Quick Answer
What are lembranças de casamento?
Lembranças de casamento — literally "wedding remembrances" — are the small gifts a Portuguese couple gives each guest as a thank-you, usually handed out at the reception tables or dessert table. Sugared almonds are the most traditional option, but modern lembranças range from mini bottles of ginjinha (Portugal's sour cherry liqueur) to small jars of local jam or olive oil.
Last updated:
Last updated:
What are lembranças de casamento?
Also called: wedding favors (Portugal), lembranças.
Lembranças are the last small transaction of gratitude at a Portuguese wedding — a token pressed into each guest's hand as a way of saying the day wouldn't have been the same without them. The classic version, sugared almonds, is really a shared Mediterranean custom that also shows up as confetti at Italian weddings; what's distinctly Portuguese is how often couples now swap that in for a small bottle of something regional instead.
Common lembranças
- •Amêndoas (sugared almonds), usually in odd numbers and wrapped in tulle — the same underlying Mediterranean sugared-almond custom found at Italian weddings, given a Portuguese name and presentation.
- •Miniature bottles of ginjinha or another regional liqueur, popular as a distinctly Portuguese alternative to almonds.
- •Small jars of local products — honey, jam, or olive oil — especially at weddings held in a region known for one of them.
- •Azulejo-style tile magnets or coasters, a nod to Portugal's decorative tile tradition, common at weddings with a strong local-heritage theme.
Planning notes
- •Order lembranças with lead time — regional or artisanal items (jams, ceramics, bottled liqueurs) often take longer to source than a generic favor.
- •Budget per guest early, since lembranças with alcohol or food items cost noticeably more than sugared almonds.
- •Decide whether lembranças are placed at each seat before guests arrive or handed out at departure — both are common, but the venue needs to know which.
- •If mailing lembranças to guests who can't attend, factor shipping and breakage risk into the choice of item.
Announce favor pickup without the confusion
Weddingkart lets you send a quick WhatsApp update telling guests where and when to collect their lembranças, so the dessert table doesn't turn into a scrum.
See WhatsApp announcements →Frequently Asked Questions
Are amêndoas (sugared almonds) required as lembranças?
No — they're the traditional default, but many Portuguese couples now choose regional alternatives like mini liqueur bottles, jam jars, or tile-inspired keepsakes instead.
Are lembranças given at the ceremony or the reception?
Almost always at the reception — typically placed at each guest's seat or handed out near the dessert table, rather than at the church.
Is the sugared-almond lembrança the same as Italian wedding confetti?
It's the same underlying Mediterranean tradition — sugared almonds as a wedding favor — shared across Portugal, Italy, and other Catholic-European countries, just under a different local name and presentation.
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By Mayank JaiswalLast updated