NY/NJ Wedding Welcome Bags

knottiefa3df0bbf7801903

Hi all,

I'm putting together a list of items for our welcome bags, and I'm looking for ideas on snacks unique to southern NY/northern NJ area. So far, we're including water, mini wine bottle, bag of chips, pretzels, rice crispy treat, M&Ms, granola bar, and hangover kit (advil, emergen-c, mints, shout wipe, etc.). Any thoughts are appreciated!

STARMOON44

Black and white cookies. Although I think you already have more than enough!

climbingsingle

I can't really think of snacks that are specific to that area (and I've lived in the Hudson Valley most of my life). Foods/drinks, sure. But not snacks. 

For the wine, maybe you could get it from Torne Valley Vineyards? Or Warwick winery. 

I think what you already have listed is good. 

ShesSoCold

knottiefa3df0bbf7801903 said:

Hi all,

I'm putting together a list of items for our welcome bags, and I'm looking for ideas on snacks unique to southern NY/northern NJ area. So far, we're including water, mini wine bottle, bag of chips, pretzels, rice crispy treat, M&Ms, granola bar, and hangover kit (advil, emergen-c, mints, shout wipe, etc.). Any thoughts are appreciated!

Are these things really NY/NJ? I've never been east of Ohio and those all seem pretty normal to me.

Not that there's anything wrong with that, just not sure if it's what you're going for.

But outside of the NY/NJ part, that definitely sounds like more than enough to put in a welcome bag!

ei34

Most of the mom&pop Italian grocery stores carry homemade taralli, homemade breadsticks...those dipped in the store’s own olive tapenade or eggplant tapenade would be an awesome drunken night time snack (and they usually come in small jars that don’t have to be refrigerated until they’re opened).  I instinctively went Italian bc if the area’s you mentioned (and bc I’m biased  )...I’d recommend a good Lower East Side pickle except they should be refrigerated.

short+sassy

My first thought was bagels!  But they may not stay very fresh in a welcome bag.

Now you have me missing NYC bagels, lol.

lovesclimbing

ShesSoCold said:

knottiefa3df0bbf7801903 said:

Hi all,

I'm putting together a list of items for our welcome bags, and I'm looking for ideas on snacks unique to southern NY/northern NJ area. So far, we're including water, mini wine bottle, bag of chips, pretzels, rice crispy treat, M&Ms, granola bar, and hangover kit (advil, emergen-c, mints, shout wipe, etc.). Any thoughts are appreciated!

Are these things really NY/NJ? I've never been east of Ohio and those all seem pretty normal to me.

Not that there's anything wrong with that, just not sure if it's what you're going for.

But outside of the NY/NJ part, that definitely sounds like more than enough to put in a welcome bag!

+1 

climbingsingle

You can’t have a bagel without cream cheese though. And that won’t work for a welcome bag. 

knottiefa3df0bbf7801903

Very true! We have Rockland bakery right near me...they’re pretty well known around here so I was thinking of throwing in a roll for each bag 2 days before since they stay fresh for a while. Love the breadstick idea! I’m Italian too so also pretty biased I wanted a mix of generic items and unique ones to make sure there’s something in there for everyone, including picky eaters like my fiancé!

Jen4948

A subway map.

MissKittyDanger

I went to a wedding in New York State and they had an "empire apple" in there and did a granola bar with a brand that was based in the state.

I thought that was pretty neat.

+1 to a map

climbingsingle

knottiefa3df0bbf7801903 said:

Very true! We have Rockland bakery right near me...they’re pretty well known around here so I was thinking of throwing in a roll for each bag 2 days before since they stay fresh for a while. Love the breadstick idea! I’m Italian too so also pretty biased I wanted a mix of generic items and unique ones to make sure there’s something in there for everyone, including picky eaters like my fiancé!

I live not far from Rockland bakery. They are an institution for sure. Too bad you can’t bottle the smell

climbingsingle

Jen4948 said:

A subway map.

