Wednesday Wedding 101-Welcome Bags

Photo Compliments of "The Knot"

Whether it be a tote, a bucket, a basket, or a little paper bag...any little welcome trinket is much appreciated by your guests!

Some must haves that are also the most cost effective are the following:

• Thank You Note & Welcome Letter
• List of Local Hot Spots,  Maps, & Directions (Go to your local visitors center and you can usually get a tour booklet for free)
• Itinerary or transportation schedule

Here are the printouts from my wedding, my apologies for the image quality... they were navy, yellow, & white and were printed 5x7 on card stock and placed in the bag with other treats!

 Other fun items to include:

Custom Printed Water Bottles & Postcards

Local items are always great!  Not only are you giving back to the local area, but also showcasing some of their fabulous staples!  Here are some from my home town in East Hampton, NY that would be perfect!

 You can always choose items to cater to a certain theme as well! 

For example:  A beach or nautical wedding items such as Swedish Fish, Salt Water Taffy, Goldfish, Pirates Booty, Sunblock , Lip Balm, etc... you can even use a bucket rather than a bag!

Theme's to fit your destination

If you are planning for a hard night on the town, be sure to pack things like Gatorade, Hanover Gone, Advil, etc.

 




Delivery of your Welcome Bags-
Hopefully you went as far as organizing a discounted rate/block of rooms for your out of town guests.  You can contact Group Sales to get an up-to-date rooming list so you'll know who has reservations.  Some of your guests may make a reservation at the same hotel where you provided discounted rates, but may not make their reservation under your block. 
For destination weddings where you have large amounts of travelers, I recommend having a line item on the rsvp card for your guest to list where they're staying.  That way, you can generate your own mater list to provide to the hotel so that no guests are left behind.  Once you have your list, you can bring it to the front desk to distribute to the appropriate guests.  It is important to list the quantity of bags given, or label the bags if certain bags go to certain guests.  It is important to ask if the hotel charges for distribution of Welcome Bags.  There should not be charges if guests are given the bags at check-in, however delivery of bags usually comes with a fee.

Regardless of what you include in these little bags your guests will feel very special when they receive this act of hospitality!