This wedcab includes such mysteries as chic chair covers (you can’t sit on a naked chair at a wedding – what would the reverend say?), sophisticated table runners and lovely wedding favours (or ‘awesome wedding favors‘ in our North American sisters’ wedcab).

Now I thought a favour was something someone did for you slightly reluctantly and for which you were then eternally in debt – or at least until you could perform a similar task that called for an equal measure of reluctance.

At least I did until I started to plan my wedding.  I then found out (thanks Wikipedia) that:

Wedding favors are small gifts given as a gesture of appreciation or gratitude to guests from the bride and groom during a wedding ceremony or a wedding reception.

The tradition of distributing wedding favors is a very old one. It is believed that the first wedding favor, common amongst European aristocrats, was known as a bonbonniere. A bonbonniere is a small trinket box made of crystal, porcelain, and/or precious stones. The contents of these precious boxes were generally sugar cubes or delicate confections, which symbolize wealth and royalty. [...]

As the price of sugar decreased throughout centuries, the tradition of providing gifts to guests reached the general populace and was embraced by couples of modest means.

As you’ll know if you read our blog regularly, we have little truck with tradition and if favours don’t form part of your green wedding masterplan, that’s fine by us.

But a little pondering led us to the conclusion that they could play a useful role in your celebrations – especially now that a wedding favour isn’t limited to the 5 sugar almonds representing fertility, longevity, wealth, health and happiness.

5 reasons to favour favours

1. Stave off hunger – a wedding day is often a long one and guests can lose their good humour waiting to get served.  An edible favour can be just what they need to keep them going till the starter!

2. A memento - make it something personal to you as a couple: a poem from your wedding ceremony, a candle with the date of the wedding, pot pourri from the flowers that make up your bouquet

3. A place marker - don’t forget the favour can double up as a place name – the chocolate with the guest’s name iced on it, the paperweight with the guest’s name engraved

4. A crafty treat - if you’ve got nimble fingers this could be your chance to put them to good use!  A handmade bag to hold choccies, a crocheted heart, a dried flower bookmark?

5. An ethical wedding opportunity – make the chocolates Fairtrade (we had Divine chocolate hearts), give a wedding favour that represents a donation to your chosen charity, or what about wild flower seed wedding favours that your guests can plant when they get home?

These days pretty much anything goes.  Here are a few of our favourites.

American Bridal has a great range of eco, earth-friendly wedding favours:

Personalised flower seed wedding favours

Your guests will get 300 mg of wildflower seeds, which should cover around 20 square feet. You can customise the packets with the colour and design you want, and then add 3 lines of text which could include a thank you or suitably sweet sentiment, your names and the date of your wedding.

Eco-friendly photo album wedding favors

I also love these:

Made from recycled paper with a natural-twine loop to fasten, your guests will enjoy picking their favourite photos from your day to remember in this bijou album.

If you’ve got time, you could even get them started with a photo of you and your other half or (if you’ve got even more time and sufficient photos!) both of you with the relevant guest.

Charity wedding favours

Many charities now give you the option to make a donation on your guests’ behalf in lieu of a favour.  The NSPCC offer personalised wedding favour cards and pin badges as a keepsake and to let your guests know where the donation has gone.

Plant pot favours

Getting green-fingered again, Beau-coup has found these gorgeous mini bamboo plants to delight your guests.

Eco tote bag favours

Or if you really want to ram the green message home, you could present your guests with these “Reuse, conserve, recycle, sustain” eco-friendly tote bags.

Heartfelt favours

From another of our lovely Ethical Weddings suppliers, The heartfelt project, come these handcrafted, feast-for-the-eyes wedding favours which are sewn by a group of women in Makapanstad, South Africa.

Whether you go for a key ring, bookmark or fridge magnet, each favour gives a small donation to a local HIV/AIDS and TB charity, and helps to support the heartfelt ladies and their families.

Chocolate wedding favours

And I couldn’t leave you without a word on the chocolate wedding favour. It’s the perfect chance to say ‘yay’ to Fairtrade while filling your guests’ tummies with something yummy.

On our wedding day in 2005, we popped Divine chocolate mini eggs into our handmade favour bags  and they went down extremely well.

Or how about these tasty-looking hearts (I’ve already heavily hinted to my other half that these should feature in his Valentine’s Day plans for me!)?

