Fabulous favours
From the traditional sugared almonds, also known as bomboniere, to personalised presents and handmade goodies, wedding favours are a lovely way to thank your guests for being a part of your celebration. They’ll give them a lasting reminder of the day, and can also enhance your wedding theme. Here’s how to ensure your favours make an impact!
You can impress your guests by choosing a gift that reflects your personalities or interests. Draw inspiration from your culture or your shared hobbies – maybe you are a pair of sports lovers, foodies or intrepid travellers, and can find a gift to reflect this.
Another excellent source of ideas is your wedding itself – the season, the location or the theme of your day. If you’re having a destination wedding, consider giving guests something travel-related or a local delicacy.
Get creative with your packaging to enhance the overall impression. Options include rustic brown paper, colourful tulle or organza bags, velvet pouches, or noodle boxes to match your colour theme. Attach a personalised tag with your guests’ names, and place your favour at each table setting where they can double as place cards and table decorations.
If you’d prefer, put your favours on display for your guests to help themselves, accompanied by a sign that reads ‘Please take one’, ‘Be our guest’ or something similar. Alternatively you could personally hand out your favours to each guest after the dessert and cutting of the cake but before the dancing – a great way to guarantee a special moment with every person.
Another fun idea is for guests to help themselves from a candy buffet with a selection of sweets, or a snack station with treats such as cookies, macarons, petit fours, soft drinks and popcorn. Supply plenty of paper bags for your guests to fill and enjoy the edible goodies on their way home or the next morning while reminiscing about the night before!
Here are a few more ideas: You could have your wedding cake do double-duty – serve pieces packaged in cute boxes for guests to take home. You could also employ this trick for your photo booth pictures by offering photo frames or pretty customised envelopes for your guests to take home with their snaps.
If you are the creative type, why not make your own favours? Keep in mind that this can be a very time-consuming process, so try making a few samples first and decide whether you are up to the challenge! Or you could package the favours yourself – tie the ribbons, write the names and wrap the goodies.
If you are thinking of purchasing your favours online, always buy a sample first to make sure it’s exactly what you are after, before purchasing in bulk. And if you’re buying personalised tags or packaging, ask to see a proof to make sure all the details are correct.
Finally, some couples are choosing to forgo traditional favours and donate to their favourite charity on behalf of their guests. You can tailor the donation to your budget, and present each guest with a beautiful card outlining the details, or simply explain your decision on a blackboard or sign to let your guests know. We love UNICEF’s wedding favours – polio vaccines, mosquito nets, items for school and more!
a bit about bomboniere
The tradition of giving five sugar-coated almonds began centuries ago in Europe and is still very popular in Italy, France and Greece. Representing health, happiness, wealth, longevity and fertility, five is also a prime number that cannot be divided, just like the newlywed couple! You may like to continue this tradition by giving each guest a bag containing five sweet almonds. You could explain the significance to your guests by attaching a card with this poem about the almonds’ meaning:
‘Five sugared almonds for each guest to eat
To remind us that life is both bitter and sweet.
Five wishes for the new husband and wife –
Health, wealth, happiness, children, and a long life!’