Are Hotel Welcome Bags Expected?

They're one of those things that are nice when there, but not necessary. You can skip them, and I doubt anyone would blink an eye.

I didn’t even know they were a thing until I went to my good friends wedding. I’ve been to several where welcome bags weren’t done and it wasn’t a big deal to me! I ended up doing them, but I only had about 6 hotel guests.

Not necessary but very courteous aha.
If you were adamant about it I think it could be really simple and affordable such as snacks and a city guide so they know what's around or whatever the city is known for.

I don’t think they are necessary especially if the budget doesn’t allow for it. I think more people will be interested in the overall experience of the actual wedding day 😀

Maybe You could have a basket/bowl with chocolate Hershey kisses. Maybe pack them into something cute 2 per pack, like a mesh bag. This could be a cost effective idea.

I didnt know they were a thing! Not necessary at all.

I definitely don’t think they’re necessary. I’m going to do them because i think I’ll be able to keep them relatively cheap by purchasing stuff from the dollar store and we want to put a little itinerary of what we’ll be doing the other days of the weekend since basically everyone who’s coming is from out of town. I think it can be a good tool to help people feel more welcome and include extra details you may not wanna put in your invitations, but not necessary.

I’ll have like 10 bags made for out of state people with water bottles, a few granola bars and hangover kits that have a few otc meds in them. I’ll have bathroom baskets also with extra things like spray deodorant, hairspray, toothbrushes etc.

I love the bathroom baskets for the reception, in addition to anything you hand out at the front desk. If you don't want to do a whole bag, maybe every person gets as candy bar or pack of mints. Also, at my cousin's wedding, everyone loved the basket of $1 flip flops her mom put out in front of the DJ on the dance floor. It was by far the biggest hit!

Not necessary, but definitely a nice touch. We will have a lot of out of state guests, so once we get the number we will see about bags. Thinking waters, sweet & salty snacks, and maybe some Advil as well as information about transportation to and from the venue. If you decide to do them, Costco or Sam’s Club are a good place to grab stuff.

They're not necessary and it's not rude at all to not have them. Save what remains in your budget and put it towards your actual reception.

I would do them if you could, but you can keep them SUPER small and inexpensive. The big thing for me is giving people bottles of water for their rooms. I always appreciate that at weddings, especially if the reception is open bar and I wake up during the night needing water! You can buy very cheap bags (I got mine on Amazon), a case of bottled water and some snack size bags of chips or candy at Costco (I don’t have a Costco membership but had a friend do this for me), and print out a welcome note. That’s it - done, for very little money - and I think people really appreciate them!

I wouldn't worry about it. I know they are a thing, but I went to an out of town wedding a few years back and there was no welcome bag at the hotel. I didn't think anything of it. I wouldn't expect anyone to give me a bag of snacks and beverages and other items outside of the time I am spending at the wedding.

I would absolutely and completely skip them without any guilt at all. Don't even think about them anymore
I think all these things get wayyyyy out of hand. My FH says to me "it's OUR wedding, stop buying a gift for every person and every reason you can think of!"

We've decided to do them. I don't think many guests will actually decide to stay in a hotel since we're in that awkward 1.5-2 hour away vicinity, but I think it'll be nice for those that do. We're sending out around 60 invites for 130 people. I'm guessing fewer than 30 hotel rooms will be booked.

We're going to go pick apples at one of our favorite orchards the weekend before and put them and some other local goodies in cheap little bushel baskets as our welcome bag. Plus brochures and flyers for a few of our favorite things to do.

Seconding PPs! Welcome bags are definitely not a requirement

I think it's perfectly acceptable to skip and not have welcome bags. Most people, don't expect them anyway. Spend your money on things that will help make your wedding better for your and your FH.

I definitely didn't know they were a thing until the last wedding I went to. I've been to a few where I stayed in a hotel and never received one. The only use I got out of it was the water bottle they put in, everything else I threw away.

Don't sweat the small stuff. If welcome bags are out of your budget, then don't worry about it.

I honestly hadn't heard of them till you! Id just suggest a blanket email to the out of towners with a quick list of attractions, favorite restaurants, etc if they are staying for more than one day.