Wedding & Stationery Blog

If you are having a destination wedding or you have a good number of out-of-town guests coming to your wedding, give out welcome bags! So what is a wedding welcome bag? A welcome bag is a fun and thoughtful way to welcome your guests to the locale and say thank you. Typically, the wedding welcome bag will include items that celebrate the location or region in which the wedding is occurring.

Tips for Putting Together a Welcome Bag

Resist the Urge to Overfill . Resist the urge to fill the bag up to the top. Take the time to pick out useful items that your guests will want, appreciate and enjoy. When brides and couples overfill the bags, this includes many filler items that the guests may not want. Shoot for quality over quantity.

Make Sure gifts are suitable for travel . Traditionally, welcome bags are gift bags for people who traveled for the wedding. Think about the items in the bags, and make sure they are travel ready. It would be a shame to get a gift for someone who cannot bring it back home with them.

Make it Personal. Each bag can be different. If you are getting married in your hometown and you know someone who loves a particular food item that can travel, include it for them. If you have guests you know, do not drink; save the alcohol for the ones that do. Most gifts inside can be the same, but try personalizing one or two items in each bag, so your guests know how much you appreciate them traveling to attend your wedding.

Get Help. Don't do this alone. Ask your partner, your family, or your bridal party for help. The key word here is ask. Remember that everyone's time is important. You will maintain much better relationships with your family and bridesmaids throughout this process and after the wedding if you ask for help instead of putting demands on their time.

Ideas of Items to Put in Welcome Bags.

Now that you have some general tips, you might wonder what specific items to include. There are actually many different types of items you can give out. Here are a few to consider!

• A tote bag. Bonus – this can be the vehicle for the rest of the gifts. You can get a generic tote bag or have one designed specifically for your wedding welcome bags.
• A Timeline. If guests are there for longer than one day, you can give a timeline of events, dinners, and get-togethers planned during their stay.
• Local food and drinks to enjoy.
• Alcohol, water, tea, coffee, or hot cocoa.
• A hangover kit.
• Mints, gum, and hard candy.
• Theme-related items, like sunglasses and sunscreen for a beach or destination wedding.
• A city map and a city guide so they can also explore independently.
• Local non-food products that can not be found outside the area.
• A Personalized Welcome and Thank You note or letter from the happy couple.

Photo by Photos by Lanty on Unsplash