Wedding favors…. Why?

I guess I can understand why we have wedding favors (“Thank you, Aunt Effie for forking out $25 on this lovely toaster. Here is a scrap of tulle and 0.25 cents worth of candy.”). I want to know why we brides can’t just consider all of the food we paid for favor enough.

I mean it! If I were to have a sit down dinner reception, with my 279 guests (what a huge list that turned out to be!), my parents pay about $15-$23 per guest to eat…let me do the math here… ouch! $4,185-$6,417 for food. Now why would I spend $2-$5 more for cutsie little wedding favors?

As you know, I am a huge fan of doing things myself. (If you didn’t know before, you do now.) I was watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding the other day and noticed that while the family is discussing the guest list, they are busy making the wedding favors. They were making them before they even sent out the invitations. Does that mean I should be making my favors now? I have 3 months before I get married. (Thankfully no, I am having a candy buffet bar and using that as my favors.)

I’ve never gotten wedding favors at any wedding I’ve attended. Is that a Utah thing? Were my friends just not doing it right?

I know I just dissed on wedding favors, but I think they can be so elegant. I just can’t afford to buy 279 couples cute little silver frames or personalized candles.

What do you brides think? I am interested in more than brides’ opinions; everyone has been to a wedding at least once.