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Welcome Bags

aubreynsaubreyns member
10 Comments
in DC
My fiance' and I met in DC and now live in DC so the wedding is here, but about 80% of our guests are coming from out of town.  I would really like to not do welcome bags but I am afraid people will be offended.  Some people have suggested just doing a little flyer with DC information such as relevant phone numbers, nearby restaurants, metro maps, etc.  I love that idea but is it enough?  One friend told me that every wedding she's gone to has had welcome backs.   Can I get away with skipping them?Thanks for the help!
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Re: Welcome Bags

  • guacamollyguacamolly member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I think you could get away with skipping them - but a nice brochure type thing would be fairly easy to do, and inexpensive to print.You could pair it with a DC metro map (if it's relevent) and tie it with a ribbon? I don't think you need to do anything fancy and expensive, but a little something with a phone number and some restaurant ideas and a timeline of when and where things start is always appreciated.
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  • sylvestesylveste
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I have never received a welcome bag and I am always an OOT guest.  Honestly, no one is going to notice and if they do, poo on them for missing the spirit of the event.
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  • guacamollyguacamolly member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Oh and as a follow-up, I went to two weddings this summer - one gave a nice little welcome bag with snacks and such (which was GREATLY appreciated!) and the other we got a photocopied "flyer" folded in thirds (black and white - seemed very last minute).I'd go with something somewhere in the middle, or nothing at all.
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  • OFFOFF
    1000 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I've never gotten a welcome bag. I personally don't see the big deal. My thinking is I've never gone somewhere without deordorant or toothpaste. And who goes on vacation without doing a little research first? I'm personally not doing any, I don't have the time or money for them and they seem like a waste. If you want to do something I would go with a nice HELPFUL map of DC (something in color w/ pics) and a map of the Metro. Include a list of popular attractions and restaurants in the area. But I definitely wouldn't go all out.
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  • CostenbaderCostenbader member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    A couple of years ago I went to wedding and got a welcome bag.  All I remember is that it contained a bottle of water, which I was grateful for after the wedding!  I knew then I that I would do the same.  I spent very little money on welcome bags - I went to Costco for bottled water (a case of 35 bottles was $3 and change), I got some pre-packaged snacks there for really cheap.  I took a bunch of metro maps from Metro Center one day.   I compiled a list of restaurants in the area and some things to do for the weekend folks are in town. The restuarant list and to do took me some time, but didn't cost much to produce. I bought the bags from some place on line for dirt cheap and some tissue paper.  I don't think anyone would comment on you not having them; but if you wanted to do something in expensive (I'm talking $1 per bag for the whole thing), but not cheap looking, it's totally doable.
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  • rhonda_k777rhonda_k777
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I didn't do welcome bags but what I did do instead is that at the end of the wedding, I had someone put out small bags of chips and bottled water so that guests could grab a snack to bring back with them.  It was a lot easier and I could get something to everyone versus only those that were staying in my room block.  The majority of our guests were out of towners too.
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  • tracy_ktracy_k member
    Seventh Anniversary 500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    You can absolutely skip them. I just had this discussion with a big group of friends at a baby shower, and fully half the group had never gotten a welcome bag at a wedding.While they are certainly appreciated, they are not necessary, nor should any reasonable person be offended by not having one. If you make a wedding website you can add a page there with resources for out of town guests... hardly anyone travels without being web-accessible in some form (phone or laptop) these days.I categorically refuse to do them, LOL (though I may provide a printed schedule, particularly if we have a shuttle from the hotel to the venue). I just don't need anything else making me crazy, and all of my friends/family are grown adults with internet access who are fully capable of hydrating & feeding themselves, finding their way around, and asking the hotel concierge for directions and/or restaurant recommendations.
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  • heyxuheyxu
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I've been to two OOT weddings and never even heard of a welcome bag until I came on theknot.  We're not doing them since no one used our hotel block.  Honestly, most hotels already have little brochures at the lobby for things to do and most people are already prepared to buy snacks and such.I like pp's suggestion of having something at the end of the wedding to pass out.
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  • scoettoscoetto member
    Sixth Anniversary 2500 Comments Name Dropper 5 Love Its
    edited December 2011
    I love the idea of having something after the wedding for the guests to take with them. I may have to steal that idea. It's way better than a welcome bag, IMO. Great idea!
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  • vitamintvitamint
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I am not from DC but now I call it home. I too, met FI here. I don't think you have to do welcome bags- all hotels will have tons of DC maps and information already! The metro has maps and information, the internet has information.... My mom wants to do them but I don't. If we do they will include bottle of water and some treats. I say skip em :)
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  • cbm3228cbm3228 member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I guess I am on the other side of this debate.   We went to a wedding in South Carolina (drove 8+ hours each way over a weekend) and didn't have anything when we got there.  No water, no snacks, nothing.   I just think that if people are spending a lot of time and money to come to your wedding, the least you can do is go to to costco and get some chips and water to welcome them to your wedding weekend.  It cost me less than $100 and took a few hours to put together, which in the grand scheme of a wedding, is nothing.   I just think it's a thoughful gesture and i would say 90% of the weddings I have gone too (and had to stay/travel) had welcome bags.Just my opinion- it's totally up to you but I just think it sents a nice tone to your wedding that you are happy they are there.GL!
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  • sarajavadsarajavad
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I'm gonna have to agree with cbm on this one--I understand that everyone has budget concerns and I had to stick to a budget as well, but OOT bags are one of those nice touches that doesn't cost a lot of money at all and puts a smile on your guests faces.I did a small Costco run and spent less than $100, probably less than $75 on water, pretzels, cookies, gum and a few other little snacky items for about 30 OOT gable boxes that I bought on TK and then decorated with some leftover ribbon I had and a sticker of our monogram.I get that we're all spending a fortune on our big days, but in the grand scheme of all the things that wedding people convince us we need, $75-100 to make your guests feel welcome is not that big of a deal.  But that's just my opinion and if it doesn't fit in your budget, then don't do it, but it was one of those things I wanted to do for my guests so I fit it in my budget.
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  • tracy_ktracy_k member
    Seventh Anniversary 500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I feel I should clarify -- I'm not saying folks shouldn't do OOT bags, I totally get that they are a thoughtful gesture to guests, and very much appreciated. However, I don't think they should be considered mandatory, and I don't think anyone should feel guilty about not providing them. Like favors, they are a "nice to have," but certainly not a "must have." And I kind of resent the implication that if you're not doing gift bags, your guests won't feel welcome. 75-80% of what I'm spending on "my big day" is FOR my guests, so that they will feel welcomed, loved, and appreciated. I've never felt unwelcome at any wedding I've ever been to, whether they gave me a bottle of water & some chips or not.
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  • sarajavadsarajavad
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I don't think anyone is implying your guests won't feel welcome if you don't provide OOT bags, it's just one of those things that are nice to do.  And it probably depends on the circles you are in.  Most of the weddings I've been to have OOT bags, but it doesn't mean you HAVE to have them.  But in the grand scheme of spending thousands of dollars on a wedding, what's another $75-100--it's just an added touch, that's all. Obviously most of what we do in planning our weddings is for our guests, the majority of which is not mandatory.  You can argue the whole wedding planning process isn't mandatory.  All you need is a person to marry and someone who can legally do it.  For me, I wanted that added personal touch that would put a smile on my guests faces and nearly all of them said "those snacks saved me when I was starving after dancing all night long and partying into the wee hours of the morning."  That's the only point I was trying to make.  Anyone can do whatever they want, that's what I did.
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