It is the custom of the bride to give wedding favors at the wedding reception as a thank you for the presence of the wedding guests at her wedding and for helping to make it a more memorable day and also for the guest to have a remembrance of her wedding. No one knows exactly when this custom began, just that it is old. Some people think it started in Italy as long ago as the eighth century. It is known that at the end of the nineteenth century it was considered the popular thing to do. From royalty giving out silver to the peasant class giving out a few treasured almonds in a cardboard box everybody was doing it.
For members of the immediate family the bride might want to choose a little better more lasting gift as parents, grandparents and great grandparents would want a lasting memento to keep.
If special wedding favors are to be put in boxes, give it a little thought as the selections are being made for the favors, such as what size box will it take and how will the box look on the table. Usually the best wedding favors are small so it should not be much of a problem. Also consider the cost of the favor, box, ribbon and wrapping all together to determine what value the box has on the total decoration of the table and if its worth the money.
More often than not, the favors are ordered from a company but the bride and whomever she chooses to help her, the bridesmaids, members of the family, or friends can put them together.
The wedding favors do not have to be expensive almost any small gift can be given, from a few pieces of candy or nuts wrapped in cellophane and tied with a ribbon, or even a small cardboard box with some sweets in it. Companies selling favors sell the cardboard boxes in groups.
