Wedding Favors - How to Graciously Thank Your Wedding Guests


Thank You, Merci, Arigatou, Gracias, Xie-Xie?

Gratitude is a universal emotion. People of different cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs can understand no matter what language it is expressed in. This sentiment is experienced at momentous events in our life. A wedding celebration is a special event connecting two people and their families in holy matrimony. Planning a wedding is indeed no task for the feeble minded, so for those that help the Bride and Groom do all the leg work or just simply being present at each event deserves a big Thank You.

How might one ask, do you give thanks and make a lasting impression on your guest? The simple answer is with a Wedding Favor. For those that are not familiar with this word, a wedding favor is a gift, a small token of appreciation for guest to treasure and remember your wedding day. This word is also interchangeably referred to as keepsakes, giveaways, or bomboniere. It is recommended to order wedding favors at least a couple of months before the wedding date to ensure that there is plenty of time left to order more if the guest list grows longer.

Wedding favors have been around for a very long time, we can trace its roots back to the Italians where the infamous sugarcoated candies called Jordan Almonds made its symbolic presence. The almond which naturally has a bittersweet taste, representing life and the sugarcoating on the exterior brings forth anticipation of sweetness that life also has to offer. Jordan Almonds are not just colored hard shelled candies that seem to pop up in weddings but they are symbolic confections of married life and the journey that lies ahead.

In the modern world of high tech innovations and fast track living, Jordan almonds wrapped in tulle or filled in bags or boxes are not the only options for favors today. Professionals in the wedding industry have come up with novel ways of making favors fun, stylish, trendy, and most of all, affordable. Tradition has fused with style to create favors that represent the lifestyle of the couple. No two wedding you attend, will you receive the same wedding favor.

If Jordan almonds wrapped in tulle netting was the favor you received at the last wedding you attended, here is the 411 on the different types of wedding favors out there.

  • Edible Munchies - chocolate truffles, liquor filled chocolates, fortune cookies, mints, designer cookies, jellies, and doughnuts
  • Candles - fruit shaped, aromatic, votives, candle filled jars, flower shaped
  • Soaps - hearts, rose petals, fruit shapes
  • Place Card Holders - mini chairs, vases, bells, picture frames, napkin rings
  • Silver - mint julep cups, key chains, wine stoppers, compact mirrors, fortune cookie, chopsticks, bells

Be inventive and use theme to create the mood, like a coffee inspired theme with coffee scoop favors, an Asian inspired theme with engraved chopsticks, or Garden inspired theme with mini pear candles that has the tag reading "The Perfect Pear".

When the decision is finally made on the type of wedding favors to get, the next dilemma faced is if each person should get one favor each or should it be given one favor per couple. This depends on the guest list. If a larger percent of the guest list consists of people who are single versus married then opt for one favor per person instead. One good rule to go by is if the favor costs more than $10 a piece, consider giving one favor per couple to cut down on expenses.

Now that you know the Who, What, When, on wedding favors, here is the How part. How is each favor displayed and distributed? The most popular way to give out the favors is by displaying it on each place setting that is if you are giving one favor per person. This allows your guest to use it as a conversational piece with one another, which is a great way to get the guest to start mingling with one another. If placing the favors on each table is too mundane for you, try using it as the focal point of your wedding, similar to your wedding cake. Have a special table decorated just for your wedding favors and place it near the entryway so it will be the first thing guest will see and also the last thing they will remember as they grab one as they leave the reception. This method is good for those that just could not part with giving one favor per couple, because your guest will never know if everyone received a favor since it is self served. Just beware of those that always want a second helping by grabbing more than one favor.

Whether it is known by the alias keepsakes, giveaways, or bombonieres, wedding favors are gifts that will make a lasting impression. Just like Great Food, Great Favors never go out of style. Graciously say Merci, Arigatou, Gracias, Xie-Xie with a wedding favor.

Copyright Tracy Yang, 2005. All rights reserved.

