Giving away wedding favours was practiced by European nobility. The gifts consisted of sugared treats of five pieces of almonds or candies, packaged in artfully crafted boxes fashioned from ceramics, metal or crystal with inlaid semi-precious stones. The five almonds or candies were believed to bestow happiness, fertility, health, wealth, and longevity.



The little box or the European bonniere that held the good luck treats gave way to the present day wedding favours and these days, anything goes. These can be elegant, whimsical, and unique or personalized items. Popular choices are bottle stoppers, fridge magnets, picture frames, wine bottle stoppers and candles creatively dressed up to reflect the wedding theme and the season.

If you want something extra nice or non-traditional, give wedding favours that are uniquely you. You can give fortune cards if you are something of a mystic, tuck in a family recipes for beef stew into shiny little tin pans, if you and your mate love baking or cooking; or still give your guests a little of the Caribbean from your holiday - sand and shells in little crystal dome vases!

For elegance, luxurious crystal tokens are perfect. Crystal candle holders, flower pots, angels, and swans are top favorites. A touch of silver and gold adds to the elegance of your tokens and you do not have to spend much for these - silver ribbons, beads, and some little frills to go with the packaging.

Choosing Your Wedding Favours

With an array of wedding accoutrements from wedding gowns to tokens, it can be difficult to make a choice. Start out with what you really want and what you can afford. Wedding tokens are sold by sets with an added cost for packaging and shipping. You can avoid extra expenses and have more tokens to give away by:

* Doing your own ribbons from cloth stores nearby

* Shopping for discounted items from an online bridal shop

* Personally picking up the items if the shop is within your locality

* Packaging the items with your brand of personal flair

* Choosing a bridal shop that offers free shipping

Your wedding favours should always complement your d‚cor. An outdoor garden wedding will be complemented with small beribboned topiaries, or a beach wedding notches up its tropical look with fantastic conch shells packages for the wedding tokens.

Sticking to the wedding theme narrows down the field and makes the task of selecting items easier. Other factors should also be considered:

* Season of the wedding

* Wedding d‚cor

* Type of wedding (indoors or outdoors)

* Number of guests

Wedding favours say a lot about you as a couple and conveys your message to your guests. Personalized and elegant gifts are popular with couples who want guests to remember fondly their wedding day. You can have your names and the date of the wedding monogrammed on the items to help guests remember that the particular token came from you and they can recall what a beautiful wedding it was.