wedding favours

cultural differences

Gifts for the Guests

@JudyEv (381950)

Rockingham, Australia

November 16, 2015 3:05am CST

Is it the custom in your country or culture to give small gifts to the wedding guests at a wedding? This was unknown when my friends and I were all getting married. I think perhaps the Italians in Australia were the first to give bombonieres or wedding favours as they are sometimes called. One of the items we've received was sugared almonds wrapped in tulle with two cake forks attached. I guess it is a nice custom although I always think it is just another expense for the couple or for the bride's parents. At the wedding we went to yesterday there were two gifts. Every second place-setting had a small bottle of olive oil with a sprig of olive infused in the oil and every other place had an olive seedling. We are looking forward to planting out our little olive tree. We'll put it in a pot for a while then plant it out with a netting guard to protect it from the kangaroos. Do you receive bombonieres when you attend a wedding?

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31 responses

@wiLLmaH (8801)

• Singapore, Singapore

16 Nov 15

Wedding favors are custom in Philippines too. On our wedding, we gave a way shirts that contains our wedding logo and the date of our wedding for the first 50. The late ones, we just give cupcakes. haha!

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

16 Nov 15

That would encourage people to be on time, wouldn't it?

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@wiLLmaH (8801)

• Singapore, Singapore

17 Nov 15

@JudyEv You bet! They were surprised and of course the late comers were asking why they do not have. Haha!

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Margaret Mwangi

@Missmwngi (12915)

• Nairobi, Kenya

16 Nov 15

Nope that does not happen here

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Margaret Mwangi

@Missmwngi (12915)

• Nairobi, Kenya

16 Nov 15

@JudyEv I believe there must be some

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

16 Nov 15

Do you have other customs which we might not have?

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@sofssu (23660)

•

16 Nov 15

We have this custom here .. earlier it used to be some small wedding favor.. now everyone has gone green and we usually get some potted plants.

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@sofssu (23660)

•

16 Nov 15

@JudyEv Honestly I love these gifts. Last year I was asked to assemble a hundred Jade plants as wedding favors. I did make some money off it .. as I have a few hundred jade plants stuck in a few pots.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

16 Nov 15

That's a good idea. If you had green fingers, you could propagate them yourself.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

16 Nov 15

@sofssu What a lovely idea. Jade plants are supposed to be lucky aren't they? Glad you made a little money from it. Maybe it will become a business.

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@LadyDuck (502343)

• Italy

16 Nov 15

Wedding bomboniere

No, in my native country we give a souvenir bomboniere box (all the same for each guest) with confetti inside. See the picture as an example.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

16 Nov 15

Mostly here everyone gets the same but this time the oil and trees were alternated round the table.

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@simone10 (54180)

• Louisville, Kentucky

16 Nov 15

It's been a long time since I was at a wedding and never have received a gift. I didn't know they did that but maybe it is something that has changed over the years.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

16 Nov 15

I've been to some early in my married life where there were no presents for guests but it does seem to be the norm now.

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@simone10 (54180)

• Louisville, Kentucky

17 Nov 15

@JudyEv It does sound like it is the way now.

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@TheHorse (238297)

• Walnut Creek, California

17 Nov 15

In the United States, the women worry about such things, while the men look for a TV on which to watch a sporting event.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

17 Nov 15

Or try to look like they're not listening on their mobile phones

. Wedding dates are planned around grand finals etc over here.

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@Ishani08 (563)

• India

17 Nov 15

No, here at my place bombonieres are not given to every guest who attend the wedding but only to the relatives. Its a nice custom but sadly sometimes, it cost a lot to bride's parents.

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@Ishani08 (563)

• India

21 Nov 15

@JudyEv Yes, you are absolutely right in your words..!!

Here, A lot of expectations are made from the bride's parents without keeping their affordability in mind..and it creates a lot of trouble for them.. A wedding is a very dramatic event here in India..

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

21 Nov 15

@Ishani08 It is a shame that weddings sometimes cause quite a bit of hardship and heartache for those involved.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

17 Nov 15

To me, while it is lovely to receive a small gift, it can be quite an expense for the parents, as you say. Even giving gifts to the relatives would add up.

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@jaboUK (64346)

• United Kingdom

16 Nov 15

I haven't been to a wedding for a while, but as you say it does seem just an extra expense for the couple. We just gave gifts to the bridesmaid and best man, and I would have thought that was enough.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

16 Nov 15

We did the same. It was never a custom here until perhaps the 70s - not that I was aware of anyway.

