Hospitality - it's in the Bag!

Embrace your out of town wedding guests & get them in the mood for all of the festivities with a welcome bag!  Welcome bags can be as simple as a note with a few personalized water bottles or as elaborate as you can imagine! The sky is the limit for creativity with these lovelies! Distributing them is as simple as leaving them at the front desk of the host hotel for the concierge to hand out as your guests check in. We’ve seen some wonderfully imaginative ideas out there and wanted to share a few with our readers. Remember, this is a basic list of things to include, add your own touches to personalize them. 

Things to Include:

Personalized Note - Thank your guests for attending your wedding with a hand written note telling them how appreciative you are of their efforts. If you have many guests who will be receiving a guest bag and it’s not feasible to hand write each of them a note, type and print a letter on your computer to save time. Just make sure to hand sign your note.

Itinerary - Keep your guests in the know with an itinerary of the weekend’s events.   Include what time they should arrive and the dress code of each event. A weather forecast gives the guests an idea of any special precautions they may need to take for the day of the event. Guests will feel at ease when they know where and when they need to be ready for an event.

Local Activities - Provide a local newspaper and map of the area. The paper will let your out of town guests discover local restaurants and activities happening during your wedding weekend. Including coupons and discounts will give your guests extra incentive to explore the area.

Snacks - Lets admit it, the munchies happen! Include a variety of snacks to help get your guests through the weekend. If there are any foods that are native to the area where the wedding is being held include them! For our region of Virginia we have almost any apple product you can think of, all made locally. Another popular area treat is Virginia wine. Include favorites of the bride and groom. Local brands allow your guests to try new things. Who knows, they may find a new favorite themselves!

Extras -  This is where you can really get creative! Use a gift bag or reusable bag with your monogram or custom graphic on it to put all of the loot in. Purchase postage-included postcards for your guests to mail home to family or friends while at your wedding. We’ve also seen couples that include personalized blank CD’s with pre-addressed envelopes. Guests are encouraged to upload pictures that they have taken from the wedding and send them to the newlyweds.

Remember, it’s best to keep the welcome bags mostly disposable. Make any keepsakes small and portable. Consider the amount of space a guest may or may not have in their suitcase for the trip back home and plan accordingly. Your guests will certainly feel welcomed and well prepared for your wedding weekend!