Bride's Corner -"Favors" anyone? Did you know that the tradition of giving favors at weddings and special occasions originated with the Romans in 400 BC? The custom of giving favors as a wedding souvenir to celebrate the beginning of the bridal couples’ new life together began during the 8th century in Italy.  Originally, only the noble families practiced this custom.  For example - favors of solid silver filled with almonds were passed out to the 1800 guests attending the wedding of Victor Emanuel Savoy to Elena of Montenegro.  Can you imagine what it took to put those together?  Eventually it became a practice for all social classes to distribute their almonds in a container befitting their station. In today’s society, favors are not just for weddings.  They are used to celebrate all kinds of occasions.  The tradition of almonds continues today.  The different colors signify the different occasions.  Pink and blue for christenings, red for graduations, green for engagements, white for weddings and silver and gold for 25th and 50th wedding anniversaries. Many brides opt to give favors.  The type of favor chosen can range from chocolates to splits of champagne and everything in between.  While the favors are supposed to be cherished little gifts, all too often, they remain on the table when the reception is over and the family is stuck with all these “cherished little gifts”.  The bottom line is that favors can be expensive – in some cases $2-$3 apiece.  This can be quite a chunk of change to add to your wedding budget. Giving favors to your guests is entirely your choice.  However, another option is to have 1-2 bowls of candy (i.e. M&M’s, dinner mints, etc) and provide small bags for your guests to fill before they leave.  If you have left over candy, you can still enjoy it after the wedding and also use the little bags for small gifts to be given in the future.  You’re still providing a “favor”, but not at a huge expense.