy fabric squares with stitched wedding details once filled dresser drawers nationwide. My great-aunt’s wedding in ’72 introduced me to these dainty accessories – delicate cotton handkerchiefs with the couple’s initials and wedding date embroidered in the corner.
Men received plain white versions with simple stitching, while women’s handkerchiefs featured elaborate floral designs or lace edging. The idea was to dab tears of joy during the ceremony, though most remained pristinely folded in their original packaging forever.
Some couples got creative with embroidered messages like “Happily Ever After” or “Love Always” surrounding their monograms. While modern weddings might feature custom handkerchiefs for the wedding party, they’ve largely abandoned distributing personalized crying cloths to every guest – a tradition rendered obsolete by the invention of travel tissue packs.
17. Matchbooks with Disco-Themed Covers
Firestarters featuring funky designs became ubiquitous party favors during the disco decade. My sister’s wedding reception in ’78 sent guests home with matchbooks covered in metallic gold with their names written in that quintessential Saturday Night Fever font.
These flame-producing favors served a practical purpose in an era when smoking was as common as breathing. Covers featured everything from disco balls to John Travolta-inspired silhouettes striking dance poses, all customized with wedding details inside.
Clever couples incorporated puns like “A Perfect Match” or “We’re Fired Up About Our Marriage” alongside their wedding date. While matchbooks still occasionally appear at modern weddings, they’ve lost the distinctly disco aesthetic that made ’70s versions so unmistakably dated – and they’re now more decorative than functional in our increasingly smoke-free world.