by Dino Santos
When your friends start getting married, you soon find yourself collecting wedding favors. Your shelves are full, not to mention the fact that dusting them becomes a real chore. And since most wedding giveaways are fragile and some, even ephemeral, you have to take extra care of them (if only to make sure no bad wedding kharma befalls on you!) . Soon, they become weights, and you are lucky if you even get to use the wedding giveaways as paperweights.
And now, you are the one getting married. Time to return the favor.
Why Wedding Giveaways?
The first documented appearance of wedding favors was in 16th century England. If you ever wondered why there are always laces and knots with the wedding giveaways, it is because the earliest known favors had them. In fact, that was all of it – a lace and a knot. The original purpose may have been simply to share to the community the love the young couple had with each other, and down the generations, people just added more and more colors, items or meaning to the gift.
For the upper classes at the time, sometimes the knot and lace were accompanied by a bonboniere, a small box decorated with precious stones and whatnots. The box often contained a delicacy, usually something sweet, probably symbolizing the young couple's sweetness? Love? Or perhaps something better left undefined.
Regardless of the history, the meaning remains the same today. A newlywed gives out wedding favors as a token of their appreciation to the attending community, as a sharing of their love and a hope that their friends and family will continue to support them in their new lives.
The Modern Implications of Wedding Favors
A wedding favor is really a freebie, for all intents and purposes. In freebie marketing, you give away something at a loss, maybe even for free, with all the intention of placing more value on a complementary good. The perfect example is the razor and blades relationship. Historically, razors have been given away at less than cost, but the blades are the money makers. The same marketing strategy was used with printers and ink cartridges, with cartridges costing almost twice that of the printer price.
But if the wedding favor is the freebie, what is the complementary good being given more value? Of course, it is going to be your marriage. The more beautiful your wedding favors are, the more value your guests place on your marriage. This is not a set science, but more of an instinctive reaction to the stimulus of a wedding.
Of Tokens, Paperweights and Favors
You are not looking at the cost of the wedding favor per se, but more of the effect of the wedding giveaway. For example, a one year old sapling can be a wedding favor – the fact that it is a living thing highlights the anticipated growth of your nuptials. A heart wine bottle stopper accents your love for wines and liquors. These pretty damask design manicure sets may imply an emphasis on grooming and appearance – it all depends on what you, as a couple, want to say.
If the wedding souvenir is a paperweight, make it as useful as it can be. If the favor is symbolic, then make it as outrageously symbolic as it can be, like floppies that double as bottle openers. You get the point.
When your friends start getting married, you soon find yourself collecting wedding favors. Your shelves are full, not to mention the fact that dusting them becomes a real chore. And since most wedding giveaways are fragile and some, even ephemeral, you have to take extra care of them (if only to make sure no bad wedding kharma befalls on you!) . Soon, they become weights, and you are lucky if you even get to use the wedding giveaways as paperweights.
And now, you are the one getting married. Time to return the favor.
Why Wedding Giveaways?
The first documented appearance of wedding favors was in 16th century England. If you ever wondered why there are always laces and knots with the wedding giveaways, it is because the earliest known favors had them. In fact, that was all of it – a lace and a knot. The original purpose may have been simply to share to the community the love the young couple had with each other, and down the generations, people just added more and more colors, items or meaning to the gift.
For the upper classes at the time, sometimes the knot and lace were accompanied by a bonboniere, a small box decorated with precious stones and whatnots. The box often contained a delicacy, usually something sweet, probably symbolizing the young couple's sweetness? Love? Or perhaps something better left undefined.
Regardless of the history, the meaning remains the same today. A newlywed gives out wedding favors as a token of their appreciation to the attending community, as a sharing of their love and a hope that their friends and family will continue to support them in their new lives.
 |
| The sign-up table - your signature and your message: your first giveaway present. |
The Modern Implications of Wedding Favors
A wedding favor is really a freebie, for all intents and purposes. In freebie marketing, you give away something at a loss, maybe even for free, with all the intention of placing more value on a complementary good. The perfect example is the razor and blades relationship. Historically, razors have been given away at less than cost, but the blades are the money makers. The same marketing strategy was used with printers and ink cartridges, with cartridges costing almost twice that of the printer price.
But if the wedding favor is the freebie, what is the complementary good being given more value? Of course, it is going to be your marriage. The more beautiful your wedding favors are, the more value your guests place on your marriage. This is not a set science, but more of an instinctive reaction to the stimulus of a wedding.
 |
| Edible giveaways .... little things that mean a lot, especially when dinner is yet to be served ... in uhm, a couple of hours. |
 |
| A less shocking way to distribute sweetness |
Of Tokens, Paperweights and Favors
You are not looking at the cost of the wedding favor per se, but more of the effect of the wedding giveaway. For example, a one year old sapling can be a wedding favor – the fact that it is a living thing highlights the anticipated growth of your nuptials. A heart wine bottle stopper accents your love for wines and liquors. These pretty damask design manicure sets may imply an emphasis on grooming and appearance – it all depends on what you, as a couple, want to say.
If the wedding souvenir is a paperweight, make it as useful as it can be. If the favor is symbolic, then make it as outrageously symbolic as it can be, like floppies that double as bottle openers. You get the point.
 |
| Something to savor, after the 3rd course, or after the wedding, before bed time. |
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