Wedding Favors – Gift Ideas for your Guests

Wedding Favors

We hope you like sugar-coated almonds because these are what you might receive when you attend the next wedding. Wedding favors have come full circle, dating back to the aristocratic days of the Old World when the bonbonniere was first used as a favor. The typical bonbonniere back then was a tiny trinket box made of porcelain or ivory, filled with sugar cubes or other sweet candies delicately crafted by the manufacturer. Historians say that sugar was considered a symbol of royalty because it was a rare commodity, and only royalty could enjoy it.

Why the almond in particular? Some sources say it symbolized prosperity, fertility, or longevity. Others viewed the almond as a sign of joy and happiness. The sugar, we believe, stemmed from the idea that marriage can be sweet, while the almond represented the bitterness of marriage. Regardless of the troubles that beset the marriage, the husband and wife stay together, for richer or for poorer. This is why the sugar-coated almond was rich in meaning and considered the appropriate symbol for a lasting marriage.

Wedding Favors – Thanks for Being With Us!

That’s the message wedding favors convey. They are given to the wedding party and guests as a gesture of sincere appreciation for each person’s role and participation in making the wedding a success.

Parents of the bride and groom, bridesmaids, and groomsmen receive special gifts, as do the husband and wife. These gifts are usually more meaningful than the wedding favors handed out to guests during or at the end of the reception.

Budget is the determining factor in deciding what kind of wedding favors will be given, and since many couples today live on a tight budget, the variety of wedding favors has expanded, allowing couples to get creative with their choices.

Chocolates remain a favorite, with couples opting for popular brands like Godiva. Chocolatiers often do special wrappings and use decorative ribbons and lace to make them look festive and blend with the wedding theme and décor.

Sharon Naylor (in How to Plan an Elegant Wedding in Six Months or Less, 2000) suggested that gifts for parents could include watches (his and hers, costing about $50–60) as a fond reminder of the times they raised their children. Other ideas include a silver frame, a weekend getaway, or a spa day. These days, spas cater not only to females but also to men, who enjoy being pampered after a long day.

It is only fitting for parents to receive gifts that are more special than the wedding favors for guests, due to their lifetime commitment to their children. They don’t stop being fathers and mothers just because their kids are married and raising families of their own.

Let’s not forget the bridesmaids and groomsmen. They, too, deserve special thanks for their efforts and the stress involved in planning a wedding.

You will, of course, know your bridesmaid and best man well enough to pick out gifts that will resonate with them, but here are a few suggestions:

For the Bridesmaid:

  • Jewelry
  • Tickets to a concert
  • Basket of spa items
  • A gift certificate to her favorite store
  • Fortune plant, fern, or a flower arrangement for her dining or living room
  • Six CDs of her favorite artists
  • Perfume
  • A nice purse
  • Kitchen utensils she doesn’t have yet
  • A year’s subscription to her favorite magazine
  • A day at the hairdresser’s, spa, or swim club
  • Dinner for two at a chic restaurant
  • A gym membership
  • Books
  • Glassware

And for the Best Man:

  • Bar tools
  • Power drill
  • Cufflinks and tie
  • Gym membership
  • Tickets to a sports event
  • A day at the spa
  • New mag wheels for his car
  • Cologne
  • Watch with his name engraved on it
  • Year’s subscription to his favorite sports magazine
  • iPod or the latest Windows operating system
  • Game or accounting software

For the Guests

Should we, or shouldn’t we? For some couples, the idea of wedding favors can be financially draining. There’s no rule today that says wedding favors have to be included in the wedding plans. Eileen Livers suggests, however, that if you’ve attended many weddings and received nice favors, you may want to consider giving them in return. It’s a form of reciprocity, a basic courtesy. However, you’re certainly under no obligation to offer wedding favors to your guests.

Again, the emphasis here is on budget. You don’t need to give away pricey crystal glasses or goblets to your guests. Let’s consider the $4.00 wedding favor. While this may seem inexpensive, it won’t appear that way when you multiply that amount by the number of guests you’ve invited to the reception.

Here are some suggestions: the first five on the list are for couples who don’t mind spending a bit more, while the rest are for those with a tighter budget:

  • Lalique crystal figurines
  • Expensive wine (or port, or liqueur)
  • Gourmet food products not available commercially
  • Personalized pens or purses
  • Electronic agendas
  • Godiva chocolates or any gourmet chocolate (available in small, medium, and large boxes)
  • Jordan sugar-coated almonds
  • Potpourri with or without a bowl
  • Candles with or without holders
  • Slice of cake
  • Sachets of special coffees or teas
  • Stacks of memo pads
  • Coffee/beer mugs

What’s the best way to distribute wedding favors? Wedding planners recommend a common practice of leaving each favor on the table beside the name card. Instead of offering a universal gift, couples often choose different favors for men and women, wrapping them in colored paper to distinguish which gift goes to whom.

Flower girls are sometimes asked to distribute the favors table-to-table. Alternatively, if the bride wants to personally thank everyone, she may choose to distribute the favors herself or with her groom. This can be time-consuming if you have a large wedding, say 300 guests.

In some weddings, the bridesmaid and best man greet guests at the door and hand out favors as they leave the reception.

Whatever you decide, be sure to make arrangements with the banquet hall manager for a special table for the favors. Ensure it’s the right size, as you don’t want them to topple over.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by ideas for wedding favors and don’t have a wedding planner to help, you can spend a few hours online to get ideas. There are even online retailers who will handle everything from assembling, wrapping, and shipping the favors, so when they arrive, all you need to do is decide how to distribute them.

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