Welcome Bags
Photographer Credit: Stacy Hart Photography
One of our favorite things to create for a destination weddings is a super cute welcome bag full of local goodies for each family attending your celebration. Welcome bags are a great way to make your guests feel special upon arrival and set the tone for the week of celebrating to come.
Here are some of our best tips to consider when designing the perfect welcome bag.
Presentation
Before you decide on what goodies you want the welcome bag to include, you need to decide on what you want to put everything in. There’s so many options to choose from; we’ve seen couples use a canvas tote bags, beach baskets, and or even cute hat boxes for their welcome bags.
In order to decipher what you want the welcome bag to look like, consider how much you want to spend. How big you want the bag and what you want in it will highly affect your overall budget, so make sure you think this through before you start purchasing items!
One of our favorites is a canvas tote. Totes are great because they are customizable (there’s so many options on Etsy!) and are strong enough to hold just about anything. Not to mention, they are totally reusable! Guests can use them as a grocery bag, beach bag, or even a gym bag well after the wedding. Regardless of what you decide, consider using something that is customizable, durable, and will perfectly fit the items you plan to include.
Photographer Credit: Ashley Goodwin
Goodies
The most difficult part of creating a welcome bag is selecting what goodies and/or memorabilia you want to give your guests. Here’s a breakdown of things we often include...
All Your Favorite Things
Add things that speak to you as individuals and/or as a couple. Do you prefer sweet or savory snacks? Are you a coffee or tea lover? Do you spend your free time working on crossword puzzles or creating a new Spotify playlist? Highlighting your interests is a fun addition that your guests will surely love and appreciate.
Local Ingredients
If your guests are from out of town, consider giving them a taste of local flavor with snacks that are representative of the regon. For example, if your destination wedding is in Hawai’i, consider adding Kona Coffee, Mauna Loa Macadamia Nuts, Hawaiian Host Chocolate, Hawaiian Kettle Style Potato Chips and a few hula girl postcards.
Hangover Helpers
Create a hangover kit that guests will appreciate after a night of celebration. Add a bottle of water, Advil, Alka-Seltzer, and Emergen-C to help them fight any morning-after ailments that can hinder them from enjoying the rest of the wedding weekend.
Wedding Weekend Itinerary
Do you have activities planned for the duration of your wedding week? If so, don’t forget to include an itinerary to keep your guests informed. Add details such as event timelines, location addresses, transportation information, dress codes, and the head of activities phone number in case they have any questions.
Photographer Credit: Etcetera Photography
Regional Brochures
Add regional brochures and maps to help guests enjoy their downtime. Highlight any hot spot restaurants, scenery must-sees, and other activities they shouldn’t miss.
Our biggest HOT TIP - If you want to stay within your budget, consider choosing bigger snacks and/or memorabilia that will fill up the welcome bag instead of using a bunch of tiny items. Whatever you decide to use, don’t forget to add a personal welcome letter that thanks them for being there to celebrate with you.
Delivery
Now that you have finished the design portion, you need to figure out how you are going to give them to your guests. If you have a welcome party, plan to hand them out there. If not, hire your wedding planner or enlist a family member to deliver bags to guests’ hotels. It can either be handed out at check-in or waiting in their rooms at arrival. If this is the route you go, make sure you receive all guests’ hotel locations and check-in times; some hotels have a fee to place bags in rooms prior to check-in, so make sure to sort out details ahead of time.
We hope that this guide will help you in designing the perfect welcome bag for your guests!
