A wedding is a special time in the lives of the happy couple and their friends and relatives. There are so many things to attend to in the exceitement of planning the wedding that the bride will often ask for some help from friends and family to help her with the details of receptions, flowers, outfits and vehicles. You will find that relatives and friends will want to help.

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 job is to help the bride and groom in any way they are needed to make sure all arrangements are attended to. They will also need to help the bride and groom to get ready on the day and to help over-see the proceedings.

From very early European times, the aristocrates and wealthy would present each other with gifts of sweets which was when the tradition of wedding favors for guests and attendants originated. These were called bomboniere, which literally means a small box of sweets. Boxes made of gold, crystal and precious stones were the early bomboniere. Because sugar was a luxury in these times, these gifts could only be afforded by the very rich.

During the 13^th century, the tradition of giving sugar-coated almonds developed as sugar became more affordable. The traditional number of almonds was symbolic; there were five, standing for health, happiness, fertility, wealth and longevity. The sweet coating over the more bitter almond was symbolic of the bitter-sweet nature of a marriage.

As time went by, guests started giving more varied and practical gifts to the happy couple and the gift of five almonds was made to the guests by the couple. Before brides-to-be walked rather long distances simply to purchase wedding favors. This bomboniere tradition still exists, but may be known as wedding favors or guests gifts. The tradition of the five almonds bomboniere is still laive today in many countries; they are presented in small boxes or net bags which are decorated with lace and ribbons.

The gifts designed for the wedding guests have advanced beyond the sugar-coated almonds these days. 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 new bride will be a very good person to ask for advice about bachelorette party games or bridal shower games. Adding the names of the happy couple and the date of their wedding makes the gift more personal. the gifts are given as a token of appreciation for the person’s involvement in the wedding and are often intended as a reminder of the occasion also.

There are numerous beautiful ideas for these little gifts of appreciation, that don’t have to cost a lot. There are many website that specialize in wedding favors, bomboniere and all things associated with weddings. You will possibly get some great ideas from these website, even if you don’t end up buying from them.

Some brides also make their own wedding favors. There are many stationary supply businesses that sell little boxes. Before putting some chocolates into the box, you might want to decorate the outside, using your wedding theme for inspiration. Select the color of the ribbons to match your wedding theme, attach a gift tage for the guest’s name and tie it all closed and you will have created wedding favors that will both look greaty and be appreciated. You might even decide to make the chocolates yourself, if you are that way inclined.