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@wetnosedogs (1533)

• United States

16 Nov 15

Oh that will be fun watching the olive tree grow. I didn't know the kangaroos like them too.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

16 Nov 15

It's always hard to know what roos like and don't like. But the rabbits would probably ring-bark them if the roos left them alone so we'll make sure they're safely protected.

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@Marilynda1225 (91065)

• United States

16 Nov 15

Wedding favors are popular and it's just some token that the married couple give to guests. I like the idea of the olive oil

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

16 Nov 15

I thought these were nice gifts. Those who couldn't plant a tree swapped with someone for the oil.

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@Fleura (34960)

• United Kingdom

16 Nov 15

Yes, they are called 'favours' for the guests and they are usually just something small like sweets although I have received things like hand cream.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

16 Nov 15

I know we've received a variety of gifts. The most lavish would have been a small crystal bowl with lid.

@poehere (15123)

• French Polynesia

17 Nov 15

Yes here it is normally a small candle wrapped in a netting and a flower attached to it. They attach a tiare flower which is considered our flower of love here on the islands.

2 people like this

@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

17 Nov 15

That's a nice tradition. They tend to have various gifts here. I don't think I've been given a candle yet.

@thequestioner (83)

• Italy

16 Nov 15

Yes, here in Italy it a beautiful tradition. You give non only sugar almonds, but also small gifts made with crochet o in blown glass!

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

16 Nov 15

It seems to be mainly an Italian tradition. we have whole shops supplying these gifts now.

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@BellaDoc (762)

• San Diego, California

16 Nov 15

That sounds expensive. We have received some unsullied guest gifts, including paperweights.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

16 Nov 15

We haven't been given paperweights yet.

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@dpk262006 (58679)

• Delhi, India

23 Nov 15

The one who has given you a bottle of olive oil with a sprig of olive infused in the oil seems to be a very smart person(s). Such gifts are special and are always remembered. Normally bombonieres are not given to guests as regards marriages which are performed in North India is concerned. However, many a times a box of sweets along with some savoury items is given to guests.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

23 Nov 15

We were also given a seedling olive tree which we can plant. It will be a lasting reminder of the couple.

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@dpk262006 (58679)

• Delhi, India

23 Nov 15

@JudyEv Yes, seedling olive tree if planted will always remind you about the couple and their marriage.

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@salonga (27775)

• Philippines

17 Nov 15

We have that same custom in the Philippines. But mostly the couple give small things only for all the guest like small figurines of wedding couples, sometimes cupcakes. I once received an orchid plant as wedding favour and I loved it so. It is still in my garden and blooming.

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@salonga (27775)

• Philippines

17 Nov 15

you can always give it to a friend or relative who has green thumb.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

17 Nov 15

How lovely to receive an orchid plant. I'm glad I wasn't given one as I probably would have killed it with too much water or not enough. I'm not a very good gardener.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

17 Nov 15

@salonga I think I would do that. As it is, I am worried about my little olive tree.

Arthur Chappell

@arthurchappell (44941)

• Preston, England

18 Nov 15

it has happened at some weddings but not at most of them I have attended

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Arthur Chappell

@arthurchappell (44941)

• Preston, England

18 Nov 15

@JudyEv very much so 0 it doesn't bother me when there are no such gifts offered

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

18 Nov 15

To my mind, while it's nice, it's just another expense.

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@sishy7 (27166)

• Australia

17 Nov 15

I've received wedding favors, but they're mostly just souvenirs-type items like coasters, picture frames, hand towels, or things like that. And they're usually personalized with the bride & groom's names.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

17 Nov 15

I liked the idea of the oil and little tree. I thought it was a bit different.

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@MusesM (584)

•

17 Nov 15

dont receive any gift when i attend my friend's wedding

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

17 Nov 15

It seems that it isn't standard practice to give gifts to guests.

@fawkes62 (1276)

• United States

17 Nov 15

The last wedding I went to didn't really have gifts for the guests. The groom is really into music, so they had guitar picks on the tables as part of the decorations and the guests were told to take some home if they wanted to. Other than that, most of the weddings I've been to haven't had any gifts for the guests to take home.

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@JudyEv (381950)

• Rockingham, Australia

17 Nov 15

It seems some weddings have gifts and others don't. At our wedding we didn't give gifts to the guests. But that was way back in 1971 and gifts for guests were never seen.

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