Wedding ‘welcome bags’ have been incredibly popular at our couples’ weddings this yr, and are a generous and effective way of helping your pals and family settle in and fully immerse themselves within the experience. Nonetheless, not all welcome bags were created equal! Having guided lots of our couples through this element of the planning process in 2023, we’ve put together a guide to great wedding welcome bags. You might be about to search out out when these gifts are a great idea, learn how to create bundles your guests actually find exciting and useful, and the logistics of handing them out.
Who Needs Wedding Welcome Bags?
In our experience welcome bags work best when you find yourself celebrating over multiple days, with guests travelling to at least one central location for the duration (comparable to a destination wedding). Take into consideration offering 1 welcome bag per couple/guest room slightly than 1 per person.
Asking your guests to travel long distances, particularly overseas, to have fun with you may feel daunting, but providing wedding welcome bags on arrival is just a technique of showing your thanks and giving something back to them so that they can take advantage of the experience. They function a thoughtful gift to indicate your appreciation to your guests for the trouble (and value!) involved in attending your wedding.. Imagine arriving in a foreign city ahead of a marriage, and being greeted by information, advice and suggestions in regards to the area…you may get your trip off to an amazing start before the celebrations even begin! Which brings us onto…
What To Put In Great Wedding Welcome Bags
Before we dive in, it’s vital to notice that step one in putting together your welcome bags is to determine in your budget for them, broken down right into a total figure and the way much this costs per bag. This can really help guide you in the suitable direction when in search of items to fill your bags. This summer our couples have spent between 5 and 50 euros per bag, and it goes without saying that the standard and quantity of contents will probably be heavily dictated by this! Deciding on the spend for welcome bags is all the time my place to begin when working with couples on this.
Creating great wedding welcome bags requires some thought, and it’s essential to consider what your guests will actually find useful, entertaining, or wish to keep during your wedding. Listed here are some suggestions of what to place in them;
- Wedding itineraries, schedules and dress codes – this is especially useful when having multiple days of events. Although you might have likely already given out this information in the shape of an invite or wedding website, including a welcome booklet detailing where they must be, what time to reach, and what the dress code is will prevent fielding plenty of questions!
- Local guides – help guests navigate the realm by providing local restaurant recommendations, must-sees and even taxi numbers or Uber availability. You may as well allow them to learn about any experiences or activities they’ll get entangled in, in addition to those arranged by you as a part of your wedding celebrations
- Personalised, branded favours – selecting the proper little keepsake is a little bit of an art, but should you get it right your guests will wish to hang onto their favours to remind them of the wonderful time that they had with you. Take into consideration having elements of your bag ‘branded’ along with your initials or a monogram for an phenomenal touch.
- Local nibbles and drinks – this has been especially popular at our Italian weddings this yr, and guests like to be greeted by local wines, home-grown olives and other snacks and refreshments they’ll enjoy of their rooms
- Local souvenir items – one in all our couples married in Greece and used local Myconian suppliers to assist fill their welcome bags, choosing a beautiful bag and keyring typical of the island town. While local souvenirs can often fall into the category of ‘tacky’, it is feasible to search out beautiful, handmade or locally designed trinkets your guests will love
A very powerful things to contemplate when ‘editing’ what might go in your welcome bags are location and season. For those who are getting married in Italy in the midst of summer, little fans or water bottles will probably be gratefully received by guests in the warmth (but keep in mind that, if budget permits, it’s all the time higher to try to incorporate reusable water bottles if possible!). For those who know you’re having your ceremony outdoors on grass, make this clear in your wedding itinerary and consider providing heel protectors for high-heeled shoes.
The Query of Distribution
The ultimate consideration for excellent welcome bags is to think ahead about how they will probably be distributed. Do you wish them to be placed in guests’ rooms before their arrival, or delivered once they’re checked in? Who will go around and hand them out? Many hotels and resorts will deliver welcome bags for you for a small extra fee, but keep in mind they don’t know your guests personally and so room changes could cause confusion.
We recommend delivering to guests at their hotels in the event that they are staying at your hotel, or one you advisable. Otherwise, you may decide to have a table and greeter at your welcome event handy them on the market. For those who do that, just ensure all the data for the welcome party is shipped to your guests upfront!
Great wedding welcome bags can really make a major difference to your guests’ experience, and the recommendation we’ve given here is a great place to begin so that you can work from when putting them together. Don’t forget that in case your budget doesn’t stretch to welcome bag gifts, a thoughtful welcome note with an itinerary booklet or sheet will all the time be appreciated as an alternative. Our blog is stuffed with helpful suggestions and advice for planning your wedding, and should you’d just like the expert guidance of an Elegante by Michelle J full planning service, get in contact – welcome bags are only the tip of the planning iceberg!
