A wedding is such a special celebration for the bride and groom and for their friends and family. The planning involves a lot of excitement with choosing the wedding outfits, transport, flowers and reception places that the bride usually needs some extra help from her friends and family to get everything done. Friends and relatives will be happy to help you.
The members of the bridal party – the matron of honor, bridesmaids, best man and groomsmen – have extra duries to attend to before and during the wedding. Their duties include assisting the bride and groom attend to all the details that go together to make the whole day special. They are also responsible for helping the bride and groom and seeing that the proceedings all run smoothly.
This tradition of having small gifts of appreciation for wedding attendants and guests actually dates from early European times when the wealthy people would give tokens of sweets in celebration of weddings. They were called bombiniere which means a small box of sweets. The original gifts were made of crystal and gold, and embellished with precious stones. This type of gift could only be afforded by the wealthy people of the day as sugar was still an expensive luxury.
During the 13th century, the tradition of giving sugar-coated almonds developed as sugar became more affordable. Traditionally, the number of almonds is symbolic – the five almonds represent health, fertility, happiness, longevity and wealth. The combination of sweet outer coating and more bitter taste of the almond is significant because it represents the bitter-sweet nature of marriage.
Over time, the tradition became that these little gifts of almonds were presented to the wedding guests, at the same time as guests started giving the bride and groom more elaborate wedding presents. In the past birdes-to-be walked very long distances in order to choose wedding cake. This tradition remains today, although the bomboniere may be called wedding favors or guest gifts. Several European countries still have the tradition of giving bomboniere that contai 5 almonds, in a little decorated box or lace bag tied with ribbons.
Most couple give a more elaborate guest gify these days, with modern brides often forsaking the tradition. Today, the more popular items may be a small photo frame with a photo of the couple, pens, champagne glasses pr scented candles. A former bride-to-be would be a very good person to inquire about help with bachelorette party favors or bridal shower invitations. Adding the names of the happy couple and the date of their wedding makes the gift more personal. These gifts are given as a reminder of the special day as well as a thank you gift for the person’s attendance and gifts.
There are lots of ideas that can be used for these gifts of appreciation and they don’t have to be very expensive. You will find a wide range of wedding favors, in various price ranges, when you do an internet search. You might buy from these onlone stores or not, but you will probably get lots of ideas and inspiration from them.
Some brides like to add a personal touch by making their own wedding favors. Go online to a stationary supplier and you will find different designs of little boxes. You can decorate the outside of the box with a symbol of your wedding and put some chocolates inside. To complete the guest gift you attach a gift card that bears the guest’s name and use theme-matched colored ribbon to tie it all up; your guests will be sure to appreciate their lovely gift. You can even make the chocolates at home, or get a friend to do this for you.