Over to you

So if you decide to go with tradition and give your guests a wedding favour, we hope we’ve given you a few ideas beyond sugared almonds. We’d love to hear which you choose – and some pics would be wonderful too.

Happy planning!

Katie

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• Sign up to our Ethical Weddings newsletter
• Follow us on Twitter @ethicalweddings

Perfect for munching while you wait to join the buffet queue.

We made the little bags ourselves – we had a production line going about 2 days before the wedding with me, my mum and dad, a couple of bridesmaids and a couple of groomsmen. The name tags were on handmade banana paper from The Green Stationery Company (the same paper we used for our invites).

Read the full story of our wedding.

What next?

• Talk to other brides and grooms in the Ethical Weddings Forum
• Sign up for our Ethical Weddings monthly newsletter

Katie

Why had we been so blessed? Well, with no arm twisting at all we had agreed to review some of Divine’s chocolate offerings and assess their suitability for an ethical wedding.

Here’s how it went…

First up, I want to make it clear I did not eat all the chocolates myself – I had help from my lovely husband, friends and family.  I stressed to all of the eaters that this was a serious review situation and that ‘mmm… nice!’ was not a valid comment for our purposes (I still heard a fair few ‘mmmm…nice!’s but was prepared to overlook this in light of the more in depth analysis we then moved on to – honest!).

We received (if I recall correctly):

• Small bars of milk, orange milk, and white chocolate
• Bag of small dark chocolate hearts wrapped in red foil
• Bag of baby milk chocolate eggs and bag of dark chocolate eggs wrapped in gold foil
• Dark chocolate thins

All the chocolate we devoured was deemed pretty yummy but we had our favourites and also considered how the chocs would look at a wedding.  We’ll work our way up to the top spot.

The dark chocolate thins were a good size for slipping into favour bags or boxes for a wedding but we felt they didn’t quite have the depth of flavour of some of the other dark chocolate options.

The small bars of white, milk and orange milk chocolate vanished in seconds – I think we all suffer from a sweet tooth which made these milk and white chocs rather popular.  They have a distinctive creaminess that is quite irresistible.

So top marks for flavour but we didn’t feel they would work quite as well as favours – you just want a little something to take the edge of your hunger when you sit down at the table and if you scoffed one of these your mother would be quite within her rights to scold you for spoiling your appetite!

We then turned our attentions to the little chocolate eggs.  These were winners in flavour – the dark chocolate had bite and substance while the milk chocolate had all the dreamy creaminess of the bars – and in form too: just the right size for favours.  If you’re having a Spring wedding, these little beauties would be perfect.  If not, you might want to go for our overall winner…

…the dark chocolate hearts.  Yes, controversially, even though they were dark chocolate and not an obvious contender for our overly sweet tastes, the bite, texture and layered flavour of the chocolate hearts won us over.  Wrapped in red or gold (milk chocolate) they look beautiful too and are just the right size to keep you going until it’s your turn at the buffet table.

If you are offering favours at your wedding, why not send us some pics and let us know how they went down? Or maybe you’d like to find out more about joining our Ethical Weddings review panel to try some ethical and green wedding goodies for yourself.

To get your hands on Fairtrade Divine chocolates in bulk, head over to Ethical Weddings supplier, Ethicalsuperstore.com.

Happy eating!

Katie

The heartfelt team was thrilled with the response and after much debate, got down to 2 designs to go into production.  The talented winners are:

• Deborah Miarkowska (of EcoChic) with a beautiful white and cream heart with ribbon
• Desiree Botterill with a cute Heartfelt name tag to double up as a place name and a gift for your guests to take home

Julie of The heartfelt project says they are going to start designing Deborah’s favour in a variety of colours (with matching ribbon and felt).

“It’s also a great idea for decorating the venue,” she adds, “a few hanging from the trees, on chairs, and so on. The prices will vary depending on the size of the heart but range from £2 – £5 each”.

Meanwhile, Desiree’s heartfelt name tag will be an innovative addition to the range and will retail at around £1.25.

And that’s not all… according to Julie there are more ideas in the pipeline so watch this space!

Enjoy these pics of Desiree and Deborah’s heartfelt designs…

About the heartfelt wedding favours

Hand-sewn by a group of women in Makapanstad, South Africa, the unique designs of The heartfelt project hold the stories of everyday life.

