The history and practice of giving wedding favors dates as far back as ancient Rome. Many of your friends may incur considerable expense in hotels, time off work, proper attire, etc. in order to attend your wedding ceremony. What better way to show your gratitude to your guests for being part of your wedding celebration than to give them a wedding favor.

You don’t have to spend a lot on wedding favors, and they can add a personal touch to your wedding, whether they’re used at the reception, rehearsal dinner, or bridal shower. These simple treasures can reflect your personal style, cultural heritage, or even accent your wedding style. A few ideas are candles, picture frames, or candy. If you have a large wedding, you could consider giving each family a favor rather than each individual.

Placing wedding favors on tables at the reception is a popular way to display them. The favors could be placed above the plate or near the centerpiece, or you could place them in a batch near the centerpiece so guests can choose their own. Just be sure that they’re placed in a fashion that is consistent with the style of your decor and table settings.

Another option is to have waiters hand out the favors to each of the guests. Be sure to give the staff instructions on how many to hand out. You could also have the favors on a table near the exit, so guests can pick them up when they leave.

Whichever wedding favors you choose, and however you decide to display them, your wedding guests will feel special upon receiving them, and the gift itself will serve as a reminder long after the wedding. The wedding favors can accentuate the decoration on the tables or complement reception hall decor, and they can contribute to your overall wedding theme.

As your guests and family arrive at the reception party following your wedding ceremony, treat them to wedding favors personalized to reflect your taste and the decorative motif of the celebration.

Often these favors are arrayed on a table just inside the entrance along with a printed program of events to look forward to during and after dinner or hors’douevres. This idea also provides a perfect platform to array some photos of the bride and groom from their childhood or the earlier days of their courtship. Put a few silver platters or boxes of chocolate on the table in front of the photos for guests to enjoy as they look over the nostalgic collage, especially if you do not place the main wedding favors there.

Types of Wedding Favors

More formal receptions often include a greeting line where guests can introduce themselves, shake hands, hug or kiss the bride and groom (the parents may be greeters, too) as they file in. A bride’s maid, the best man or charmingly, a child (perhaps the ring bearer) can be there to pass out wedding favors just as the guests enter and mingle to find their seats.

When your guests finally find their seats, they may be delighted to find a beautiful centerpiece of dried or silk flowers, bows and bells and lovely ornaments, fragrant tropical blossoms, roses or tulips in a bowl (depending on your budget) that carry the design motif of the rest of the decorations and the wedding favors. Arrayed around the centerpiece could be small decorated boxes containing a few chocolates, truffles, mints or even a small piece of jewelry (maybe a key chain for your male guests).

Artful Favors

Of course, these days we all seem to be on a budget for our parties and planning a gala wedding reception is no exception. You can make your own heart felt wedding favors by visiting your local art supplies store and tapping your own imagination and creativity. Simplest of all could be a single votive candle wrapped in decorative paper, cloth, or perhaps a scintillating organza pouch.

Top them with a mini bow for an air of festiveness. Another idea for memorable wedding favors is to place sacks of pot pouri in ribbon festooned boxes gathered around the base of each table centerpiece. This is an especially elegant idea if the centerpiece is not filled with aromatic flower blossoms.

On your special day, your guests will be delighted to bring home with them a gift from your heart they can cherish forever.