Quick Answer
What is hikidemono?
Hikidemono are the return gifts a Japanese couple presents to every wedding guest to take home the same day, in rough proportion to the cash gift (**goshugi**) the guest brought. A typical set includes a keepsake or catalog gift plus a celebratory food item, packaged for guests to carry away from the reception.
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Last updated:
What is hikidemono?
Also called: hikide-mono, wedding return gifts.
In Japan, giving guests something to take home is not an optional nicety — it is an expected part of the reception, mirroring the cash gift guests bring in their shugi-bukuro. Hikidemono has its own etiquette: the value should roughly track what was received, and the contents typically combine something the guest keeps with something they eat.
What a hikidemono set typically includes
- •A keepsake gift, often now a catalog gift letting the guest choose their own item, replacing the fixed household goods more common in the past.
- •A celebratory food item — traditionally something like kohaku manju (red-and-white steamed sweet buns) or dried bonito, chosen for its auspicious color or symbolism.
- •Packaging designed to be carried home easily, since guests take hikidemono with them the same day rather than having it shipped later.
- •The overall value is typically set to roughly match what the couple expects to receive in cash gifts from that guest.
Planning notes
- •Order hikidemono in advance from the venue or a specialist supplier — quantities need to be confirmed close to the final guest count.
- •Because value is expected to track the gift received, couples sometimes prepare a couple of value tiers rather than one fixed set for all guests.
- •Confirm with the venue whether hikidemono is handed out at guests’ seats or picked up on the way out, since it affects staffing and table setup.
Plan return gifts alongside your final guest count
Weddingkart’s RSVP tracking gives couples a live, accurate guest count so return-gift orders match the real headcount, not a rough guess.
See RSVP tracking →Frequently Asked Questions
Is hikidemono the same as a wedding favor?
It serves a similar function but carries more specific etiquette — hikidemono value is expected to roughly correspond to the cash gift a guest brought, which is not typically how Western wedding favors work.
What is included in a hikidemono set?
Commonly a keepsake or catalog gift the guest can redeem for an item of their choice, plus a celebratory food item such as red-and-white sweet buns, packaged for the guest to take home the same day.
Do all guests receive the same hikidemono?
Not always — because value is expected to loosely track the gift received, some couples prepare a couple of different tiers rather than a single uniform gift for every guest.
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By Mayank JaiswalLast updated