by Avril Defleurey

Created on: April 23, 2010

Originating in Italy and known as ‘bomboniers’, wedding favours were small porcelain boxes of sweets given to wedding guests by the couple for thanks for attending their wedding.  Traditionally five sugared almonds were placed in the boxes to represent health, wealth, happiness, fertility and long life.

As favours can be expensive, or lack the personal touch that the couple desire, many brides-to-be are turning to making their own. Wedding favour kits can be bought at many outlets and online. Empty favour boxes and small organza bags can be bought and filled by hand. Both of these can be filled with either the traditional sugared almonds or substituted with chocolate hearts, love heart sweets or even a trinket which will last a lifetime in celebration of the happy event. Some other interesting fillers for the bags or boxes are; dried petals, leaves and tiny roses, scented pot pourri is both cheap and goes a long way. Cake decorations such as silver cherubs and doves are perfect on their own or as an accompaniment to dried flowers and petals.

Home made felt bags are both cheap and personal; the felt can be chosen to match the wedding colour scheme. It is both very soft and strong so is ideal for holding delicate objects. And as it is not a woven cloth, the ability to sew like a seamstress is not necessary, big stitches using wool or embroidery cotton just helps to make the bags look quaint.  Also for those not fluent with a needle and thread, felt seams can be glued together. Felt bags can hold trinkets or as a special treat some flower seeds wrapped in tissue paper with the growing instructions alongside. In the event of there not being much time to home make favours, envelopes with seeds and a set of instructions will serve just as well especially if the envelope is personalized.

If quaint is not the order of the day and the bride prefers a little more elegance - tulle netting cut into six to nine inch rounds then filled in the centre with the preferred gift, before the edges are brought up and fastened with a piece of ribbon or string and secured about two inches from the edge with a bow, looks both chic and sophisticated. Again these little packages can match the wedding design. These can be filled with anything from traditional sweets, scented lavender, and precious gem stones such as Rose quartz, Emerald or Hematite which are love stones, to fortune cookies. For the seamstress with an eye for detail and beauty, miniature satin and

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