A potted plant makes a beautiful gift for guests
Tired of or too full for the heavy wedding cake at the end of a three course meal? Yes, individual pieces may be taken home but think about offering something else to your guests that will have them talking long after the wedding.
The following ideas mean that you will have to forgo the traditional ‘cutting of the cake’ but we are living in changing times, so why not change the whole concept of the wedding cake. Mind you, giving ‘wedding favours’ has been around for a long, long time.
There is a large variety of creative Bonbonniere (French)or Bomboniere (Italian) available. The word means ‘favours’ or ‘gifts’ given to guests on special occasions, such as weddings. Typically, the gift was five sugar-coated almonds in a tulle bag – the almonds representing health, wealth, happiness, fertility, and long life. In the 15 century, the English court would give small boxes of precious metal filled with almonds symbolising good wishes for the coming year. Then there is the idea that eating five almonds would ward off the effects of alcohol! Here are some alternatives to the wedding cake and to personalise your wedding:
Food Bomboniere:
– Bomboniere Boxes filled with your favourite sweets/chocolates
– Rum balls and/or shortbread cookies wrapped with a raffia/satin ribbon
– Boxes of cherries/apples/fruit in season
– Fortune cookies
– Chocolate Fountain
– Chocolate Fondue – served with different fruits
– Tiered cookies
– Cupcake Towers
– Mousses
– Individual torts and pies
– Cheese Cake
– For an Australian theme – Pavlova, Lamingtons
– Why not a dessert bar with all the above – a feast for the eyes – where guests choose their own.
Another type of Bomboniere is the favour cake or ‘Torta Bomboniera”. You will need to imagine this – small boxes filled with almonds and a card with the details of the wedding are made into a tier. A multitude of things may be glued to each box – flowers, shells, figurines.
Experiment with different plates, tiers, colours, materials etc to get the look you want.
Now for the non-food bomboniere:
– T-shirts with a photo of the bride & groom
– Aprons
– Stubby Coolers
– Chopsticks
– Caps
– Candles
– Mugs
– Magnets
– Potted Plant
– Bumper Sticker
– Key Chains
– Photo in Frame
Create you own lingering memories. Bomboniere shows that you have given careful thought to your guests. They have partaken in a scrumptious dessert or they have a heartfelt present to take home. It is a win/win.
Let your imagination go with cup cakes