That’s not southern NY or northern NJ. 

short+sassy

climbingwife said:

You can’t have a bagel without cream cheese though. And that won’t work for a welcome bag. 

Totally agree on that!  But I don't think (though not totally sure) those little individually packaged cream cheeses need to stay refrigerated.

Still, bagels are probably not the best idea for a welcome bag.  Which is too bad, lol.

FWIW, @STARMOON44 mentioned black and white cookies.  I'd never heard of those until I was visiting NY, but I felt like I was running into them everywhere and finally asked what they were. 

climbingsingle

I always forget the black & white cookies are a NY thing. 

MissKittyDanger

short+sassy said:

climbingwife said:

You can’t have a bagel without cream cheese though. And that won’t work for a welcome bag. 

Totally agree on that!  But I don't think (though not totally sure) those little individually packaged cream cheeses need to stay refrigerated.

Still, bagels are probably not the best idea for a welcome bag.  Which is too bad, lol.

FWIW, @STARMOON44 mentioned black and white cookies.  I'd never heard of those until I was visiting NY, but I felt like I was running into them everywhere and finally asked what they were. 

Depending on when the welcome bags are dropped and people are coming, if it's at a hotel - some can bring the bagel and individual cream cheese packets up before the client comes. Or put in the mini fridge.

Could be doable

ei34

climbingwife said:

Jen4948 said:

A subway map.

That’s not southern NY or northern NJ. 

NY doesn’t get more southern than NYC.  OP did you mean southern upstate NY (north of the city)?

I think it’s a good suggestion either way.  If there are OOT guests, some may want to check out the city.  I think a subway map would be helpful.

climbingsingle

eileenrob said:

climbingwife said:

Jen4948 said:

A subway map.

That’s not southern NY or northern NJ. 

NY doesn’t get more southern than NYC.  OP did you mean southern upstate NY (north of the city)?

I think it’s a good suggestion either way.  If there are OOT guests, some may want to check out the city.  I think a subway map would be helpful.


STIB 
When OP said southern NY/northern NJ, IMO that means Rockland, Westchester and Bergen counties. Not NYC. Also snacks, not info on how to get around. 

ei34

climbingwife said:

eileenrob said:

climbingwife said:

Jen4948 said:

A subway map.

That’s not southern NY or northern NJ. 

NY doesn’t get more southern than NYC.  OP did you mean southern upstate NY (north of the city)?

I think it’s a good suggestion either way.  If there are OOT guests, some may want to check out the city.  I think a subway map would be helpful.


STIB 
When OP said southern NY/northern NJ, IMO that means Rockland, Westchester and Bergen counties. Not NYC. Also snacks, not info on how to get around. 

Didn’t a lot of the quintessential NY foods originate in the city?Like bagels and pizza? I think it’s okay for the lines to blur. And since she has so much already in the hotel bag, I don’t see how a subway map hurts anyone.  

knottiefa3df0bbf7801903

I wish I could could bagels and pizza in! I'm afraid bagels won't stay fresh, which puts a damper on the whole NY bagel think. I love the black and white cookie idea, so we're going to do that! I also found mini cereal boxes at Costco (not NY/NJ at all but super cute) which I feel like could be good for people who are staying over but can't make it to the brunch. FH and I just went to a wedding and had to leave before the 10 am brunch start time and had a 2 hour drive home from Philly...would have been nice to have something to munch on in the car on our way to work!

Thanks for all your suggestions!

Cookie Pusher

Warren County, NJ borders Orange County, NY so I can totally see including M&Ms (Mars manufactures out of Hackettstown). Nabisco is headquartered in East Hanover which is technically northern NJ so a snack food from them wouldn't be outside the North Jersey/Southern NY theme.

MandyMost

I went to a wedding in NJ once and the welcome bag had a Bon Jovi single in it. That was funny.