Reprint Rights: You may use this article as long as you include the author's copyright and link to the author's website.

Tracy Yang is the creative director for HansonEllis.com. The place for unique wedding favors and bridal shower gifts for your special event.







Related News



Man Forced to Decide Between Marriage or Job - WEAU-TV 13

Man Forced to Decide Between Marriage or Job
WEAU-TV 13, WI -10 hours ago
The leader of a Wisconsin Salvation Army group is faced with a touch decision; he must either cancel his wedding or loose his job. ...

Spencer Pratt defends marriage to Heidi Montag - Newsday

I Really Should Study

Spencer Pratt defends marriage to Heidi Montag
Newsday, NY -3 hours ago
The newly betrothed Pratts - that is, Heidi and Spencer - are laughing off suggestions by Heidi's mom that Spencer may have drugged her daughter to get her ...
Did Spencer Pratt 'drug' Heidi Montag for wedding? Ask Mom!Los Angeles Times
Spencer Pratt Defends Marriage to Heidi MontagPeople Magazine
Spencer Pratt Still Prattling On About MarriageActress Archives
TheCelebrityCafe.com - E! Online
all 186 news articles

Ask the Wedding Goddess: Are Wedding Jitters Normal? - Wedlok.com

Ask the Wedding Goddess: Are Wedding Jitters Normal?
Wedlok.com, NV -16 hours ago
If your first marriage is over, then there is no going back. Even if you still have love for your ex, that does not mean you are still in love with him. ...

Encourage boyfriend to face marriage fears - Seattle Post Intelligencer

Encourage boyfriend to face marriage fears
Seattle Post Intelligencer -18 hours ago
Why does he see marriage as an agent of doom, where (presumably) he sees cohabitation as safe? Is it about the wedding itself, the forbidding escape route, ...

Punjab sets new rules for wedding functions - Sify

Sify

Punjab sets new rules for wedding functions
Sify, India -Dec 4, 2008
The state has nearly 1000 marriage palaces and banquet halls. These are used not only by Punjab residents but also a large number of Non-Resident Indians ...
Punjab sets new rules for weddingsDaily News & Analysis
all 8 news articles

Census survey shows average marrying age is increasing - Kansas.com

Census survey shows average marrying age is increasing
Kansas.com, KS -2 hours ago
They started dating in 2005 and lived together more than a year before planning their wedding. "About a year into it, we knew we were going to be together. ...

Governor Talks Politics, Marriage - Tampa Tribune

Governor Talks Politics, Marriage
Tampa Tribune, FL -Dec 3, 2008
By CATHERINE DOLINSKI Gay rights activists are planning to demonstrate outside your wedding and reception to protest the gay marriage ban that passed in ...

An ugly attack on Mormons - Chicago Tribune

Advocate.com

An ugly attack on Mormons
Chicago Tribune, United States -Dec 4, 2008
The Mormon zealots yank the couple's wedding rings from their fingers and then tear up their marriage license. As the thugs leave, one says to the other, ...
California's Prop. 8 Defeat: A Bungled CampaignThe Santa Barbara Independent
When marriage debate turns ugly, no one winsGrand Junction Free Press
all 27 news articles

Flowers: Good for Your Wedding, Good for Your Home - Examiner.com

Examiner.com

Flowers: Good for Your Wedding, Good for Your Home
Examiner.com -4 hours ago
by Ann Keeler Evans, Philadelphia Marriage Examiner I contacted Susan Fogwell of Blue Thistle Floral because I want to do an article about her wonderful ...

Fate Worse Than Marriage to Britney? Hubby No. 1 Locked Up in LA - E! Online

E! Online

Fate Worse Than Marriage to Britney? Hubby No. 1 Locked Up in LA
E! Online -21 hours ago
Too bad his quickie wedding to Britney Spears didn't last as long as his current stint in the slammer. Authorities in Los Angeles have locked up Jason ...