Wedding Favors

The Complete Guide to Wedding Favors

Wedding Favors in the simplest form, are small gifts given by the bride and groom as a gesture of “thanks” to the guests who have attended the wedding.

History of Wedding Favors

Historically, very little is documented about the history of wedding favors. We know that giving a token of appreciation was popular among European aristocrats, who distributed bonbonnieres to their guests. Traditionally, a bonbonniere was a small trinket box crafted from crystal or porcelain and often decorated with precious stones. The contents inside the box were usually sugar cubes or sugar confections, which at the time symbolized wealth and royalty. As the price of sugar decreased over the course of the decades, sugar confections were able to be afforded by the lower classes and bonbonniers were replaced with sugar covered almonds.

These sugar coated almonds are known across the world and have various names: dragée, confetti, leb’es, koufeta, or the more well known term, Jordan Almonds. We find the earliest mention of these sugar coated sweets in 1487, as it is documented that over two hundred pounds of this treat was consumed during the wedding of Lucrezia Borgi and Alfonso D'Este. son of Ercole I, Duke of Ferrara. However, it was not until the 18th and 19th centuries that this treat became widespread among Europeans.

Traditionally, Jordan Almonds are distributed as wedding favors in odd numbers. It was believed that because odd numbers were indivisible, the marriage would be undivided. Five almonds would be given out to each guest to signify the following: health, wealth, happiness, fertility, and longevity for the couple. Superstition further dictates that because almonds have a bittersweet taste, by coating the almond in sugar, the wish is for the marriage to be more sweet than bitter.
Today, depending on the part of the world you are celebrating in, these gifts of gratitude are known as wedding favors, bonbonniers or “give aways”. Wedding favors are most popular in North America, parts of Europe, Australia and Asia. Wedding favors are now more diverse and can range from items which are practical in nature, such as a photo frame, to traditional such as candies and Jordan Almonds.

Wedding Favor Etiquette

Emily Post, a leading authority of etiquette puts wedding favors into perspective, “wedding favors are a charming custom but are in no way required or expected.” Wedding favors are exactly that, a wedding custom or tradition, much the same as tossing the bouquet or wearing “something blue”. Although it is a delightful custom, they are not required such as a wedding invitation is.

However, many couples choose to distribute wedding favors as their token of their gratitude. In today’s modern society, couples send out their wedding thank you notes months after their nuptials, due to waiting to include their wallet sized thank you photos. Proper etiquette dictates than thank you notes should be sent out no later than four weeks after the event. By distributing wedding favors, you are essentially thanking your guests for attending without having them wait for a thank you. However, wedding favors should not replace the proper thank you notes, but should be an addition to them.
When you give wedding favors, you may wonder how many wedding favors you will need for your guest list. The rule of thumb is, one wedding favor per couple and one wedding favor per single guest. However, depending on the type of wedding favors you purchase, will depend on how many you will need. For example, if giving candy, you may choose to give candy to each guest regardless of how many couples are attending. On the other hand, if you are choosing a picture frame, one frame per couple will suffice.

The Wedding Favor Industry Market

The wedding favor market is continually changing and evolving. Just like wedding fashion, what is popular one year, may not be popular the next. Based on this, many popular manufacturers of wedding favors introduce new wedding favors to the market often several times per year. Manufacturers release wedding favors based on seasonal demand, new items for the year, redesigned items of previous years’ best sellers, and new favors based on wedding trends.

For modern and trendy couples, this ever changing marketplace is a trendsetters delight. No longer do brides have to worry about giving the same gift as other newlyweds did in their circle of friends. All a bride needs do is check out any number of wedding favor websites for new items to find the latest and greatest favors for today.
Designs in the marketplace are highly competitive, and often manufacturers will spin designs off of other manufacturers to snag brides in the market. Because of this a bride may find a similar item as a lower price than the original design. Remember though, price is often indicative of quality.

