A wedding is such a special celebration for the bride and groom and for their friends and family. The bride has much to organize with wedding outfits, flowers, the limousines and reception venues, and she will usually ask for some help from her family and friends to get everything just right. 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.

Wedding favours, which are really just small gifts of appreciation for wedding guests and attendants, originated in early European times when wealthy aristicrats would present each other with gifts of sweets to celebrate special occasions like marriages. They were known as bomboniere, the literal meaning of which is small box of sweets. The original gifts were made of crystal and gold, and embellished with precious stones. Sugar was still rare and expensive in those days, so only the wealthy and the aristocrats could afford these gifts.

During the 13th century, the tradition of giving sugar-coated almonds developed as sugar became more affordable. The tradition of five almonds was to represent happiness, health, wealth, fertility and longevity for the happy couple. The sweet sugar coating combined with the more bitter almond was supposed to be representative of the bitter-sweet character of marriage.

Gradually, over time, wedding guests started to give more practical or elaborate gifts to the couple and the tradition of the five almonds was retained by it becoming a guest gift instead. In the past brides to be walked long distances only to pay for wedding invitations. This bomboniere tradition still exists, but may be known as wedding favours or guests gifts. The tradition of the five almonds is maintained in many countries, particularly in Europe, and they are contained in small boxes or bags of net or lace, all decorated with ribbons.

The gifts designed for the wedding guests have advanced beyond the sugar-coated almonds these days. The most popular items include scented candles, small picture frames with a photo of the bride and groom, champagne glasses and pens. An old bridesmaid has got to be very good person to inquire about help with bachelorette party invitations or bridal shower gifts. Personalize them with the names of the bride and groom, and even the date of the wedding, if you like. Most couples intend their guest gifts to be both a thank-you for the guest’s attendance and wedding gift and a momento of the wedding day.

There are numerous beautiful ideas for these little gifts of appreciation, that don’t have to cost a lot. When you search the internet, there will be pages of results for sites that specialize in wedding favours and bomboniere. The websites will give you some creative ideas, whether you buy from the online shops or not.

You might be one of those brides who prefer to make their own wedding favours. Go online to a stationary supplier and you will find different designs of little boxes. To tie the wedding favours to the wedding theme, decorate the outside of the box accordidng to your theme and then put in some chocolates. 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. If you love to cook, you might decide to hand-make the chocolates yourself.

Article reproduced from top-wedding-planner.com