Historically wedding favors began as small fancy boxes, known by their French name of bonbonniere. A bonbonniere was made of crystal, porcelain, or gold, and often encrusted with precious stones. The delicate boxes were given by the wealthy and held bonbons (confectionery), at a time when sugar was expensive and believed to be medicinal!
The tradition of providing gifts to guests filtered to couples of modest means who selected simple treats as gifts.
Every culture across time has a approached marriage as a wonderful event, with the nuptials celebrated throughout the community. In many societies the bride and groom are associated with good luck, a common thought was that everything they touched would be charmed. By gifting members of the community, they would then pass those same blessings onto others.
We all remember the traditional almond favour! Many brides would choose a small gift of almonds, beautifully wrapped in an elegant fabric. The custom in the Middle East is for the bride to provide five almonds to represent fertility, longevity, wealth, health and happiness.
Nowadays the options are limitless, here are a few good ones:
Lollipops – personalised
Flower Seeds
Pot plants
Bathbombs in a bag
Cakepops
Donation to charity
Homemade jam
Handheld fans
Fridge magnets
Placecard photo holders
Luggage tags – if it’s a Destination Wedding
Strawberry liqueur
Bottle of bubbly
Marshmallow cones
Hibiscus flowers
Loveheart candy
Lip balm
Candles
Fortune cookies
Engraved wine glasses
