Each culture has their own take on the small gift given by the newlyweds to their guests. In many cultures sweet confections in groups of five representing love, happiness, loyalty, prosperity and virility are wrapped in decorative materials or boxes and given to guests as a show of thanks from the couple.
Today favours have become less traditional and representative of these original meanings. If you decide to include favours in your celebration they can be a wonderful way to add a personal touch to your guest’s evening or convey an individual message from the bride and groom.
Confectionery is a most versatile favour. Wrapped or boxed in the reception’s theme or colour scheme they give ample opportunity for personalisation with the couples name and date, or a special message to their guests.
A more recent trend and extension of the sweet favour motif is to provide guests with a lolly bar or candy buffet. Guests are given boxes or bags with which to fill with lollies from a bar. The bar is usually decorated to a theme or colour scheme and filled with the couple’s favourite sweet treats.
Couples who don’t have such a sweet tooth are using this template and creating cookie bars, popcorn bars and snack bars. These stunning installations make whimsical conversation pieces and guests will enjoy engaging with one another as they select their favourite treats to take home.
Edible favours are a great way to get your family involved with wedding preparations. If you have a family member who makes wonderful preserves, brews their own beer, loves to bake treats or grows a delicious and bountiful crop of fruit ask for their help or product perhaps in lieu of a wedding gift.
These too can be personalised with packaging in the reception’s colour scheme or with the family recipe for the produce.
A wedding favour doesn’t have to be a tiresome and expensive extra, many couples have realised favours can be incorporated into the table or venue décor and used as place cards.
Groupings of individually potted plants, a bud vase with a single stem per guest, a large vase filled with individual bunches of flowers or tree saplings make wonderful centrepieces. Giving your guests an evergreen shrub such as a Gardenia can be a lovely and symbolic representation of your everlasting love for one another.
A fun twist on the traditional favour is to place a notecard on each guest’s place setting offering personal favours-making use of the bride and groom’s talents. For example; the groom will mow your lawns, the bride will bake you cupcakes, the bride and groom will help you assemble flat pack furniture.
Artistic couples could create their own programmes filled with fun information and games for their guests. Bride and Groom word searches, board games featuring important moments in the couple’s relationship, colouring in pages of the couple’s dream house, connect the dots, trivia and mad libs are just some of the examples that could be included. These printed programmes along with a small box of colouring pencils could be a lovely way for guests to spend time interacting and having fun whilst the wedding party has pictures taken.
Alternatively, why not give each guest a personalised pack of cards or travel sized board game if you are planning a long photography session between your service and reception.
If you are a food loving couple why not ask your guests to help you create a recipe book for your new life together. Along with your R.S.V.P cards ask guests to send their favourite recipe to you. You can then compile these recipes into a book for you to keep and share copies with your guests. This recipe for love creates a lasting memento of the guests at your wedding and is a useful token of your appreciation for your guests.
For the more rock n’ roll couple why not give each guest a personalised temporary tattoo so they can have an everlasting memory of your wedding- well, for a week at least!
Late night snack packs or morning after care packages can be a fun way to thank your guests and keep them going so they can celebrate with you all night long. Snack packs could include a miniature energy drink, some lollies for a sugar rush and some savoury snacks to tide the guests over until morning. A morning after care package could include an eye mask- to ensure a good night’s sleep, travel sized moisturiser, Berocca and a small bottle of water.
The options and ideas for favours are limited only by your creativity and imagination. Remember favours are a personal token of appreciation that you want your guests to take home and enjoy.