Jen4948

climbingwife said:

eileenrob said:

climbingwife said:

Jen4948 said:

A subway map.

That’s not southern NY or northern NJ. 

NY doesn’t get more southern than NYC.  OP did you mean southern upstate NY (north of the city)?

I think it’s a good suggestion either way.  If there are OOT guests, some may want to check out the city.  I think a subway map would be helpful.


STIB 
When OP said southern NY/northern NJ, IMO that means Rockland, Westchester and Bergen counties. Not NYC. Also snacks, not info on how to get around. 

STIB

Disagree on all counts. 

Regardless of what the OP said, contents of gift bags do not have to be limited to foods; nor is NYC not in "southern NY."

cupcait927

I'm from Western NY and I can definitively say that if you referenced southern NY to anyone from my area, we would NOT assume NYC. I would assume that you were talking about the counties in NY just outside the city (Westchester, Rockland etc). NYC to people from this part of the state is its own entity all together. Also, Westchester, Rockland, Bergen etc are NOT upstate NY. Not even a little. 

Also, black and white cookies are also an upstate NY thing (like Albany, Utica area). Had no idea that it was fairly obscure in the western part of the state until I moved here as a kid and never really saw them again. 

climbingsingle

cupcait927 said:

I'm from Western NY and I can definitively say that if you referenced southern NY to anyone from my area, we would NOT assume NYC. I would assume that you were talking about the counties in NY just outside the city (Westchester, Rockland etc). NYC to people from this part of the state is its own entity all together. Also, Westchester, Rockland, Bergen etc are NOT upstate NY. Not even a little. 

Also, black and white cookies are also an upstate NY thing (like Albany, Utica area). Had no idea that it was fairly obscure in the western part of the state until I moved here as a kid and never really saw them again. 

Right, that's what I think too. If you were referring to the city, you'd say "the city" or Manhattan. Southern NY is the downstate counties. 

Jen4948

climbingwife said:

cupcait927 said:

I'm from Western NY and I can definitively say that if you referenced southern NY to anyone from my area, we would NOT assume NYC. I would assume that you were talking about the counties in NY just outside the city (Westchester, Rockland etc). NYC to people from this part of the state is its own entity all together. Also, Westchester, Rockland, Bergen etc are NOT upstate NY. Not even a little. 

Also, black and white cookies are also an upstate NY thing (like Albany, Utica area). Had no idea that it was fairly obscure in the western part of the state until I moved here as a kid and never really saw them again. 

Right, that's what I think too. If you were referring to the city, you'd say "the city" or Manhattan. Southern NY is the downstate counties. 

That's just semantics.

I assume that people who are not from the area are not going to think "southern NY" does not include NYC. If the contents of the bag are meant for non-locals, then I think this distinction will be meaningless to them.

OwningAHome1981

cupcait927 said:

I'm from Western NY and I can definitively say that if you referenced southern NY to anyone from my area, we would NOT assume NYC. I would assume that you were talking about the counties in NY just outside the city (Westchester, Rockland etc). NYC to people from this part of the state is its own entity all together. Also, Westchester, Rockland, Bergen etc are NOT upstate NY. Not even a little. 

Also, black and white cookies are also an upstate NY thing (like Albany, Utica area). Had no idea that it was fairly obscure in the western part of the state until I moved here as a kid and never really saw them again. 

Westchester, Rockland, Bergen are upstate if you are from Long Island. We have cousins in Westchester and we are always calling them "the cousins from upstate" ... it really depends who you ask and where you live. No one from Rochester is going to call Albany upstate but someone from Long Island would.

STARMOON44

OwningAHome1981 said:

cupcait927 said:

I'm from Western NY and I can definitively say that if you referenced southern NY to anyone from my area, we would NOT assume NYC. I would assume that you were talking about the counties in NY just outside the city (Westchester, Rockland etc). NYC to people from this part of the state is its own entity all together. Also, Westchester, Rockland, Bergen etc are NOT upstate NY. Not even a little. 

