The hardest part is deciding what type of wedding favor to give your guests, as there are thousands of options to choose from.

So consider the rest of your wedding preparations. You might be able to find a small gift that reflects the general theme of your wedding. In Scotland, many people continue the cultural theme and give minature bottles of whisky decorated with tartan ribbon to their guests.

And if you're on a tight budget, but still want to give your guests something special to remember the day, here are a few things to consider.

1) Set A Budget

The first thing to do is to sit down with your partner and work out how much you have to spend on wedding favors. Once you've got a figure to work with it will help to narrow down your options and prevent you from overspending.

Wedding favors don't have to be overly lavish, it's the thought that counts.

Coasters are one of these gifts that everyone can make use of, but nobody ever thinks about buying. They represent an inexpensive gift that's both decorative and practical. Other popular gifts are candles, coffee/tea, or bath products such as soap.

Alternatively, your favors could relate to an interest that you or your partner have, such as wine tasting (a miniture bottle) or golf (a couple of golf tees tied with ribbon). In fact any little charm or trinket that has some relevance to your wedding could be considered a wedding favor. You're only limited by your imagination and budget.

2) Start Your Search Online

There are many different companies and shops that specialise in providing wedding accessories and favors. But one of the best options is to shop for your wedding favors online.

The internet makes it possible for you to search dozens of retailers from the comfort of your own home, instead of spending weeks trailing from store to store. In just a few hours it's possible to work out what's available and how much it will cost.

And due to their lower overheads, most internet retailers will be able to offer you a far better price than their high street counterparts. The vast majority of wedding favors only cost one of two dollars each, so it will certainly save you a lot of time, money and shoe leather.

3) Beware Of All The Tricks

If you decide to buy your favors from a store make sure that you ask to be shown items in your price range. Certain sales people will try to bump up the size of your order by showing you items of a slightly higher quality (and price) than you were looking for. Then, when they show you equivalent items from a cheaper range, the temptation is to go for the higher priced items, reasoning "it's only 50 cents extra per item!" This is one temptation that doesn't exist when you buy your favors online.

4) Consider Making Your Own Wedding Favors

For example, you could buy a collection of minature candles and bundle them together with various beads and ribbons. Alternatively, you could buy wax figures of the bride and groom and decorate them to match the character of you and your partner. The more work that you do, the less your wedding favors will cost.

5) Know How Many Favors You Need

Before you buy your favors, find out exactly how many people are coming to your wedding, so that you don't buy more favors than necessary. Although it's always a good idea to have a couple spare incase of unexpected guests. And find out how many of your guests are couples. You could consider giving a slightly better favor to each couple instead of one per person. This will reduce the overall cost of your wedding favors.

If your wedding budget is more generous you could consider custom engraved wedding favors, silver plated gifts or even a small crystal ornament. Crystal favors are universally popular, provide a touch of class and will last your guests a lifetime.