The History of Wedding Favors
Most, if not all of us has been to a wedding at some point in our lives and we enjoy the little goodies left on the tables for us, the guest. Commonly known and referred to as wedding favors, why are they there? Other than to make us happy, wedding favors like most routine actions done during a wedding have a long and interesting background on how they ended up there on the table for our enjoyment.
Weddings are steeped in tradition and the wedding favors are as well. Centuries ago, wedding favors were known as bonbonniere among the socially privileged and were given out to guest of any special celebration, not just a wedding. These bonbonnieres were usually of a box shape made of several materials, either porcelain, precious stones or even crystal.
Inside these beautiful boxes would be sugary delicacies for the guest to enjoy. Later on these small tokens of appreciation towards the celebration's guests were reserved more for weddings. Since weddings were, and still are, considered a lucky celebration, the wedded couple gave out wedding favors in the hopes to share their good fortune with their guests.
At some point here, the wedding favors would contain five pieces of confection or five almonds which was symbolic. The five pieces of the favor were to represent the five areas for good fortune in life - wealth, fertility, health, happiness and longevity. These five lucky areas were wished upon the wedding couple and then wished back in a small token given to the guests.
At some very traditional weddings you may still see the number five represented in the wedding favor, although less and less know about this tradition all the time. Today, wedding favors come in all shapes and sizes from simple candies to beautiful glassware. Many weddings have the wedding couple's imprinted name and wedding date on several products for the guest to keep as a souvenir such as matchbooks, napkins, placecards or on their glassware.
Some weddings will give candles or potpourri while others will have small bundles of edible treats. The wedding favors can be very basic and simple or they can be very elaborate, depending on the wedding. Some weddings provide wedding favors that are in keeping with the wedding theme or colors or even a special interest of the bride and groom.
A more modern approach to wedding favors is to make a donation to a favorite charity in the name of the guest and set a card on the table that tells the guest about it. Some wedding couples choose to place the wedding favors on the table at each guest setting, while others may have a table full of wedding favors for guests to take from.
Another less common, but also a wedding favor practice is for a favor to be in exchange for giving a wedding present to the couple. So today, the wedding favor has come a long way and can be whatever the wedding couple wishes it to be - from the more traditional five pieces of Jordan almonds to the more modern charity donation. Wedding favors are as varied as the weddings themselves and the individuals taking the vows.
Article
Different with Your Wedding Favors
Hand-craft Your Wedding Favors
Personalize Your Wedding Favors
Top Websites for Wedding Favors
Traditional Wedding Favors for the Traditional Wedding
Wedding Favors from Around the Globe