The Most Gorgeous Wedding Favor Ideas

Wedding Favors are not a new concept. They have been around for centuries. If you've ever attended a wedding, it will probably have been a small token or reminder of the couples happy day. Match books emblazoned with the couple's names and the date of their wedding were often a staple at weddings. These days however, anything goes. From crystal wine glasses to votive candle holders, golf ball tees and everything in between is acceptable as a wedding favor.

In early days, mostly in European countries, aristocrats would finish off the wedding festivities by sending home guests with a small gift. It was hoped that the happiness of the wedding couple would 'rub off' on the guests by means of a memento of the event. In many cultures it was believed that everything the bride and groom touched would bring good luck. So sharing and giving of a gift was one way for the bride and groom to bestow good luck on their friends and family.

Traditional favors consisted of a box made of porcelain, crystal or metal (gold, silver, pewter) that contained sweet treats. For this reason they were called 'bonboniere', bonbons being candies, in French or 'bomboniere' in Italian. There were usually five confections in the box to represent fertility, health, wealth, happiness and longevity. Sugar at the time was expensive so receiving a gift of confections was an honor.

As time progressed the tradition of giving favors was adopted by other social classes. It was not just for the upper class aristocrats any more. It was adopted either to prove that the hosting family had the financial means to provide gifts and to share the good luck of the newly wed couple.
Rather than providing a bonboniere, a family of modest means would often select simpler gifts to give as favors. Almonds were commonly given as wedding gifts to signify the good luck in their life together. Coating almonds became popular and the sugar coated almonds were called confetti. Now confetti has a different meaning but at one time it was meant as sugar coated almonds.

Wedding favors are a beautiful keepsake for the wedding guests and it is a beautiful way to look back and remember the wedding day. So many couples cleverly choose to personalize their wedding favors for that very reason. Normally couples like to add their names and wedding date to the gifts, which is a nice way of putting their mark on something and allowing their guests to keep something to remember them and the special day that they shared together.

Now there are so many ideas and gifts that you can either buy or make as wedding favors for your guests. If you are sticking to a budget, then simply making chocolates and placing them in pretty boxes with names and dates can make a really nice keepsake. Most couples also choose to make their own candles or print photos of themselves and place them in beautiful photo-frames. Otherwise the tradition of giving sugar coated almonds wrapped in a pretty netted cloth and ribbon is also a great idea. Many couples are quite creative and choose to write a beautiful poem with the couples names and wedding date printed on it and placed at each seat.

There is truly so many great ideas you can choose from. Personalizing your Wedding Favors is the best way to finish off the wedding theme you have set. So it is also a good idea to choose a gift that not only best represents the bride and the groom, but fits in with the wedding theme too, ie. if you are having a beech wedding, then a small sea shell with your names and wedding date printed or painted on will be absolutely gorgeous. If your wedding is taking place at a winery, then how about a small bottle of wine with your names and wedding date on the label for each couple!