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Snarky Brides
knottie427651579bf337db
member
Wedding favors and welcome gifts?
Am I the only one that thinks favors and welcome gifts are stupid? And of course I mean this in general. I just feel like (in my case) the open bar and food are enough of a thank you for coming. No one should care whether or not I have playing cards with our date on them.
I work at a hotel and having to give out gift bags when people check in is so fucking awful. Running to the back to grab a bag of pretzels and water when I have a line at the desk makes my job that much harder. And sales just promises anything and everything without actually thinking about how it impacts our job as the people who run the show out front.
I work at a hotel and having to give out gift bags when people check in is so fucking awful. Running to the back to grab a bag of pretzels and water when I have a line at the desk makes my job that much harder. And sales just promises anything and everything without actually thinking about how it impacts our job as the people who run the show out front.
Re: Wedding favors and welcome gifts?
Favors - meh. I didn't do them. I can't say I really miss them when at a wedding.
Favors, eh. I like an edible favor but I've never saved any of the personalized crap I've ever received.
Edit: my hotel actually does have FREE water in the rooms and fruit infused water in the lobby as well. Also plenty of times sales has forgotten to tell us there were even bags to hand out so we have to answer for their mistake to the angry wedding party.
I can get annoyed when I'm asked for 25 quotes in one day, but that's my job. Sometimes they'll take a little longer to produce because I'm busy. Nature of the beast. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
But as a guest, especially when I’m traveling to a wedding, I love the gift bags. Snacks+water (or better yet mini bottles of booze) are always welcome in my book. I did them for my wedding and had snacks/water, gum/mints, and a list of area attractions. Guests said they really appreciated them.
As a guest, I do like the welcome bags. It's probably the one thing I wish we would have done differently for our wedding. It's really nice to have those snacks already there when you've just driven in or when you get back from the wedding in a city you're unfamiliar with. They're not necessary, but it's a thoughtful thing to offer for guests. I also don't get annoyed when hotel check-in (or any customer service situation, really) takes longer than expected if I can see that the staff are busy. If it's taking longer because you're not paying attention to customers, I'll get way more upset than taking longer because you're actually helping people.
Favors I could take or leave. They're nice (especially food favors!) but we've been to weddings without favors recently and I haven't missed them.
I run a department. I encounter things all day long that are annoying and frustrating and cause me stress. But I deal, because that’s my job.
I think having names on gift bags help keep track of who received one and who didn't. At least, the hotel could keep those alphabetized by last name to make it easier on the reception folks.
Welcome bags and wedding favors are both nice, but neither is necessary. I'm with the other PPs. I'd find a "surprise" welcome bag at my check-in fantastic.
I realize it's an annoyance at your job that you don't care for. I can understand that. But there is also nothing wrong with a bride/groom wanting to provide helpful items/info to guests who have taken the time and money to travel for their event.
On the days when it is more stressful and getting you down, think of it as job security
. Perpetually empty/half-filled hotels either close or don't need as much staff.
**If this post ends up showing up long after this becomes a zombie thread, it’s because I have literally been in "waiting for approval purgatory" for multiple days now. Although it took some doing, I think I have sent a PM to @KnotHolly. Her profile says she was "active" on August 17, but apparently that is a relative term these days.......
We thought about welcome bags, but because our guests were scattered at AirBnbs, hotels, and private guesthouses all over a wide area, we decided they weren't really feasible.
To be honest, if giving out gift bags is your biggest problem with your job, then you have a great job as compared to, say, someone in a combat role in the armed forces, a cop, a surgeon, a paramedic, a nurse, a firefighter, or even a cook, dishwasher, housekeeper, janitor or window washer, to think of a few occupations where the work gets demanding and messy.
Favors are not required at all.
Edited to add: My apologies for all the deleted duplicate posts that follow this one. For several days the forum would not show my posts because I "needed approval." Then it posted a lot of duplicates of this post.
Favors I can do without- a candle, picture frame, etc. with the couple’s names and wedding date get donated promptly. I do love an edible treat and those measuring spoons that I get at a lot of showers are awesome since I can’t have enough measuring spoons. Id take the hotel gift bag over the favor but neither are required.