Wedding Gift Bags :: Anything but Ordinary

As destination weddings grow in popularity, ideas and options surrounding themes and decor layouts have also grown. One constant that will always be a part of destination weddings, is a gift for the guests in attendance.  A thank you for their travel, near or far, to stand behind you with their support.  This post is inspired by all the creative new destination wedding gift ideas out there.

One guest gift that we would recommend universally, that works for any locale around the world, would be a personalized gift bag. Whether it is simple and sweet or filled to the brim with decadent goodies, your guests will love this gesture of gratitude. The most wonderful thing about destination gift bags is they can be completely personalized to the locale or theme of your event

Oftentimes planners are asked to put together these gifts and deliver them to the hotel rooms before the guests arrive. They can also be set up at each seat at your rehearsal or welcome dinner. When we put together destination gift bags we include really unique travel related items, such as  passport covers, laptop travel bags, premium Costa Rican coffee with hand made wooden scoops, other decadent tropical flavors such as coconut cookies or guava jam, detailed local maps, pre stamped art postcards,  spa passes, etc. The list of creative items can go on and on. The main thing we aim to create, while gathering a collection of gifts, is a cohesive mix of goodies that will please everyone with their originality, and connection to the locale through color and flavor.

If you choose to create your gift bags yourself as a DIY project, you will want to keep these things in mind:

• If you are traveling to a warm destination, don’t bring anything that can spoil or melt in the heat.
• Don’t include anything that has the potential to be broken in your luggage.
• Think about the weight of the items you collect. Most likely you will be traveling with quite a bit of extra weight already, and this can be difficult and expensive.
• Purchase cloth bags that won’t wrinkle to contain all of the gifts. Tote bags have become very popular, so there are a lot of options and your guests will love having the bags to cary their books, cameras, and towels around with them while on vacation. 

On a side note, we are counting down the days until we pick the 2 winners of our   Couples Vacation Giveaway! If you haven’t already, get your name on the list for this giveaway ending March 30th. And while you are at it, check out our Four Winds Wedding Blog full of eye candy, helpful wedding tips and info.

Photo Sources: 1 Etsy braggingbags’ shop,  2 Amy A La Mode, 3 Laurie Wisbrun’s Blog, 4 Etsy Kimberly Laurel, 5 Sally Lee by the Sea, 6 Stamps I’ve Met, 7 Etsy Dren Culture’s Shop, 8 & 9  Four Winds Weddings