Please Do Me A Favor!

  On behalf of your wedding, your guests are

gracing your memorable occasion with their

presence. You may want to return the favor or the

same act of kindness. A favor shows gratitude,

acknowledgment and good will.

Think back to the last wedding you attended.

Once you returned your “Respondez S’il Vous

Plait.” or RSVP, ( “Reply Please”!) to the

perspective bride and groom and accepted your

invitation, the following scenario probably took

place.

Chances are you probably either bought a

new outfit or had your dress or suit taken to the

cleaners. You also probably had your hair coiffed

to perfection and had your nails perfectly

groomed by a professional manicurist. You

either filled the car tank with gas or purchased

airline tickets if the ceremony or reception was

held out of town. Then there was the purchase of

the perfect wedding card and gift. If a gift wasn’t

purchased, you had to battle with yourself as to

the amount of greenbacks that would slide themselves

inside the carefully hand picked wedding

card for the bride and groom. Being an invitee at

a wedding can amount to a costly out of pocket

expense for a guest. Let’s not forget the expense

involved if an entire family is invited instead of

just the Mr. and Mrs.

Favors are a way to acknowledge your guests

and thanking them for attending one of the most

important events in your life. Favors are memorable

items or tokens of expressing your gratitude.

Some of these tokens may be influenced by

cultural traditions, some by popularity of the

common day, and others for their practicality.

Many weddings today revolve around a theme and

the favors reflect the same premise. Today’s favors

are edible, notable, practical, or fun. Keep in mind

that your favors should also fit into your budget.

The history of wedding favors dates back as

far as the 16th century. Everything from fruits,

biscuits, and nuts were presented to the attendees

of the wedding ceremony of those in early

Roman times. In ancient Italy, those who were

wealthy presented their guests with silk scarves,

incense and muhr. Bridal couples in England

gave out love knots made of lace and ribbons.

One of the most popular favors among many

European cultures is what is known as the Jordan

Almond. These candy coated almonds are gathered

in groups of five which together represent

Love, Fertility, Wealth, Happiness, and

Longevity. The sugar on the “Jordan” almond, as

it is affectionately referred too, symbolizes the

sweetness in a marriage. The almond itself

represents the bitterness that may present itself

during the course of a married couple’s life.

A Dutch tradition is to give out “Bridal

Sugar”. This party favor is made of five pieces of

sweet candy wrapped in tulle. The number five

represents five wishes of Love, Happiness,

Loyalty, Prosperity, And Virility.

At the traditional Puerto Rican reception it is

customary for a doll, dressed like the bride, to be

placed at the head of the wedding party’s table.

This bride-like doll is covered with little charms,

and is given to the guests as a party favor.

“Copias” are also passed out as presents to

guests. These wedding favors are cards, ornately

decorated, with the newlywed’s names and the

date of their marriage.

No matter what our heritage, no matter what

century we are in, or which country we live in…

it suffices to say that an act of kindness from the

bride and groom to their guests on their wedding

day is a universal tradition that continues to

flourish, whether a favor is traditional in

nature…or as time goes on, reinvents itself with

new symbolism with its own unique qualities.

So please see our advertisers on this page for your

wedding planning and ENJOY!