Giving out wedding favors is a tradition that was started by the aristocrats back in the medieval age. Small trinket box filled with sugar cubes will be given out to aristocratic guests as a sign of appreciation. This is purely because sugar symbolizes wealth due to it being an expensive commodity back in those days.

The practice continues today and is not limited to aristocrats or the wealthy. It is also a sign of appreciation and the gift varies from food to simple ornaments. The gift would greatly depend on what the couple's thinks best to represent their gratitude to the guests.

Here are the types of common wedding favors:

- When you want hassle free and simple to purchase favors, decorative wedding favors are the one for you. They are just decorative ornaments meant for the table or just about anywhere. Examples of these favors are paperweights, pots, scented soaps, wedding unity candles and miniature glass bottles.

- Practical wedding favors are those that serve a specific purpose. While function serves a bigger role, being highly decorative is a plus point. Some options to consider when looking for practical wedding favors are photo frames, pen holders, candles and scented foam bath sets. More often than not, however, these practical wedding favors are so pretty they are treasured more for their beauty than their function. Most times, they end up as a decorative piece.

- For those who love to tickle their guest's fancy, there are humorous wedding favors for guests. They serve the purpose to just be funny. They are just there for the guests to have fun with and not really to cherish. Some examples of humorous wedding favors are party-poppers, whistles, bells, garter belts and even lottery tickets.

- Edible wedding favors such as chocolate is a very popular wedding favor. Chocolates are romantic and can be design elegantly making it look expensive. Other edible wedding favors are cakes and cookies that are usually high-quality. Also becoming quite popular are coffee and tea.

- If you're enthusiastic about saving the environment, you can have wedding favors that carries the message. You can have wedding favors that are made from recycled materials and decorated in a very elegant manner. Everyone will be amazed.

- You can also have seasonal wedding favors to go with your seasonal wedding theme. They would usually anything that represents the season or colored in the color theme of the season. For instance, maples leave card holder or snow pattern coaster.

Wedding favors do not have to be expensive items. In fact, some of the most memorable and well-used wedding favors could very well be that budget-friendly coaster set, plastic beach ball or pair of rubber flip flops. The last thing you should want your wedding favor to end up being is discarded the moment they reach home or even worse, in some corner of their store room gathering dust.

If you want your guests to cherish your wedding favor, you must analyze the majority of people you invite to your wedding. Who are they are what kind of favors that you think will best suit their lifestyle or preference. Office folks for instance may not be so keen of cutesy items for they might find things that they can use such as paperweight or photo frames. Younger crowd would love decorative ornaments for their mobile phone.

When choosing wedding favors, ask yourself some questions:

- What will this gift be used for?

- Will my guests enjoy their gift?

- Does this reflect us or our personalities?

- Will my closest friends expect something like this from us?

If your answers are keen and justifiable then you have made the right choice in choosing a wedding favor that is just right for your wedding.