Out of Town Guests

oliviashernandez

We are going to have several guest coming in from out of town for our wedding.  Most of them will be staying in a hotel.  Did any body do "Out of Town Guest Bags" for those coming in town for your wedding?  If so, what did you include in them?

Chrissy3321

We didn't have a lot of out of town guests, but here are some of the things I have seen in bags:

Bottle of water for each guest, candy/snacks, tylenol, local favorite bottle of wine or couple bottles of beer, maps to the church and reception (incase they don't bring the one for the invite), guides/maps with local attractions...

jeremyvanandelphoto

Olivia:

I was a hotel sales manager and about 50% of my clients were brides and their families, so we did welcome bags quite a bit. The best things to include are:

• Water (at least two bottles)
• Chips or candies
• Granola or NutriGrain bars
• Gum or breath mints
• Tylenol/Aspirin
• Local guides (the hotels will have piles and piles of these)
• Cheapo crayons/coloring books for kids (the hotel may have these, too)
• A welcome note with directions to the venue(s), a reminder of the wedding schedule, and a quick thank you for coming so far to be a part of the wedding

I typically advised skipping on the alcohol for all guests since it can add quite a bit to the bill for welcome bags, but it's definitely a nice touch for important guests (parents, grandparents, mega-BFFs, etc.) who may be interested.

A couple other little things to look into: Check with the hotel to see if they'll provide you with either a hospitality suite, meeting room for breakfast the day after your wedding, or some sort of discounts for the hotel bar or restaurant. Most will be willing to if they have the availability (and, really, they typically don't have things going on on Sundays) so don't be afraid to ask! And, if they do, make sure those notes go into your welcome bags, too.

Best of luck with your planning!