Wedding welcome bags for out of town guests

[secretpantssam]

I'm getting married this summer. I would like to make welcome bags for out of town guests who stay at the hotel where we blocked rooms. I'm not exactly sure what to put in there. I want it to be fun and useful, but I also don't want to spend an arm and a leg. So I figured I'd ask my budget board buddies!

So, what items would you suggest I put in there that won't bust my budget?

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

I'm getting married this summer. I would like to make welcome bags for out of town guests who stay at the hotel where we blocked rooms. I'm not exactly sure what to put in there. I want it to be fun and useful, but I also don't want to spend an arm and a leg. So I figured I'd ask my budget board buddies!

So, what items would you suggest I put in there that won't bust my budget?

• List of events the person is to be included in, with times, directions, etc.
• Phone number of someone to call if there is a problem (one of your friends or family members who lives in town and could actually be helpful if needed)
• Nearby restaurants, activities, drug store (tailor this to meet your needs--if you're having activities that cover all meals, maybe you don't list restaurants)
• A small flowering plant to decorate the hotel room (inexpensive one from a nursery)
• Some kind of snack for the room (candy, nuts, fruit)
• Something to entertain a child if the guest will have kids with them

 

[msmama]

Some printed out information about the area (kinko's is fairly cheap for copies or if you have one at work you can "borrow", even better). If you find coupons to places you think people might like to go, that would work, too.

Also a list of restaurants nearby.

Directions to and from places they need to be.

Do you belong to Costco/Sams/BJs? I remember getting bottled water in one friends.

Stock up on some candy after easter and you can include that.

For fun, you could do a crossword puzzle/wordsearch/question game about your and your DF's families as a kind of "get to know you" if the families aren't close.

 

[shelby101301]

We did water, snacks and fruit in baskets we made ourselves. Everyone loved them!

Congrats!

 

[emilee&tylersmom]

We received one recently when we went to an out of town wedding. The bag included 2 bottle waters, individually size snacks (cookies and crackers), individually wrapped mints and an informational book about the area.

It was perfect for that late night snack!

 

[jls886]

We were given a page of restaurants and things to do in the area, a cookie per person, and then 2 coasters (for drinks) with the first letter of our last name on them. They are nice coasters, made of white stone with a big black "S" on them...but I'm guessing they weren't very expensive.

 

[erincon23]

If guests will be staying for even slightly longer than just the wedding day itself, maybe some brochures from local restaurants or the directory map for the local mall -- these would all be free. And a brochure or two for some local attractions.

A local area map from the Chamber of Commerce (we can get these free at our local C of C).

Check with the hotel and find out what kind of coffeemakers they have in the rooms and see if you can buy some packets of gourmet coffee that work in those machines. Get some snacks (in bulk from Costco or Sam's). See if you can get coffee mugs personalized with your wedding date and your names (from one of those companies where you can get personalized pens -- or maybe just get pens!) -- mugs will probably be $5-6 for cheap ones, pens could be much cheaper.

If the hotel has a pool, maybe you can find some cute beach towels.

 

[AndreaDM]

A local area map from the Chamber of Commerce (we can get these free at our local C of C).

YES! I work for a C of C and we're happy to hand these out as well as pens or magnets or whatever we have. Also, anything local to your area, since we live in Ohio, I put a few Buckeyes (chocolate) in each bag, they were a hit. If you have a lot of guests flying in, keep in mind they might not be able to take larger items or liquids with them. Keep it simple, anything in the room at all is a nice fun surprise!

 

[dougsmom98]

When we got married, we put bottled water, salty snacks (chips), sweet snacks (cookies and chocolate), gum and mints. Most of our out of town guests were friends of ours so if we knew they drank Coke a Cola, we put bottles of that in their basket. If we knew they loved Cool Ranch Doritos, they got a bag of those in their basket. Everyone commented afterward that they really appreciated those snacks after partying and drinking until the wee hours of the morning at our reception which was right at the hotel.

 

[mommy2sixpumpkins]

Where are you getting married? I have a friend that was getting married in HI and they did sunscreen, lip balm, bottle watered with a personalized label, food place suggestions, nuts, candy lei etc. all in a personal tote bag that everyone loved!

