Welcome bags for guests--skip it?

We did welcome bags and guests raved about them! Before covid shut everything down, we were planning to go on a multi-country honeymoon so we included snacks/candies representing each country. We also put bottles of water, a hangover kit, and our “Welcome Newsletter” which included info on all the weekend events and a thank you note from us.

View Quoted Comment I LOVE the idea of a welcome newsletter, definitely stealing that!


What was in the hangover kit?

Any time Ive stayed in a hotel block, Ive definitely appreciated when the couple put a water bottle or advil in there (like practical things) but Im never really sure what to do with the personalized favors a lot of couples do. unless theyre close family members that usually gets thrown out. If there are lots of events over the course of the weekend, its also good to put that in a welcome bag as well as directions to the different wedding events

I have never missed these as a guest before. Save your money.

View Quoted Comment Yeah I definitely get not wanting a personalized gift

I would appreciate water and some snacks in a guest bag, but I wouldn't miss or expect this either. Personally I will be skipping these for my wedding, because it's one less thing to spend time or money on, but if you want to then that's reason enough!

View Quoted Comment Advil packet, tums packet, breath mints, pedialyte packets, emergen-c packet, makeup wipe remover, and a mini bottle of alcohol (hair of the dog lol).

We did welcome bags for our hotel block and they were a hit. In my family and social circle, having welcome bags at the hotel block is super common. We included water bottles, various snacks such as granola bars, chips, pretzels, crackers, raisins, and gummies, an itinerary for the weekend (with details about our other events: welcome dinner + farewell brunch) and mini hangover kits. For the hangover kits we included a packet of emergen-C electrolyte powder, Advil, makeup remover wipe, gum, mint mentos, etc. We bought everything in bulk from Costco so the welcome bags were actually very inexpensive to make!

A welcome package is cute and thoughtful. If it fits within your budget then by all means go for it! I'm sure your guests will appreciate it, and for sure use it. Personally, whenever I travel I always make sure to keep stuff like this on hand just to always be prepared. It also cuts the time for your guests from having to go out of their way to go to a nearby convenient or drug store to pick some of this up. And if they are staying in a hotel that sells them in their mini gift/store shop, they are more likely to cost a lot more. So, they get to save their money in that sense too.

View Quoted Comment Makeup remover wipe is something I should bring on trips but never do, so I would totally use that. Really I would probably use everything in the bag. Especially if I were driving home too, I would have road trip snacks! I love that idea

Assume your guests are adults and arrive with what they need, or can get it with a five minute walk. Save! the expense. As a guest, I never appreciate it. Except a zip lock bag of true home baked cookies, and I don't mean cookie boutique stuff. It takes time and money to have it delivered to rooms. Like many Pinterest type things it sounds good. But in every group of people as many object to the unnecessary bottle made of plastic as want the water. Half cannot have NSAIDS, the others can only have them. All you need is 2 people complaining the perfume samples made them sick. Buying locally made goodies takes hours .
And the bottom line is, In the last few ays before the wedding, do you need to be doing these bags , 10 hours of time?

The topper, $2.50 per bag the hotel wants to put them in rooms, you may not go room to room. .My sister and SIL insister, total over $10 each, or $1000 to 1200
. That is what my wedding dress cost. Sis and SIL had $50 K weddings. We spent $16,000 inc honeymoon, no bags..

Welcome bags are totally optional, but if they're in your budget and you want to do them, I say go for it! My fiance and I are putting together welcome bags for our guests since we're doing a semi-destination wedding, and we're including things like a welcome note, details of the wedding (date/time/address), transportation info, a map of the area, restaurant suggestions (and suggestions of places to go while they're in town), a deck of cards, snacks, water, hangover kit, and a "Do Not Disturb" sign to hang on the hotel doorknob.

We're doing welcome bags at our hotel blocks (we have 2 blocks because we're getting married at a super expensive hotel so we also have a block at a more reasonably-priced hotel). We're planning on including waters, snacks, and probably hangover kits too. As a guest, checking into the hotel after a long day of travel to a welcome bag full of snacks hits the spot and is SO appreciated. If you have the budget for it, I would highly recommend doing welcome bags. They're not necessary but they're such a great thing to have

View Quoted Comment

Agree with this

I was a wedding coordinator at a hotel pre-covid, and I can tell you that almost all of the weddings I worked with did some sort of welcome bags/boxes! Guests picked them up at the front desk upon check in. We never charged for distributing boxes but I would check with the hotel manager first.


I’m doing them for my own wedding because I think it’s a nice touch and shows your guests that you appreciate them coming. At my wedding, I’m thinking a lot about my guests and accommodating them because I believe a wedding isn’t all about the bride and groom. Sure, guests could leave the hotel to go to a drug store or spend extra to grab things like Advil or tums in the lobby, but why not give your guests peace of mind and convenience by including them in a welcome bag? Almost all of my wedding guests will be coming in from out of town and I know they will appreciate a bag or box upon check in.
Obviously, it’s your wedding and you know your crowd! If you have the extra time and money, I say go for it! You could assemble the boxes a few weeks beforehand then add munchies (if you’re including them) later. This is something I’m going to make my FH do since he’s letting me do all the planning lol. I’m doing a “hangover” kit with Advil, tums, mints, water, etc. and I’m making my own snack mix!

I’m doing it. We live in Hawaii, most of our guests do not. People are traveling at least 9 hours, and spending a lot of money to be here so I feel like it’s just nice to show appreciation for that. As a guest, if I get something I don’t like I’m still glad they thought about me and I give the item to someone else. It’s just fun to get a gift anyway. I would recommend 2 snacks (one salty and one sweet), maybe a drink (not a plastic water bottle), maybe 1-2 other small things that may be useful. Try to include things that are unique to your area.

View Quoted Comment What do you suggest for a drink instead of water?

We are doing them! Are they necessary - no, not at all. But did I always appreciate getting one as a guest - yes! Like PP have said, they’re actually not expensive with bulk buying. We’re going to throw in the expense of “we’re tying the knot/take a shot” mini bottles, but I know my crowd, and they’ll appreciate a pre-ceremony shot 😂

View Quoted Comment Oh I love that! How much did you budget for them?