When to Purchase Wedding Favors

A couple should purchase their wedding favors when they have a good idea of what their head count is for their wedding. Usually, this number will be around a month before their wedding date. It is recommended that couples purchase their wedding favors no later than three weeks before their event date to ensure the favors are received and inspected. This allows for adequate lead time, in transit shipping time and time to replace any damages or irregularities received.

In the case of edible favors and food products, couples should purchase these items about one month before the event to ensure maximum freshness.
In the case of personalized wedding favors, check the retailer’s lead time as many items will require anywhere from five business days to several weeks before they are completed for your event.

Where to Purchase Wedding Favors

Wedding favor and accessory physical retail shops are not as widespread as believed. Although you may find a few retail locations in your area, they more than likely will not carry the extent of wedding favors which are available online. Online vendors typically carry more items in their online storefronts than could ever be possible in a retail store. However, the only drawback is you will not be able to see, feel or touch the items beforehand.
When purchasing from any wedding favor store, whether it be in person or online, check the store’s refund and exchange policies. Often, personalized items and edible products cannot be returned.

The Cost of Wedding Favors

Wedding favors need not cost a fortune. The cost of the wedding favor may be quite inexpensive, with small favors starting at about fifty cents and more expensive favors costing several dollars apiece. The couple should choose their wedding favors based on what they can reasonably afford, and based on what they would like to give.

The average wedding favor purchase is in the one to three dollar range, and the average couple spends one hundred to two hundred dollars on

their wedding favors. Remember, if you are having one hundred guests, with forty couples and ten single guests, you only need to purchase fifty favors and therefore may be able to afford to purchase something more expensive.

The cost of wedding favors varies from product to product and from manufacturer to manufacturer. If quality is essential to you, remember, quality is reflective of the retail price. Most retailers are price their products appropriately and the quality of the wedding favor will reflect such.

Types of Wedding Favors

Couples in today’s market have a plethora of wedding favors they can choose from. The wedding favor should reflect the formality of the wedding and the personality of the couple. Some couples choose “themed” wedding favors, which would reflect the theme of their wedding, such as a beach themed gift. Some couples choose a wedding favor to match the colors of their wedding. Other couples may choose to give a practical gift such as a keychain, whereas other couples may want to give something personalized to commemorate their day.

Types of wedding favors include:

• Bath or Soap favors


• Candles


• Silver bells


• Personalized beverages such as coffee, tea, hot chocolate and cocktail mixes


• Crystal items


• Edible gifts such as chocolates, truffles, cookies, candy and Jordan almonds


• Personalized favors such as mint tins, glassware, playing cards and pens


• Photo frames or photo holders, which also double as place card frames and holders for the wedding seating assignments

Popular Wedding Favor Trends

Each year brings new and exciting trends to the wedding favor marketplace. Since 2007, the most popular wedding trend is personalization. In 2007, we saw an increase in couples wanting to place wedding favor tags, labels or ribbons with their names and date on their favors. In 2008, this trend developed to couples creating their own unique monogram design to placing their new monogram on items. The personalization trend continues today, with personalized items and personalized attachments such as tags, being as popular as it was when it first began last year

Another increasingly popular trend is eco-chic weddings and eco-friendly wedding favors. More couples today are mindful of harming the earth’s natural resources and are choosing wedding favors which make a minimal impact. All natural items, earth friendly gifts and recycled products are a fashionable and instyle. Manufacturers are just picking up on this trend and we predict that this will be the trend to follow for weddings in 2009 and beyond.
Elegant wedding favors and practical gifts are also on the rise. Couples want to give their guests something that is sure to be used. Elegant favors such as genuine crystal items are extremely popular for those who want their guests to have a beautiful keepsake. Practical items such as magnets, coasters pens, photo frames and albums are also popular because these are mementos that can be used every day in guests homes and offices.

