All About the 2″x2″ Wedding Favor Box (and a Wedding Candy Calculator)

Let's talk about wedding favor boxes. These innocent-looking little boxes actually give rise to some confusion. For instance — when we say "favor box," are we talking about something that holds a few truffles? A slice of cake? A wine bottle stopper?

Most of the time we say "favor box" without giving a special description, it's the traditional kind, on the small side and designed to hold candy. For that matter, it's designed to hold traditional candy. These boxes are usually 2 inches square, and can easily handle five Jordan almonds, the gold standard for weddings.

Okay, but let's say want to fill those boxes with some other kind of candy. After all, many people like to hand out M&Ms in their wedding colors, and Champagne bubble candy is popular, too. In that case, how much candy fits in a traditional favor box? We heaped up our favorite 'Something Blue' boxes with some bride-tested candy choices — all in the interests of science. Enjoy.

1) White Chocolate Dutch Mints.

These beautifully matte mints are all the rage for weddings, and no wonder. With their assertive mint taste, they remind us of a sophisticated, super-creamy version of that mint chocolate chip ice cream that was worth being good for on Sundays years ago. About 36 Dutch mints fills the box to the top.

2) Espresso-Flavored Jelly Bellies.

Jelly bellies really appeal to left-of-center brides, with flavors ranging from tongue-in-cheek chic (espresso or champagne) to down-home goodness (Key lime pie, hot cider). Of course, aficionados and mad scientists like to invent savory concoctions like Blackberry-peach cobbler. By our count, 75 espresso Jelly Bellys filled up the favor box.

3) M&Ms.

You probably at least considered this time-honored crowdpleaser. And as you've doubtless heard, you can order M&Ms with custom messages and colors at MyMMS.com. We counted 90 M&Ms in a filled-up favor box.

4) Hershey's Kisses.

Who doesn't love 'em, with their reliable chocolate punch and their unpretentious shine? Winking at you from the shelves of any store, Kisses are an easy way to play on the theme of love — no wonder they're so popular. 11 chocolate kisses filled our box to the top.

5) Champagne Bubble Candies.

These chewy little lovelies taste as sophisticated as they look, with a complicated white grape flavor and a citrusy kick. (Despite the name, they're safely alcohol-free). Perfect for any celebration, we think they look especially divine in robin's egg blue. Thirty-two champagne bubbles filled the box.

6) Jordan Almonds.

Bestowing health, wealth and happiness (among other blessings) on the marrying couple, Jordan almonds are the most traditional of wedding candies, and always in the best of taste. The traditional number to include in a box is either three or five ... or if more, the number's traditionally odd (like us). We simply heaped our boxes to the top and found that they held about 15 almonds.

But note: during the rigors of testing, one of our programmers helped himself to a scientific taste test, and practically broke a tooth. (Hear Cornel attempt to eat a non-premium Jordan almond).

Which reminds us to remind you that at weddings, Jordan almonds graded Super Fine or Premium are the only way to go. Anything less is encased in jaw-breaking armor of pure sugar that obliterates the taste of almond. And probably makes your fillings really grouchy, too.

7) Pastel Melty Mints.

Wherever weddings abound, melty mints can't be far behind, with their soothing pastel colors and little candy beads. These nostalgic little bonbons are great for showers of all kinds, too. And if your wedding has a retro kick, they're even better. We heartlessly stuffed 12 melty mints into one box — not that you'd have to.

8) Pillow Mints.

So classic they're almost retro, the reliable pillow mint (also known as the "after-dinner butter mint") has graced gazillions of receptions through the years. The cool thing is that now you can bypass ye old random mix and buy them in one color — blue or green, say — which can look really cute in a nice container. A hefty 62 mints filled the box.

Candy Type	Average per Pound
M&Ms	530 candies
Premium Jordan Almonds	120 almonds
Jelly Belly beans	400 beans
Hershey's Kisses	100 kisses
Champagne Bubbles Candy	200 candies
Chocolate Dutch Mints	210 mints
Pillow (or Butter) Mints	270 mints
Silver Mini Candy Hearts	380 mints

 

Below, we've pre-set our calculator with the maximum number of candies you can stuff in a 2x2 favor box. But in reality, you probably don't want to fill your boxes completely full. After all, if you filled 100 boxes to the top with M&Ms, you'd end up buying about 17 pounds of M&Ms — which is a lot.

You might actually improve your presentation by using less candy, especially if you use some attractive paper shred underneath. The best approach: start with a real live favor box, come up with a presentation you like, and then use the calculator based on the actual favor and fillings you've designed.

Candy Type:	----------- Pick One ----------- M&Ms Premium Jordan Almonds Jelly Belly jelly beans Hershey's Kisses Champagne Bubbles Candy Chocolate Dutch Mints Pillow Mints
Candies per Box:
Number of Favor Boxes:	containers