Are welcome bags necessary...

[PartofDisney'sWorld]

...for 100 people? I really love the idea of them and all but this isn't exactly a destination wedding for us since we are locals. Less than half of our guests are traveling from out of state. I understand why people have them for DW's when the guest count is pretty small, and I would love to do something a little "extra" for our guests, but I just don't think I can fathom making 100 bags! Plus I'm not even sure we could afford it for that many. What are your opinions?

 

[chryscrazy]

I don't think they are a necessity at all. They are a nice extra touch. A lot of people have put in their after wedding reports that they were glad they didn't bother with them. Certainly no one will miss them if you don't do them. They didn't see all the other welcome bags on this board like you did.

 

[Mindyjoy]

They aren't necessary; however, keep in mind that generally you would only need them for people who are traveling from out of town and thus staying in a hotel. The other thing to consider is, you only would need one per hotel room.

Welcome bags can also be as elaborate or as simple as you want. I have received both kinds. A welcome bag using a paper bag from the 99 Cent store is just as good as a decorated tote.

I hope this helps!

 

[PartofDisney'sWorld]

Thanks. I don't know a whole lot about this wedding stuff, ya know? Do people actually expect to get welcome bags? I've been to several weddings over the past couple of years and have never once gotten a welcome bag, let alone heard of them until I got engaged and started doing..."research".

 

[KMS'sGlassSlipper]

I think that they are a nice touch for those guests traveling from out of town and are staying in our room block. I have a high guest count, and live only 2 hours away, but am only going to have to make around 50 bags (since not everyone is staying overnight, or in a Disney hotel). I'm putting some water, cookies, chocolates, and other food items in there that would be nice for them to have. I don't think that anyone is expecting them, but I think it's a nice touch.

I do not think they are necessarily a "necessity", but just wanted to show that even though you have a higher guest count, you might not have to make as many as you think you do!

 

[Mindyjoy]

I don't think people will be expecting it, but I've been to a couple destination weddings recently were we got welcome bags and I always think it's a nice touch. For example, the last wedding I went to had a list of contact phone numbers for the bride, groom, and parents which actually came in handy, a map of the venue which also came in handy, a bottle of water and homemade granola made by the bride's mom. It was simple and useful and had a personal touch.

If you do a search on the boards, you will see lots of ideas for welcome bags. Maybe looking over other people's ideas will help you decide if it would be useful or not for your guests.

 

[sambycat]

they are nice, but not necessary. if we had a "local" wedding, i wouldn't even have considered it. i've seen some really cool ones here and on the interwebz, but i fear that, like favors, they aren't really things guests totally use 1000% (although i am sure they appreciate it).

 

[DoomBuggy0922]

I don't think we're going to do welcome bags (What can I say? I'm cheap!) But I'm definitely going to make welcome folders with wedding info inside of them and drop them off at the front desk.

 

[robinb]

I have not been to a wedding in a long time, but I have been an out of town visiting guest to a number of Bar/Bat Mitzvahs in recent years. Every one of them had a small welcome bag. Honestly, I didn't care a whole lot about the bottled water and the snacks, but I did care about the schedule of events and maps that were included. The bag also made me feel like I was part of the celebration from the second I checked into my hotel.

 

[lastminutemom]

As Robin said, while the goodies are nice, the schedule and maps are essential, especially if you want people to get where they need to be.

We went to one destination wedding where they bride and groom did nothing to let people know when/where things were. (Invitations had been sent, but most people don't bring those with them.) People were late to everything!

 

[sambycat]

As Robin said, while the goodies are nice, the schedule and maps are essential, especially if you want people to get where they need to be.

We went to one destination wedding where they bride and groom did nothing to let people know when/where things were. (Invitations had been sent, but most people don't bring those with them.) People were late to everything!

yeah, we tried to make everything clear, with emails and stuff before the wedding and a little brochure thing in the bag. honestly though (and i still wuld do the info somehow), the people that typically can't figure stuff out, couldn't figure out whatever they needed to with the stuff we gave them!! thank goodness for cel phones and a DF who had the patience to deal!

 

[lurkyloo]

From years of reading this board, I've seen that more often than not, at least some of every wedding's welcome bags left at the hotel front desk go astray/have to be requested by the guest (if the guest even knows to expect one)/are tossed out without being used. It breaks my heart to see how much effort brides go to when making them only to report that people didn't get them or didn't use anything in them.

Are they a nice touch? Certainly! But will the 99% of your guests who've never read a wedding blog/magazine miss a welcome bag if they don't get one? No.

We sent all the logistical info (schedule, map, etc.) with the invites or with the last-minute newsletter a few weeks out. Who knows if anyone remembered to bring it with them to WDW, but they all showed up at all the right places on time.

 

[jlocmac]

Where is the best place to find maps for the parks and resorts? On the Disney website itself? I've seen on there where you can do the customized maps, but I didn't know if those would be the best ones to use. None of our family has ever really been to DW. We just want them to be able to find the Boardwalk from their resort.

 

[DisneYoda]

Agree that this is not necessary for your local guests. But at previous DWs I have attended, have really appreciated receiving a gift bag. And agree that it doesn't have to be extravagant.... anything you do will most likely be well received.

 

[Jilian]

I don't think they are completely necessary if all guests have your contact # to call in case they get confused about the scheduled events. I do think they are a nice touch to make your guests feel special. They can even be as simple as a schedule and a few chocolates in a paper bag.

 

[Goofy4Ever]

I'm getting married on the Disney Dream and thought about doing welcome bags, but instead I am making a nice photo frame for each person/couple. The cost was getting way too high.

 

[Deb loves Disney]

I also don't think its a necessity, but is a nice touch. I debated for awhile if I was going to do them for our wedding. In the end I decided not to do them. What I did do though is send out a newsletter about 2 weeks before the wedding with all of the information needed for our guests. I included phone numbers, time schedules, location descriptions, detailed accounts of all the events. Lots of guests told me that they really appreciated the info and used it like a guide for the wedding.

 

[PrincessTinker11]

We are having a small wedding on DCL and I am making welcome bags...I am also coming a farther distance and want to thank all my guests that are making the effort to attend!

I do not think the bags are mandatory, however, I do like the folder idea to convey information to your guests about your wedding...you could always give them out to your guests directly at like the rehearsal dinner or something if you cannot get the hotel to give them out correctly...I am personally handing mine to my guests but then again I have a much smaller wedding count!

 

[PartofDisney'sWorld]

I also don't think its a necessity, but is a nice touch. I debated for awhile if I was going to do them for our wedding. In the end I decided not to do them. What I did do though is send out a newsletter about 2 weeks before the wedding with all of the information needed for our guests. I included phone numbers, time schedules, location descriptions, detailed accounts of all the events. Lots of guests told me that they really appreciated the info and used it like a guide for the wedding.

That sounds like a great idea! Would you happen to still have a sample of your newsletter? If so, would you mind letting me see it?

 

[PrincessTinker11]

That sounds like a great idea! Would you happen to still have a sample of your newsletter? If so, would you mind letting me see it?

I googled newsletter template and found a microsoft word one that I used..it came out great! I was able to take photos from Disney to add to it!