LUV SELS

Favored Guests

It has become the custom, over the past few decades, for wedding guests to receive a small but lovely gift as a thank you for attending the wedding. This has probably come about from the old tradition of giving out sugared almonds as good luck gifts from bride and groom to the guests. Fashion now dictates that the guests should also go home with some keepsake from the wedding itself which used to be the preserve of the main wedding guests. Parents would often be presented with bouquets of flowers; bridesmaids and groomsmen would get a gift each, and that would be about the end of it. Now, things have become much different.

Groomsmen and bridesmaids are perhaps the most ‘favored’ when it comes to giving them a gift for appreciation of their services before and during the wedding. Their gifts are normally some kind of jewelry piece or perhaps some great piece of luggage like a laptop bag, personalized with their initials, but usually these gifts tend to be more expensive than the wedding favors given to all the guests. The best man and chief bridesmaid or matron of honor also gets something a little more special.

Some people go as far as providing very expensive gifts for each and every guest at their wedding while others just give some small gift to show appreciation. Both, naturally, are acceptable and since the wedding feast, drinks and entertainment are usually also provided, few people would be disappointed with something at the lower price range of wedding favors. But low end doesn’t have to mean that the gift is not innovative or interesting.

Indeed, some couples make up small gift baskets with several small items instead of giving one more expensive gift. This could be a great idea since the couple will know that this gift is absolutely unique. So what kind of small trinkets are available for this type of gift?

Well, there are silver wine stoppers with an engagement ring adorning the top; then there are the sets of beautifully presented glass coasters, in a delicate autumn design, with a center opening for a favorite photograph; add a tea light set in its own glass; and a beautiful calla lily topped silver book mark and this makes up a very sweet collection of small gifts and all for under ten dollars in total! Of course, the tea light and glass coasters can also be used for decorating place settings for the guests to take home with them after the event, or they can be boxed or put in a pretty basket.

Place settings too can be given a double life. They decorate the table in the first place and then get taken home with the guest. If the wedding is set in winter, there are some beautiful, glass globes that act as holders for name cards. Filled with fake snow, these delightful little gifts can be used for decorating Christmas trees for years to come. There are also some other stunning table decorations in the ‘winter wonderland’ theme which makes tables literally sparkle, particularly if it is an evening function with plenty of candlelight on the tables.

Indeed, most people will use decorative candles or paperweights to decorate tables and this seems to the coming thing. Solid, silver plated hearts, with the initials of the bride and groom engraved, can be put at each place setting and this sets the mood for a lovely, romantic wedding. Although this kind of wedding favor is more expensive, it really sets the style of the wedding and no one would argue with that.

Themes are now becoming the common thread with weddings. Some like to have a tropical feel while remaining a little informal. Table settings consisting of everything connected to the sea give a completely unique look to tables. Even ‘flip flop’ or surfboard place name holders are available. For something a little more tasteful, table floral displays can have live fish swimming around, while ornaments consisting of shells or small, beautifully decorated fish also fit the bill. Again, these are small gifts which will obviously be taken home by the guests.

One couple had a great idea of making their wedding meal into the form of a carnival style function. Now this might not sound so unusual, but they went as far as providing a wonderful candy truck, with bags and scoops for the guests to fill their goody bags before leaving for home. Not to some people’s taste of course, but it is an unusual and innovative idea that will be remembered.

Others provide cookie baskets or cup cakes in their own boxes as the last treat of the day. The cookies can be personalized with the name of the bride and groom and are a cute way to end off the celebrations. Some people also opt out of having the ubiquitous wedding cake and opt for a tower of cup cakes!

But if the couple wants to splash out and give their guests something extra special, the world is literally their oyster. There are some magnificent gifts that can run into the hundreds of dollars per piece range, but unless money is unlimited, it can come as a bit of a shock when the final bill arrives. Also, don’t forget that personalized gifts, once ordered, cannot be returned so extra care in budgeting, checking details, and order numbers must be gone over several times before the final order is submitted.

Surely, this really must be the day when the bride and groom let their imaginations run wild. Where, in the past, decorum would dictate what should be done and said at a wedding, nowadays, religious requirements aside, they can really go to town on the celebrations after the ceremony. If it is loud and colorful, so be it. If it is refined and classy, then that is very acceptable as well. As long as this stands out as a day that will be remembered by all, for all the right reasons, then anything goes.

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