Total cost: still undecided
I am in favor (no pun intended) of reception favors. I personally like the little things one receives as a guest. I look fondly upon my tequila shot glass, my potted sedum plants, my rosemary bushes, and my tumbler and think of the couple who gave them to me. I am not in favor of useless favors. In general, I like things that serve a purpose especially if that purpose includes a consuming nature such as sustenance or beverage.
I've been tossing around a few ideas about favors myself. First, I thought I would dry vegetables, fruits, and herbs from our summer garden as a way to pass on our summer bounty, placing the dried goodies in brown wax-paper sandwich bags with our snappy invitation image on a sticker as an enclosure, but our spring has been incredibly wet, and I'm afraid that my garden will have a late harvest thus leaving less time to dry. Second, I thought of making rhubarb lace seeing that I have tons of rhubarb (still using packaging above), but then my large rhubarb plant mysteriously died. Third, my mother suggested a homemade granola, and I thought that would be perfect for the guests staying overnight, because then they could eat their granola for breakfast, but then...I thought of a new idea: jars of honey just like the ones in the poem. Also, I happen to consume as much honey as a hive of bees do. One of my childhood candy favorites was the hard candy drops with honey inside. I can't seem to find those anymore; the package had a bee on the outside, anyone?
Thus began the quest for the perfect (still inexpensive) packaging and source of honey. My fearless and dependable aunt Vie took upon this quest, and she has returned with many possibilities. We live in a valley full of bees and pollen (actually pretty heavy on the pollen), so there are many excellent local sources of honey with a variety of packaging options including all sizes of jars and honey sticks, not to mention beeswax candles. Now, we just need to decide. Nathan had to point out, of course, that we do have a couple of vegans attending our wedding who perhaps do not partake in honey. Hm, is all I have to say about that. Bit of a sticky situation, eh? Sorry, bad pun.
According to my Internet research, wedding favors are a long-standing tradition stretching all the way back to (perhaps) the 13th century where guests were treated to a bonbonniere, a tiny box filled with sugared candies. This later evolved into the jordan almond representing the bitterness of life (the almond) coated with the sweetness of love/marriage (the sugar coating). Some sources say that the sharing of the sugar showed how wealthy you were and how you could afford to spread the wealth amongst the guests. Others say it is about luck. Either way, I think it is a nice sentimental reminder of the couple who gave it to you...even if it can be quickly consumed.
Family, friends...weigh in...to favor or not to favor?
I have also marked out the spot of the dining area, welcome area, and ceremony area...just in case you get lost when you get there.
