Most brides today wish they could go out and buy anything and everything they want for their wedding and reception, but unfortunately most know that they need to stay within a certain budget. Because of that, many brides wonder the appropriate amount to spend on every item and accessory, including their wedding favors . How much is too much, and how little is too little? Having a budget is a good idea and even commendable, but no one wants to come across as cheap or tacky. So what is a good amount to spend on your wedding favors, and how can you get "the most bang for your buck," so to speak?

Obviously the answer as to an appropriate amount for wedding favors will be different for every bride and every wedding. The one thing to keep in mind regarding your budget and your particular wedding is that your favors should be appropriate for the occasion itself; a more upscale wedding should have more elegant wedding favors, whereas a more casual wedding would offer more affordable and perhaps fun favors. If you have a wedding that includes a designer gown that everyone knows cost you thousands, held in a very old cathedral with a reception at a fancy country club, your guests may very well be offended or insulted by cheap plastic trinkets. On the other hand, fancy silver candlesticks may seem somewhat out of place at your barefoot beach wedding.

The size of your invitation list will also affect the budget for your wedding favors . Obviously the more people you have, the more those favors will cost you. If you absolute must have hundreds at your wedding, you may need to be a bit more modest when it comes to your wedding favors.

Your best bet for deciding the appropriate amount for wedding favors is to start with your budget overall, and once you've figured your dress, the catering, deejay, hall rental, and everything else, see how much that leaves you for favors. If the budget is somewhat skimpy at this point, you might want to see where you can make adjustments. Talk to your caterer about some options such as serving one less side dish, or see if you can cut back a little on decorations.

In any event, always plan on spending at least one dollar per favor; while you may not actually purchase wedding favors that are a dollar each, if you multiply that by how many guests you have, you then have you budget for favors overall. Two hundred guests equal two hundred dollars for favors; you can probably make something at home for that much. Assembling bags of chocolates or personalized candy bar wrappers that you wrap yourself are both good choices.

And if you have the budget for it, you might even consider gift bags with an assortment of wedding favors. Each favor might be somewhat modest, but if you wrap them individually in beautiful wrapping paper and then nestle them in tissue paper in the gift bag, your guest will feel like they're getting a handful of gifts to take home with them.

But whatever your budget for wedding favors, make sure they reflect the fact that you put some time and effort into choosing them as a way of expressing your appreciation to your guests for participating in your special day.