Each carries a message of hope and contributes a small donation to an HIV/AIDS & TB charity within the local community, as well as helping to feed and clothe the heartfelt ladies and their families.

By ordering your wedding favours through The heartfelt project, your support is another small way for them to fill many more hearts with hope.

Wedding outfits—let’s fight again
Apparently Mr. H, as I do, doesn’t really agree with most of my stepmom’s ‘conventional’ ideas in regards to our wedding. He kept telling me that, unfortunately, numerous Indonesian couples usually have to eventually do what their parents want them to do in their wedding day. Okay, I get it. But what I want to say is that we decided to try to talk again with my stepmom, explaining to her that having only one wedding outfit for each of us (for both the ceremony and reception) would be the better option we desire, etc., etc. My stepmom is a seamstress, so she intended to make my wedding kebaya (the traditional/national dress in Indonesia), while I wanted to wear everything that I already have, but we’ll see later.

Invitations—almost ethical and DIY
After perusing some pictures of invitations I like from the internet, we made our final choice to model this one below (I apologize that I can’t mention the source, as I no longer remember from which website I found it), but we’re going to use only one paper (instead of three pieces like pictured beneath) and one ribbon (and maybe plus a small piece of paper on the back, containing the map that shows routes to my parent’s home as the reception location). We plan to buy the papers only and then print everything using my HP printer. My country has not yet familiar with vegetable-based printer ink, so no such thing as that is produced in mass, and we’re just using the conventional kind of ink.

Favors—this is ethical, I suppose
We came to a decision to donate a portion of money (his money) to a local environmental organization (we haven’t decided which organization) in our guests’ honours. We plan to ask the concerning organization to make a kind of ‘receipt’ or something (or we will) that will be given to the guests when they come to our reception. I actually have proposed this donating idea since months ago, so I’m glad that he lastly agrees.

Groom’s gifts—bring this topic back
Earlier, I said that Mr. H and I made an agreement not to have any kind of gifts (seserahan/antaran—goods given by the groom to the bride when he proposes formally and when groom and family first come to the ceremony location, to be used by the bride at and/or after the wedding, such as clothes, cosmetics, toiletries, shoes, cakes, cookies, etc.). But apparently both sides of our parents insist us to have at least a few. So, in order not to burden Mr. H, I request goods that can be used by both of us after we get married—one springbed, one cupboard, one stove, one pan, one wok, toiletries (for both of us), and several other that are still in plan.

Looking forward to another great progress

Name: Siobhan Wilson

Location: Sussex

Tell us a bit about yourself and your business

I studied International Development at University in the late 80′s, where I learnt in depth about the issues and the difficult circumstances (whether political or economic) that people have to overcome in the South. Following this, I worked with two refugee organisations in the UK and the US. Again, I heard first hand the experiences people had to face on a daily basis.

Kolkata calling…
Fifteen years later I was firmly established in the finance world, and was contacted by a good friend from university, Maura Hurley. She asked me to sell products for some groups in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta.)

Maura had been living in Kolkata for ten years doing work with young children on various levels: teaching underprivileged children in a slum area, and opening a library in one room of her home for neighbourhood children to come and browse and do activities.

The groups she introduced me to ranged from organisations helping to provide medical services for the homeless in Kolkata to young companies employing rural weavers and providing a good, reliable income to rural artisans whilst sustaining their traditional craft.

A market for talent
I started selling products at the fair trade market in Brighton once a month and continued in Finance as my main job. I received a card one day from Maura from one of the groups. It was hand painted by someone who could neither hear nor speak. It was gorgeous.

I started to think that there was so much potential to help these groups here. I decided to leave my job and fly out to Kolkata to meet the groups, see the full range of products available, and of course get to know what the city of Kolkata is all about.

The first day the noise and pollution was overwhelming. There were throngs of people everywhere, eating in makeshift cafes on street corners, showering at communal water pumps, sleeping along the edge of large highways … and the driving! I was constantly waiting for a collision as we drove to visit each group.

Heavenly handicrafts
I have now set up relationships with eight groups and select products to offer the UK market. Many of the products are perfect for weddings: handmade papers, silks and embroidery.

The organisations we work with help educate and house homeless children, provide employment for individuals who cannot hear or speak and help rural women become economically independent. As mentioned earlier, we also work with an organisation that funds medical services for the homeless.

