Welcome bags for destination wedding

How many bags are you going to have? This may be totally impractical, but what about having everything delivered to you here, you assemble it here and then you ship it to the hotel? Or depending on how many people, is it possible for you to hand them out here and then each guest can bring their bag themselves? I love the towel and sunscreen idea. Depending on your transport solution, you may need to get liquids down there, though. Also maybe a magazine, lip balm, travel size Tylenol, water, gum/mints, nuts or trail mix, and hats for guys and inexpensive sarongs for the ladies?

I would suggest maybe talking to your coordinator down there. They may be able to lead you to a store where you could pick up everything you need. Or may be able to round up the items themselves. It would be nice to maybe add some local things to it like a popular snack from Jamaica or something like that.

Ship the items to your planner a few days before you arrive and put the bags together when you get to Jamaica.

Thanks for the suggestions. Dealing with Jamaican resort coordinators is a little difficult because they dont mess with much until last minute. Replies are scarce. I asked for vendor suggestions and they said "I'm sure we can find something for you"....then nothing. I cant even get final pricing on some of the big extras. I asked about shipping my dress there and they said no because they dont have secure storage but maybe I can schedule stuff to arrive after I get there. Taking dress as carry-on. Love the ideas. Thanks.

I would suggest getting everything there. Most practical & fun items: water, Jamaican snacks, mini sunblock, local postcard or tourism map/brochure. As a guest, I’d toss “trinkets” like Koozies, bottle opener, anything with your wedding info on it.

If you're going to do this, I'd stick to small items or, preferably, something useful at the resort or for an excursion, like a discount coupon for something we're likely going to want to do or inviting everyone to a hosted wecome cocktail hour, etc. We live in So Cal, so sunscreen is a daily thing, but also tends to be a pretty personal preference -- husband, daughter and I each use something different. Also, I would not be thrilled to have to add two extra beach towels to our luggage for the return trip. Depending on where you'll all be staying, our resort had beach towels we checked out each day. That way we could exchange them throughout the day as they got wet, sandy, etc. One of the advantages of a resort vacation in my mind is a never-ending supply of clean stuff you don't have to worry about! I think it's really sweet you want to do something special for your guests -- I'd just try to make sure it's something those receiving it are actually going to want/use. No matter how you do it, it's likely going to be a significant expense for you, so the last thing I'd want is for people to leave your gift behind. Good luck!

Good feedback. Maybe skipping the beach towels is best. Didnt think about the hassle of them being dirty or repacking them. We are doing a welcome cocktail reception Sunday night (no cost to us) and then on Mon morning taking everyone on a 4hr catamaran cruise to Margaritaville which includes snorkeling, drinks, etc. Getting married on Tuesday at Sunset. The guest list is growing to my surprise so I'll probably end up with 25 total including us (I hope). Maybe I'll stick with something small or a small bag of small things as just a welcome token. The catamaran cruise is expensive enough but wanted to cover it to make sure no one had to spend extra money or feel left out. It's like 110 before our group discount. We are paying the way for the trip for a few people because my fiance opened his big mouth. Lol The package wasnt bad since it is all-inclusive but the extras are killing me. The additionally frustrating part is not getting an answer on what the costs will be so that I can budget. Their computers crashed so they are trying to rebuild their files (so they day) and in the middle of transitioning to a different vendor for stuff like dancefloor/stage. Ugh My control issues are coming out. The best thing my travel agent did for me was to tell me in the beginning that they do these weddings like robots and it will be frustrating in the beginning but the coordinators will pull it all together in the end. Crossing my fingers. Thanks for the help ladies.