Are you looking for creative ways to show your guests how grateful you are that they’re celebrating your big day with you? Then look no further than wedding welcome bags!
We’ve put together some tips below for making sure your guests love your token of appreciation! These bags are a fantastic way to provide your guests with a little taste of what’s to come, which can also include some items to help them enjoy their time, such as local treats, souvenirs, and information about the wedding and surrounding area. So when creating the perfect wedding welcome bag, it’s essential to consider your guests’ tastes and needs and the overall theme and aesthetic of your wedding.
Follow these tips to create the perfect wedding welcome bag that will make your guests feel truly special.
What is a Wedding Welcome Bag?
Wedding welcome bags are an absolute must for any bride looking to give her guests the best experience. These carefully curated collections of goodies are the perfect way to greet and pamper your guests upon their arrival at your wedding venue. For example, welcome bags are typically given to out-of-town guests who are staying in a hotel or accommodation near your wedding venue. Imagine their delight when they open their welcome bag to find all sorts of practical items or small luxurious gifts. Plus, you can include all the important details your guests need to know, such as the wedding schedule, transport information, and recommendations for local attractions. This is a guaranteed way to make your guests will feel truly welcomed and appreciated!
When Do You Deliver Them?
If you’re getting married locally, then enlist help from your bridal party to deliver your wedding welcome bags to the hotels or locations that your guests will be staying in. However, if you’ll be celebrating an out-of-town or destination wedding, then your best option is to ship your welcome bags all together to your location. Most hotels shouldn’t have a problem distributing the bags to each room, but they may charge a small fee, especially for large weddings. So you just have to make sure to time everything well so that the bags ready for when your first guests arrive.
Tips For Your Wedding Welcome Bag
Personalize Your Welcome Bags
One of the key ways to make your welcome bags stand out is to personalize them. You can do this by adding your names and wedding date to the bags, or by choosing bags that reflect your wedding theme or color scheme. Make sure to show off your own personality too! Your welcome bags are an opportunity to share a little bit about yourselves with your guests. So consider adding items that reflect your personalities, like a locally-made treat or a handwritten note.
Include Useful Items
Wedding welcome bags aren’t just for fun items, they’re also a must-have for essential items, especially if you’re getting married out-of-town. You might be tying the knot in a small village, beach, or remote location that makes it hard for your guests to find useful items that they may need during the day. Your guests also won’t want to spend time sourcing any items. So make it easy for them by providing things they may need to make their stay even more comfortable. This can include wheather essentials, hangover kits, water, and snacks.
Don’t Forget The Details
Make sure to include all the necessary details in your welcome bags, like your wedding schedule and transportation information. Although you might have already put this information on your wedding website, with all of the excitement for the big day, most people will probably forget to check. So be one step ahead by leaving it in their welcome bag. For instance, ask your invitation suite or paper goods vendor if they can create an itinerary that ties in with the wedding stationery you’ve chosen. You can also include a list of local attractions and restaurants to keep your guests entertained. This is ideal if you’re having a wedding weekend or a destination wedding. After all, your guests will definitely want to do some exploring!
Consider Your Wedding Theme
Match your wedding welcome bag to your theme. Think of fun ways that you can combine elements of your theme into your welcome bag to get your guests excited for what’s to come. For instance, if it’s a beach-themed celebration, add in some flip-flops, tropical snacks, and a beach towel. For a summer theme, include seasonal fresh fruit, personalized sunglasses, and pop this all inside a cute picnic hamper. If you’re going for a rustic theme, find locally sourced edible treats, soap, candles, and mini mason jars with jam. Or if you’re saying ‘I do’ in winter, add in hot chocolate treats, frosted cookies, and ingredients for mulled wine.
Ideas For Your Wedding Welcome Bags
1. Water & Snacks
Keep your guests hydrated during your wedding day with a couple of bottles of water. Also include some sweet and savory snacks such as fruit, sweets, crackers, cookies, pretzels, granola bars, and popcorn. They’ll definitely appreciate these essentials after dancing the night away or the morning after.
2. Local Alcohol
Let the celebration commence as soon as your guests arrive by leaving a mini bottle of local wine or champagne in your wedding welcome bag.
3. Souvenir
If you’re having a destination wedding, include some fun local postcards or other souvenirs, such as fridge magnets as a cute reminder of your wedding destination.
4. Weather Essentials
Whether you’re getting married in summer or winter, ease any weather issues by putting some weather essentials in your wedding welcome bag. In summer include sunscreen, after-sun, fans, bug spray, and even some personalized sunglasses. For a winter wedding, include hand warmers, cozy socks, and an umbrella.
5. Tote Bag
Include all of your welcome items inside a reusable tote bag. Everyone will appreciate a reusable item, and you can add a cute or chic personalization or print. You could go for a popular fabric bag, or add a rustic touch with jute and burlap.
6. City Guide
Create a mini booklet or city guide with important points of interest that you think your guests will enjoy. Don’t forget to include a map of the local area too. There are lots of vendors that provide custom maps with fun illustrations.
7. Activities for Kids
For guests that are bringing children, include a couple of activities such as a coloring book, card game, or small toy. Parents can sometimes be worried about taking children to weddings, so this acknowledgment will make them feel much more welcome and at ease.
8. Handwritten Note
Make your guests feel extra special by writing a few sentences to show how grateful you are to have them with you on your wedding day. This small detail can go a long way. Ensure that you include a detail that is particular to that guest. You don’t want your guests comparing notes to find that they’re all the same! If you have time, you can DIY this, or include it as part of your stationery budget.
9. Pamper Items
Make your guests feel pampered with local soap, shampoo/conditioner, body cream, a candle, and lip balm.
10. Hangover Kit
Include some essentials that your guests will thank you for the day after your wedding. For example, vitamin tablets, painkillers, plasters, eye masks, electrolyte sachets, and stain removers. Add in some coffee pods or teabags too!
Ensure that your thoughtful gesture is perfect for your guests with our tips for how to create wedding welcome bags. If you need more wedding planning advice and inspiration head over to WedBoard. You’ll find help for all aspects of your special day including, 24 Unique Wedding Reception Entertainment Ideas, How To Choose A Wedding Venue, and 20 Lounge Area Ideas to Transform Your Big Day.
Featured image: Jose Villa