I am trying to act as a support for these groups by helping them market their truly unique handicrafts. Feeling a social responsibility towards each group after creating this relationship, we plan to work out new designs and products with them in a sustainable way.

What or who inspires you?
The individuals in Kolkata that live in tough conditions whether it is intense heat or monsoon, bad pollution, poor housing (if they have any at all) and with so few possessions. Despite this most people have such a charm about them and such an upbeat and positive attitude to life.

What do you enjoy most about running your business?
I love selecting and adapting the products. The products and the skills of the artisans that I am working with are impressive. It is fascinating to look at the silks and the embroidery. Some of the larger embroidery pieces take six months to make.

I look at the quality and the originality and feel that it should be easy for these people to earn their living through these products. It is just finding the market place that will produce reliable and regular sales for the groups.

What is the most challenging aspect?
The UK is a very sophisticated marketplace and there is so much out there for us all to choose from. “Kolkata” is working to help consumers understand the story behind the products it sources so that people not only get a good product but realise that they are helping individuals to help themselves out of poverty.

• Clerks II rip

What do you feel you bring to an ethical wedding?
Ironically, out of the poverty within Kolkata comes what the western world sees as the most luxurious items: silks, handmade paper, embroidered goods and unique design. These are all perfect ingredients for a dream wedding.

We are offering a bespoke service so that the bride and groom can alter colours and designs to fit the theme of their wedding. We also have some standard designs to choose from.

How do you see the wedding industry changing over the next five years (if at all)?
Choices will grow even more for the bride and groom. The internet will give brides and grooms the ability to source things more easily from further distances. It will be possible for small local businesses to reach a wider audience. Having a website such as Ethical Weddings is a great opportunity for small producers and businesses in the UK and abroad.

It should mean that people can create a very individual wedding with fresh, organic produce and fair trade items. There are so many small businesses creating ethical products. It will just make the wedding even more special to the bride and groom if they can use services and products that they believe in.

If you are in the Brighton area, pop in to the Kolkata shop on Grantham Road, or look out for their new outlet opening in November at 21 Queens Road, just minutes from Brighton Station.

Find out more about Kolkata – fair trade wedding favours & stationery

We talk to Julie Masureik of The heartfelt project to find out more…

download film Company:The heartfelt project
Location: Makapanstad, South Africa

Tell us a bit about yourself and your business
Heartfelt was started when Martha Letsoalo’s son Emanuel died unjustly in prison two years ago. Martha worked for my parents in South Africa and brought me up. She is like a mother to me and we both grieved Emanuel’s death.

Vampires vs. Zombies movie download It made me realize that as a black woman from a rural community in South Africa you don’t have a voice.

There is so much heartache happening to women just like Martha that nobody knows about. Issues like unemployment, AIDS, poverty, TB, abuse and crime cause sadness amongst so many families.

I started Heartfelt as a way for Martha to heal her broken heart and somehow to start healing the hearts of the people who were suffering around her. It truly has been a labour of love.

What or who inspires you?
Martha. She is an incredibly strong woman who has achieved so much in her life through hard work and determination.

I’m inspired by people who live with all their heart. Mahatma Ghandi once said ‘be the change you want to see in the world’.

What do you enjoy most about running your business?
I enjoy seeing the difference Heartfelt is making to the women who work there. They are being empowered by their work and are really proud to be part of it. There are now 10 women at the project.

I also love receiving messages from our customers when they receive their orders. It inspires us all to carry on.

What is the most challenging aspect?
Education. Trying to educate the ladies about consumers and how the business is run.

What do you feel you bring to an ethical wedding?
Well lots of love, that’s for sure. The Heartfelt philosophy is to give out to the world what you want to get back – so our hearts are filled with love.

Our products are not only beautifully hand-sewn but they are also totally unique and make a huge difference to the lives of the women who make them.

How do you see the wedding industry changing over the next five years (if at all)?
I feel that the wedding industry at the moment has taken the whole emphasis off what a wedding really is about – love. It has become greedy.

download Pi

I believe that more and more couples will start realising this and that the whole industry will start gearing towards ethical weddings where people will tailor-make their special day, feeling less guilty about the money that they spend because they are sharing the love.

Halloween H20: 20 Years Later

I think people are going back to that ‘homemade’ feel – where it really is about the bride and groom and their values.

Find out more about The heartfelt project – ethical wedding favours