A wedding favor is a small token given by the newly weds to their guests in their wedding ceremony or reception. These are given as gifts of appreciation for sharing the special day with the couple. To recipients, these keepsakes are souvenirs. In the ancient world, these keepsakes were seen as sharing of luck from the newly married couple to their guests. Keepsakes come in many forms, shapes and sizes. Some give away figurines, magnets, bottle openers etc. Depending on the married couple, they can give away simple gifts such as a candle or elaborate ones like a small gold box.
This practice is believed to have started in the ancient world. The couple gave away biscuits, fruits and nuts. Before the wedding ceremony began, the guests were given these gifts so that they could eat them while the ceremony was ongoing. This tradition was practiced by wealthy families and in Italy; the couple gave their guests silks scarves and incense. Italians called it a bomboniere while the French called it bonbonniere. European aristocrats gave their guests a small box, which contains sugar cubes.
These boxes were not ordinary boxes; these were made from porcelain, crystal or were covered with precious stones. Sugar cubes were expensive at during that time, hence, it symbolized wealth and royalty. Weddings were regarded as lucky occasions. When couples give out gifts, it is believed that luck is also given to their guests. Giving of these was not strictly reserved for weddings only. These tokens were also given during birthdays, baptism and other special occasions. Once the prices of sugar cubes dropped, these objects were substituted with almonds. Later on, these almonds were coated with sugar. This symbolizes the bittersweet marriage. Guests were usually given five pieces of almonds. Each of these represented fertility, wealth, health, happiness and longevity. Today, these almonds are called Jordan Almonds.
These days, these gifts are given as a sign of gratitude. These gifts are now an integral part of the wedding. There isn't a couple that wont give something away to their guests during their wedding day. Some couples still adhere to tradition. In Italy, couples give chocolate covered almonds while in Spain, guests are given a vase that contains orange blossoms. The Dutch give candies to their guests. Couples today don't just give away sugarcoated almonds. Some give more personalized tokens that show the couple's personality, bears their names, and their date of marriage. Or these gifts can go by the theme of the wedding like fairy tale wedding or Asian theme. These gifts compliment and complete the wedding's theme. There are many companies today that specialize in these keepsakes.
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