How to Create the Ultimate Welcome Box (or Bag)
What’s the latest wedding trend that has turned into a must-have? Welcome boxes (or bags or baskets) to greet your guests who have traveled near and far to help celebrate your big day. It’s a nice gesture that your guests will truly appreciate and another way to add a personal touch to your wedding. But putting together an impressive welcome gift is no easy task. Take a look at my tips for creating the ultimate welcome box while sticking to a budget and making sure that guests actually receive them.
1. Pick a Theme
A welcome gift is one of the first things guests are going to associate with your wedding so it’s important that it’s consistent with your overall theme or vision. I wanted to include a few NYC themed touches to our day and thought our welcome box was the perfect place to do that. I incorporated iconic New York treats, but packaged everything in an elegant white box with silver ribbon, which was reflective of the overall feel for our day. Even if you don’t want your box to have a very specific theme make sure it goes with your wedding day design elements and make it personal to reflect your overall style as a couple.
2. Buy in Bulk
Something to sip, sweet and salty snacks, and a few of your favorite things may be necessities for your welcome box. Whatever you decide, you’re going to have to buy a lot of each especially for a destination wedding or if your guest list consists of many out-of-towners. So buying in bulk will help you stick to your budget. I found a significant price difference between prepackaged and bulk snacks. I bought large quantities of my sweet and salty picks from nuts.com and bagged them myself. I was also able to add a personal touch with a sticker on each bag. Although a little more time consuming, doing it this way saved money and looked so much nicer. A win win for me. GoGoPack is a great wholesale site for inexpensive but high quality boxes, bags, ribbon and other types of decorative items. This is where I purchased all the packaging needed to make my boxes and the cost was significantly less than what it would have been from other retailers. With a little bit of research it’s definitely possible to create your ideal welcome gift while sticking to a budget.
3. Add a Note
Adding a note to your welcome box is a must. Chances are you won’t be able to talk to all of your guests on your wedding day so this is a perfect way to greet and thank them for celebrating with you. It’s also a great way to include any important information like a timeline of events and transportation details. Being informed lets guests be worry free and have a much more enjoyable, relaxed experience. Etsy is a great place to find different card options that can be tailored to your specific theme or you can even match the design of the card to your invitations to have a consistent look.
4. Make Friends With Hotel Staff
After putting so much time and energy into making the welcome boxes, my biggest concern was that not all the guests staying at hotels would actually receive them. With multiple room blocks and staff changing frequently, it’s not uncommon for boxes to go missing or guests to be left out. So making sure that everyone would receive a box upon check in became my top priority. I labeled each box with the block name and reached out to my hotel contacts directly. Everyone I worked with was very helpful and marked each reservation with a notation to give out the box upon check in. I also made copies of each hotel list, which were given to the staff upon initial delivery of the boxes. Aside from a 3am check-in and a small handful of guests who booked outside the block, all other guests received their boxes. So be sure to establish a good working relationship with your hotel contacts as they will ease your nerves and make sure all gifts are successfully delivered.