Bonboniere Etiquitte

I always assumed that the Kombaro & Kombara pay for bonboniere. If they pay for it then they should choose what it will be.

Hi Sia,
Great idea with the blog. Traditionally I thought it was the Kombaro that pays for the bonbonieres. Ummm….just quickly a bad one would be….something impractical- for example receiving two napkin holders for a family of four- impractical and just won’t be used. Some good ones- salt’n'pepper shakers- practical and also paper weights and miniture bottles of alcohol seem to be the way to go lately!

Hi Anonymous Nov 1 4.57,

I didn’t know about the meanings of the sugar almonds until i read about it on wikipedia.org so i assume that a lot of other people don’t know what they mean either.

With this in mind, many people tend to choose their bonboniere based on what they like, what they think will be ‘different’ or because it is what the kombari have chosen lol or even just because it match the theme of the wedding.

There are some pretty cool ones out there…and some pretty tacki ones too.

The koumera and koumbaros pay for the bonbonieres but the type o bonbonieres given out is chosen by the bride and the koumera.

Now there is no set amount of money you can pay on the bonbonieres it depends on what you choose, how expensive they are and how many are you ordering. Always always order up to 20 extra bonbonieres to cover all angles! It goes from logic that you will not pay an obscene amount for them either like spent over £1000 on bonbonieres lets say for appearances sakes…

It’s one bonboniere per family usually the mother of the family gets it. No kids bonbonieres under any circumstances! It is not a Christening it’s a wedding! Also the 5 customary almonds must be in because they represent good luck.

There should also be another two different types of presents usually a ‘paterimin’ to be given to the men who pay and sign up as koumbaroi(this process is done by the girls appointed to hand out the pastitsia very quietly and discreetly during the church ceremony) and one for the women which is usually crystal and it’s either a ‘split pomegranate’ which represents fertility or a ‘flower’ or something else equally ‘girly’ to be given to them if they pay and sign up as koumeres again. This presents are not given to anyone else! Again order up to 20 extra ones to cover all posibilities.

Also extra sugared almonds(besides the ones put in the bonbonieres) should be ordered and should be loose on a silver tray and after the wedding ceremony at church has finished while still in the church hand three of them to each single, never before married, with no children girl/woman present for them to put under their pillows and sleep on them for three nights in a row(it turns out two days and three nights consecutively)! The reason this custom has always been practised is because it was widely believed and still is that if the girls do that they will then find a man and get hitched themselves after they do that. They considered it as a helping hand in ensuring that they didn’t stay on the shelf if you like… Also the sugared almonds must be removed from under the pillow after that period of time and either be consumed by the girls or be disposed of either way no one else should eat those almonds.

Hey! I love your blog, I’m so happy I found it. I’m Greek-Canadian and I’m getting married in October. My fiance and I are actually going to be paying for the bonboniere ourselves. For the shower, his mom wants to give tea-towels as the gift, but I found these adorable espresso cups that come in sets of four for just under $10 (wrapped with the koufeta). For our engagement we are going to give little icons of Panagia, which we’ll buy from the monastery. Not sure what we will do for the wedding. Love the site, take care!