Also, black and white cookies are also an upstate NY thing (like Albany, Utica area). Had no idea that it was fairly obscure in the western part of the state until I moved here as a kid and never really saw them again. 

Westchester, Rockland, Bergen are upstate if you are from Long Island. We have cousins in Westchester and we are always calling them "the cousins from upstate" ... it really depends who you ask and where you live. No one from Rochester is going to call Albany upstate but someone from Long Island would.

That’s just plain silly though. 

lovesclimbing

OwningAHome1981 said:

cupcait927 said:

I'm from Western NY and I can definitively say that if you referenced southern NY to anyone from my area, we would NOT assume NYC. I would assume that you were talking about the counties in NY just outside the city (Westchester, Rockland etc). NYC to people from this part of the state is its own entity all together. Also, Westchester, Rockland, Bergen etc are NOT upstate NY. Not even a little. 

Also, black and white cookies are also an upstate NY thing (like Albany, Utica area). Had no idea that it was fairly obscure in the western part of the state until I moved here as a kid and never really saw them again. 

Westchester, Rockland, Bergen are upstate if you are from Long Island. We have cousins in Westchester and we are always calling them "the cousins from upstate" ... it really depends who you ask and where you live. No one from Rochester is going to call Albany upstate but someone from Long Island would.

This makes me laugh because how you refer to things defiantly varies by where you are. Here in Alaska, we frequently will talk about someone being from "down south" or bringing a vehicle up from "down south" or visiting relatives who live "down south" with "down south" literally being the entire rest of the US! I don't think people in Washington or Michigan consider themselves in the south, but we kind of do!

To be clear, we don't really think of people from anywhere in the US as being southerners in the culture/location context. There's definitely a difference in saying "down south" vs "southerners." 

climbingsingle

OwningAHome1981 said:

cupcait927 said:

I'm from Western NY and I can definitively say that if you referenced southern NY to anyone from my area, we would NOT assume NYC. I would assume that you were talking about the counties in NY just outside the city (Westchester, Rockland etc). NYC to people from this part of the state is its own entity all together. Also, Westchester, Rockland, Bergen etc are NOT upstate NY. Not even a little. 

Also, black and white cookies are also an upstate NY thing (like Albany, Utica area). Had no idea that it was fairly obscure in the western part of the state until I moved here as a kid and never really saw them again. 

Westchester, Rockland, Bergen are upstate if you are from Long Island. We have cousins in Westchester and we are always calling them "the cousins from upstate" ... it really depends who you ask and where you live. No one from Rochester is going to call Albany upstate but someone from Long Island would.

And yet, I live in Rockland and can be in Manhattan faster than most people on Long Island. We're not upstate. I live 20 miles from the GW Bridge. 

ei34

OwningAHome1981 said:

cupcait927 said:

I'm from Western NY and I can definitively say that if you referenced southern NY to anyone from my area, we would NOT assume NYC. I would assume that you were talking about the counties in NY just outside the city (Westchester, Rockland etc). NYC to people from this part of the state is its own entity all together. Also, Westchester, Rockland, Bergen etc are NOT upstate NY. Not even a little. 

Also, black and white cookies are also an upstate NY thing (like Albany, Utica area). Had no idea that it was fairly obscure in the western part of the state until I moved here as a kid and never really saw them again. 

Westchester, Rockland, Bergen are upstate if you are from Long Island. We have cousins in Westchester and we are always calling them "the cousins from upstate" ... it really depends who you ask and where you live. No one from Rochester is going to call Albany upstate but someone from Long Island would.

Color me confused.  Albany isn’t considered upstate?!  I’m on the Queens/LI border and I don’t consider Westchester, etc. upstate, but Albany I do.  Someone from upstate want to explain what counties are actually upstate? 

Vague borders aside I stand by my original point that a NYC subway map wouldn’t be a silly thing to include in a welcome bag for a local-ish wedding.