Can I ask a Favour? Wedding Favours......will you, won't you?

What's your favour?!

Historically, five sugared almonds were given to guests as a wedding favour.

Typically served in decorative packaging as part of the table placement (ceramic swans with almonds in a net bag was popular back in the 80s when I first got hitched), the concept dates back to ancient Rome, where five honey-dipped almonds were served at the most high profile weddings to bless a couple with Health, Wealth, Happiness, Fertility and Long Life.

But the days of such teeth-breaking confectionary at weddings is in decline. Modern couples are increasingly ditching the tradition; instead offering a marriage memento that is more personal, topical, inspired or economical.

Consulting with some of our lovely couples, here are some great examples of how to ring

the changes. (And does anyone actually LIKE sugared almonds anyway?)

1. On your wedding day, with loved ones in attendance, you’ll feel rich in friends and

family. So try and make your friends and family rich! Pop a lottery ticket or scratch

card into a pretty drawstring bag or decorated envelope as a favour with financial

potential! (We heard of a wedding where scratch cards were favours and one of

their guests won £10,000. Nice!)

2. If you want to retain the sentiment behind the five sweet treats, why not opt for

something like five pieces of homemade of fudge? One of Vicky’s couples did this,

also weaving in their Musical Theatre theme by presenting the favours in ‘brown

paper packages tied up with string.’

3. Green weddings are on the rise, so if yours is going to have an eco-vibe then seeds

are lovely no-waste favours. Present with a hand-written label saying that you hope

that they will blossom like your love for each other. Alternatively, give your guests

pretty cotton bags filled with lavender or rosemary. Great for keeping smalls sweet-

smelling!

4. For a beach-themed wedding, shells and sea glass give a seaside twist to the five

bonbons. One couple presented nature’s bounty in small cork-stoppered bottles,

adding a hand-drawn map of their favourite beach walk so that guests could walk

the route to the spot where the proposal took place.

5. If crystals are your thing, a piece of rose quartz (linked with love) makes an unusual

favour. Present in small box with a note about the crystal’s romantic heritage.

6. If you’re artistic or creative in a particular way, use your skill set. Paint, craft or even

brew or your own favours – we know couples who have given hand-painted stones,

felted hearts, miniature bottles of homemade sloe gin and even origami doves as

favours.

7. Many couples use their wedding favours to support their favourite charity or good

cause. Brooches such as the various cancer ribbons or the British Heart Foundation’s

silk lapel rose make great ‘doing good too’ favours.

8. One bride and groom we heard about chose to spend the money they had allocated

to favours on a hamper from a well-known London store. The favours were raffle

tickets and the draw was done at the end of the speeches. Evidently it was a really

memorable part of the day – not least because the groom’s ex-girlfriend won. I guess

you could call it a consolation prize…

9. A tattoo-loving pair used non-permanent stick-on tattoos as favours. Evidently

getting both grannies ‘inked’ made for some awesome photos. Or go the whole way and have a tattoo artist ready to add ink to any guest who dares!

10. One of our absolute favourite favour ideas was from R&K’s wedding. Guests

found envelopes bearing their name as part of the placement. Inside were hand-

written letters from the bride and groom, each one telling the individual recipient

what qualities the couple valued in them, what they meant to them and why it was

so important that they were there to share in their celebration. With 80 guests all

sitting down to the wedding breakfast it must have taken them ages to do this – a

true labour of love – but guests were incredibly touched by such thoughtfulness.

Simple, love-filled and absolutely gorgeous.

So there you have it. Instead of giving your guests those pesky (and dentally dangerous)

sugared almonds, make your favours more imaginative. Make them more YOU.

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