 

[HillPete]

YES! I work for a C of C and we're happy to hand these out as well as pens or magnets or whatever we have. Also, anything local to your area, since we live in Ohio, I put a few Buckeyes (chocolate) in each bag, they were a hit. If you have a lot of guests flying in, keep in mind they might not be able to take larger items or liquids with them. Keep it simple, anything in the room at all is a nice fun surprise!

Were you there in 1995? If so, I probably talked to you! We got a huge box of brochures about all kinds of fun things to do in the Cleveland area (including the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame which opened a month before my wedding). We got bottled water and some snacks, plus an extra copy of the map and info about the wedding in case they didn't bring the one from the invitation. DH collects Coca-Cola memorabilia and most of the out-of-towners were his friends and relatives so my MIL collected a bunch of 2 liter Coke bottles, cut off the tops and used them for the 'gift bags'. It was cute, budget-friendly and very personal.

Congrats!
-H

 

[Crystal824]

We did bottles of water, gum, candy bars, chips, scented soaps, and some information on local sites and resturants. We placed this all in a bag that matched our wedding colors.

I went to another wedding where they did acutal baskets for out of town guests with wine, cheese, chocolate, and scented soap and shampoo. It had a huge bow on the top in their wedding colors. Nothing about that particular wedding was budget

 

[pklein09]

I put these together for my sister's wedding 2 years ago. His family was traveling from IN to NJ, and had never been to the East Coast before. A few of them were taking the week after the wedding to explore the areas. We did water, soda, chips, hard candy, crackers in one bag. In the other bag, I went to AAA and got tour books for Philly, Baltimore, NYC, and Washington DC along with the associated maps. AAA also had brochures for PA Dutch Country and the Jersey Shore. And it was FREE!!!

Congratulations!

 

[deezeealum]

My sister did a destination wedding in Hilton Head and we made bags for all the guests. Like others have said, we had 2 bottles of water, salty snacks, small pieces of chocolate taht we picked up at a local chocolate place down there (IE sand dollars, shells, alligators). We also put in a guide to local restaurants, a map of where everything would be located throughout the weekend, brochures for dolphin cruises, mints, and a travel size of advil, just in case anyone had too much fun at the wedding. Many guests thanked her at the morning after brunch! COngrats on the wedding. wishing you a lifetime of happiness!

 

[MissBritt]

We have recieved several at weddings and we honestly only really used the maps/directions (especially to restaurants and malls), wedding weekend event lists and info and bottles of water. If gourmet chocolates or cookies were included, we eat those, too. But many are stuffed with nuts, crackers, and candies that we wouldn't normally eat and that aren't specific to the couple's history or location, and those always sat on our counter for a week or so til we took them to work and left them in the break room to be devoured.

 

[a1tinkfans]

water, snack (chips), chocolate, local area map, lip balm and a cute welcome note!

 

[Abbeys_mom]

I went to an event in upstate NY where most of us were from out of state. Someone had made a crazy cool CD of songs that all had NY mentioned. It was AWESOME. Every so often I pull it out and listen to it. Do you live in an area that has a lot of music? Or maybe a CD of regional music or famous musicians from that state? I have a playlist that is all Detroit/Michigan based too. Maybe a CD of your favorite songs as a couple would be cool.

 

[It's A Small World]

We made sure to include things that I, as a guest, would enjoy receiving. Timeline for the weekend, 2 bottles of water, pretzels, peanuts, mints, aspirin, gum, crackers, and other items.

 

[tar heel]

Contact your local Convention and Visitors Bureau or Chamber of Commerce for maps and other visitors guides. They will give you all sorts of stuff.

 

[LookinUp]

You could also include directions to nearby parks, pools, & gyms for those who want to stretch their legs or let their kids run around & let off steam.
Watch for coupons: free drink at a local coffee shop, free/reduced museum admission, etc. Ask local businesses to give you coupons or even offer a special deal for your guests. (A 10%-off coupon can bring in customers a business would otherwise never see.)
Include a laminated business card with the name & phone number of a reliable taxi company on one side, and the name, address, & phone number of the hotel on the other. So guests can always get where they're going -- and back "home."