A Bedfordshire Wedding

The tradition of presenting a small gift, or favour, to wedding guests originated in Italy many centuries ago. Traditionally, it consisted of five sugared almonds for each guest which represented wealth, health, fertility, long life and happiness for the married couple.

These days, many couples still choose to have sugared almond favours because of their symbolism. But as with many wedding traditions, people often now add a modern twist and put their own stamp on it! 21st century favours can consist of a personalised bar of chocolate, a pot plant, a CD of the wedding music, or even jewellery! How you tie the favours in with your theme and how much you want to spend on them is up to you.

If you want a more personal touch you could try making rather than buying your favours. How about baking some heart shaped cookies, icing your guests names onto them and placing them in clear plastic bags. They could then also be used as the place settings. Or why not give your guests a favour that will be a long-lasting reminder of your day? You could give each of them a packet of seeds that they can take home and watch grow! Or if you want to be closer to the traditional favours but add a bit of fun, you could buy organza bags and fill them with five sweets – but replace sugared almonds with rock sweets that say ‘Just married!’ through the middle!

Do remember though, favours are an added extra, not a ‘must have’. Couples often find that after spending time and money on favours for their guests, a large number of them end up left on the tables at the end of the night as people forget to take them home. Many now take the view that to be invited to the wedding is ‘gift’ enough and an additional present is simply unnecessary. So if you haven’t got the budget (or the inclination!), don’t feel that it is something you have to provide.