Wedding favours are a small gift given to wedding guests by the bride and groom as a token of appreciation for sharing their special day. The tradition of giving wedding favours dates back to the European aristocrats of France, which were gifts which were normally sent to the guests before the wedding day. These were known as ‘bonbonniere’, which means a symbol of good luck. By giving gifts to their guests the couple believed they were bestowing good luck on their guests. The little boxes contained luxury treats such as sugar cubes or delicate sweets.
Items such as sugar were expensive, and therefore wedding favours such as this were a display of wealth and also symbolised royalty. For this reason, most people could not afford to give Bonbonnieres. However as the price of sugar decreased over time, the tradition of providing gifts to wedding guests started to become popular with the population in general. The bonbonnieres were gradually substituted for almonds coated with sugar, also known as Confetti, and known as sugared almonds today. Nowadays, the sugared almonds are usually given to the guests in sets of five. These represent fertility, health, longevity, wealth, and happiness. The bitterness of the almond and the sweetness of the coated candy are said to symbolise the bitter sweetness of a marriage.
Nowadays the gifts are known as wedding favours, and most couples now choose to give these as a thank you to their guests for sharing their special day with them, and as a souvenir for the guests to take away from the wedding. This is a practice which is shared in cultures all over the world. Wedding favours usually complement the theme of the wedding, and can range from the classic sugared almonds, to candles, scented soaps, or if you want something different, a personalised wine glass. For example the glasses can be personalised with the guest’s name and wedding date, and would also make great place settings.
There is a very wide range of wedding favour ideas to choose from, and it can be difficult to decide on a suitable choice. Couples who would prefer to keep a traditional feel to their wedding may choose to give little boxes with sugared almonds in. Other couples may decide that they want their wedding favours to be a bit more unusual and personalised. Personalising wedding favours is becoming increasingly popular. Ideas for personalisation are names, dates, or a short message, and it is even possible to match the favours with other personalised items such as personalised napkins or cake boxes, and of course the invitations.
If you are creative, why not create your own wedding favours? The effort and personal touch would certainly be appreciated by your guests. There many creative ideas to choose from, such as making your own pretty little boxes to contain sweets, or decorating your own champagne flutes. Alternatively, if you don’t feel confident making your own favours and would prefer to get them made professionally, there is a wide range of websites out there which a fantastic selection of products which are bound to be appreciated by your guests.
Hand painted wine glasses are quite unusual and if you want to find out more about why it would make a fantastic wedding favour, then have a look here: http://www.cheekyvino.com
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