Wedding Shower Favors
Wedding shower favors are a way to extend gratitude from the
bride-to-be and her maid of honor, to the guests of the wedding
shower, for providing wedding gifts to the bride before the
wedding day. Wedding shower favors can be elegant trinkets or
small humorous gifts. Since women are primarily the guests at
wedding showers, pampering bath sets are frequently selected as
the thank you gift.
The tradition of wedding showers began centuries ago in the
Netherlands. The story tells of a Dutch girl who desired to be
married, but she had no dowry that would enable her to be wed.
Her family was poor and nothing had been put aside for her
dowry. At that time, the European cultures perceived that women
were of a lesser value than men, so it was a requirement for a
girl's family to provide money or other material things to
equalize the support a husband would provide for his new wife.
Frequently men would refuse to marry a girl if she failed to
provide a dowry. The girl's friends seeing her distress, pitched
in and "showered" her with the many items needed to establish a
household. Preserved foods, quilts, linens, cooking utensils and
furniture were contributed so that her dowry was in order.
Although society no longer requires dowry's from women, it's
still quite expensive to establish a new household, especially
if the bride and groom haven't been living on their own. The
tradition continues through all cultures and for brides of all
financial means. Wedding shower gifts continue to be primarily
household items and linens. Brides also frequently receive
beautiful lingerie intended to spice up many an evening with her
new husband.
Wedding shower favors provide a means to say thank you to the
guest for the gift given and for participating in the bride's
happiness. Like the favors given at the reception, the options
for expressing gratitude remain endless. Tokens can be
utilitarian or strictly whimsical. Wedding shower favors can
reflect the theme of the gathering or be tailored to the
individual guests. Wedding showers are typically celebrations
with a smaller number of guests, so it can be affordable to
provide more elaborate gifts like tea for one sets or spa gift
certificates. Wedding shower favors can be common items that
have been personalized or uniquely designed. Tokens of
appreciation don't have to be expensive, while the most cost
effective gifts can also be the most creative.