Gifts to guests, otherwise known as wedding favors, are given to guests as a thank you for attending the wedding. What you give should be an expression of you, and if incense is a true expression of you, then that is what you should do.

When it comes to weddings, you are hosting a party, and the comfort of your guests is your #1 consideration. Will your guests appreciate incense? In some cultures, incense is a logical, natural gift. In other cultures, guests might not even know what to do with it! You know your guests best, and know what would be the right thing for them.

Having a scent lingering is very nice, but be aware that there are those who are allergic to perfume and other scents and may not appreciate an strong scent. So, as long as it is a lingering scent, it should be acceptable. Again, it is the comfort of your guests that come first.

Enjoy your wedding!

Angela Fiebelkorn, The Wedding Expert

With so many people having asthma and various allergies, more and more places are being designated ‘scent-free’. Fragrances are lovely, but not everyone likes them. The key would be to have the fragrance subtle and not too overwhelming. I went into a church once that was burning incense, and I could not stop sneezing. I had to go outside. I have no known allergies, but something about that particular scent set me off. Then again, the incense was not burned previously, it was burning at that moment.

Scent is a very personal thing, and if you want your wedding space to have a certain scent, I suggest any incense is burned ahead of time, so it is not overwhelming to your guests. A wedding is a personal expression, and obviously scent is part of your personal expression. Etiquette demands the comfort of your guests at all times, so you must weigh those two factors when making this decision.

As for gifts given to the guests, otherwise known as wedding favours, that again is a personal expression of who you are. A couple who love playing cards, for example, might give wedding favours that have playing card suits on them. There is no right or wrong with wedding favours. It is a gift, and it comes from the giver.

Good luck and enjoy the process.