Written by Erica Tevis on Knol

Planning a wedding

Planning a wedding can be simple or complicated, cheap or expensive, formal or informal, and planned by individuals or by professionals. The decision is usually based on time, money and tradition. In some families wedding planning is a traditional family undertaking (think "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"), while in others a wedding consultant is deemed far more practical. Because so many of todays brides have demanding jobs, and so do their mothers, it is sometimes difficult to find the time for planning. Todays grooms are also far more involved in the process than ever before, and sometimes the couple are located far from their families. Then, throw both family's opinions and traditions into the mix and you can have World War Three simmering on the back burner! The best way to keep things on track is to have a plan. Although the parents may be paying for the wedding or contributing to it, it's important for the bride and groom to have the wedding they want, as long as it's within the budget and not so controversial that the family would object. If a couple want a wedding they know their families would oppose, they need to be prepared to plan and pay for it themselves.

Today's couples have the huge advantage of the internet and wedding planning software. The software can range from free to costly, but it will allow the couple to more easily stay within a budget and more realistically recognize the numerous items they need to consider. The first thing they should do, before or after announcing their engagement is to decide the basics. The main one will be the budget and who is paying for what. That can be one of the most difficult steps in planning, but it is the most important. It should be done from a practical point of view and not an emotional one. Going deeply into debt for a wedding is getting off on the wrong foot for both the couple and their parents. Resentments can linger and cause pressure on new relationships.. In the end, it should be a joyful day, and that isn't dependent on money, weather, guests or location. If the couple and their families keep that as their major focus, the rest will fall into place.

Once the budget is determined, the next step is to shop around for everything. The internet makes that much easier too. Check out the options for the location you choose. Where will you hold the wedding? Where will the reception be held? Many venues are planned far in advance and if your wedding is going to be soon, it may eliminate some possibilities. Don't stress over that unless it was your dream to get married at the zoo, or the botantical gardens, or in a spot that is very popular with lots of couples. If that's the case, you may be disappointed or need to schedule the wedding far in advance. Otherwise, it's a matter of practicality. What can you afford and what is available? It isn't necessary to book the country club if it's not in your budget, a tent in the park can work too. Whatever you decide, get the details locked up and in writing. Then, consider the worse case scenarios. What if the building burned down? What if the weather was terrible and the reception hall lost power? What if the wedding dress was damaged? Not that any of those things will happen...but they have! If you have alternative plans you will be much more prepared and much less stressed. Actually, those are details one of the parents can handle. Someone should be in charge of planning for alternatives. That's where a bridal consultant can be invaluable. Experienced wedding planners have seen it all.

Next up, determine who the attendants will be. This can be difficult because things can change. Bridesmaids can get pregnant and not be available, flower girls can break a leg just before the wedding, groomsmen can be sent overseas for military obligations, etc. Again...have alternatives. Some of your closest friends may not be able to afford to participate, and you need to be very understanding of that. There are transportation costs to consider, clothing expenses, etc. If that is an issue, try to allow them to be involved in some other way, and don't make them feel guilty. Speaking of guilt, sometimes there will be pressure on either the bride or groom to include someone in the bridal party that would make either the bride or groom uncomfortable. Perhaps it's someone they don't know well, such as a relative that expects to be included. Maybe it's someone they don't like or they feel would be too young, or too old, someone with a history of undependability, or instability. In any case, the bride and groom need to speak up right away and make their wishes known, while remaining tactful. Again, perhaps there is another duty that can be assigned to that person. The main thing the couple should remember is not to be pressured into something they will regret. Stand firm.

After those issues have been resoved, it's a matter of "Shop, Shop, Shop!" Many women or men like that, and others don't. If you don't like it, maybe your soon to be spouse does. If they don't, a mother or sister is bound to be interested. What they can do is present choices, based on the couples stated interests. They can give their opinion, but the final one must be based on the couples taste and budget. Always keep the budget in mind, unless money is no object. There will be decisions to be made about music, food, alcohol (or not), favors, decorations, flowers, cake, the dress, the tux (or not), the time of the wedding and reception, hotels for guests, invitations, etc.

Once all the details are planned, the next occasions will be bridal showers. Because men are sometimes involved, they can also be called wedding showers or couples showers. Tradition goes out the window here. Any person can throw a bridal shower. It can be a relative, friend, co-worker, etc.

Written by Judith Cheney on Knol