Traveling for wedding can be a big sacrifice for most people. It usually requires time off of work, gas money/airfare and hotel rooms. Another way to show how much you appreciate your out of town guests is to provide them with a “welcome basket.” These are great ways to start the weekend off right.
Welcome baskets can be brought to the hotel concierge or front desk ahead of time and distributed to your guests upon their arrival. If your guests are staying with family or friends, drop off the baskets at the homes ahead of time. They do not literally have to be a “basket.” You can use decorative gift bags or boxes. It’s great to include a weekend schedule, a map of the area, directions to all family events for the weekend, some local restaurant recommendations and other goodies. Here are a few ideas:
Wedding Theme: Make all the items relate to your wedding’s theme. For example, a winery.
- Include a bottle of wine from the vineyard
- Include the winery’s brochure
- A wine glass
- A bottle opener
- Chocolates that pair well with the wine
Couple’s Theme: Center all the goodies around the bride and groom
- The groom’s favorite candy and the bride’s favorite candy
- The groom’s favorite beverage and the bride’s favorite beverage
- A professional photo of the couple
- A keepsake from the bride and groom’s colleges such as a pen or a key chain
- A sample of their favorite coffee beans
Location Theme: Make all the goodies relate to the state or city of the wedding. This is what I did for mine:
- A bag of Virginia peanuts
- A bottle of Virginia Cider
- Virginia made potato chips
- A nice pen from the University of Virginia (also my school)
- Virginia made chocolate bar
I bought plain white gift bags from a craft store and decorated them myself. This was a fun way to invite some bridesmaids over to help decorate and assemble the welcome baskets. You can get really creative with this project and also create a very memorable gift for your guests!
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This is a great idea! I did this for my wedding too and it was a big hit with the guests. We did a Virginia theme as well.