“WELCOME Y’ALL!”

Is what you’ll announce to each out of town guest as they enter their hotel room, thrilled to see you and your groom standing there, with open arms waiting for an embrace, balloons and glasses of champagne – right?

HELL NAH.

I mean of course you wish you could do that for the NYC-transplant-groom’s BFF and Canadian cousins, but as the bride (in the days leading up to your nuptials) you’ll be trying to juggle last minute RSVPs, seating arrangements, vendor gratuities and realizing just how many glasses of Rosé is necessary to make it through wedding planning – ain’t nobody got time for dat! You don’t have to throw a warm welcome completely out the window though – greet your guests *in spirit* by adorning their hotel rooms with

WELCOME BAGS

THE BAG

Welcome bags are a great way to equip your guests with everything they may need. Start with the bag itself – order personalized totes (like these cuties) or choose a budget friendly customized paper option shown above.

THE NOTE

Greet your guests with a short, sweet personalized note that lets them know you’re ecstatic to have them present for your big day.

THE ITINERARY

Don’t you hate attending a wedding and not knowing what to do with yourself leading up to the main event? Include a detailed itinerary for the wedding, a few activity ideas or local hot spots to check out while they’re in town and a “contact” card featuring the address/phone numbers of the maid of honor and ceremony/reception sites. Trust me – you aren’t gonna want to explain parking instructions to Uncle Steven mid-makeup session.

THE PRE-FAVOR FAVOR

I love the idea of including an extra little helpful something for the friends and fam who have spent big $$$ on traveling to your wedding – even if it’s a cheap pair of customized sunglasses or a stick of lip balm (I’ve received both of these and I honestly wear the shades more often than my ray-bans!) Whether it’s on the long drive home or simply shading the piercing sun from a painful hangover, your guests will appreciate these babies!

THE PARTY STARTER

Mini champagne bottles, a travel size Jack Daniels + a can of coke, or a bloody mary kit as seen above – whatever the style, guests will obsess over these tiny refreshments (especially after looking at the prices in the mini fridge!)

THE SNACK STASH

Going along with the drinks, pack some snacks that will be greatly appreciated! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve ventured off in search of a vending machine pre-ceremony or after a few too many glasses of Moscato. Granola bars, candy bars, trail mix – or my favorite, the groom’s favorite snack and the bride’s favorite snack! Bonus points if you balance a nice mix of salty & sweet.

THE EXTRAS

A little less cute, but a lot more necessary: the wet wipes, the pepto, the bandaids, the allergy pills, the mints & the stain removing pen! These little lifesavers will definitely come in handy, if not at your wedding then unexpectedly down the road – and your guests will go “omg that sweet bride was just so presh & thoughtful” and you’ll get a really good Christmas gift in return. *winks & shoots finger pistols at you*

THE DO-NOT-DISTURB SIGN

This is more of an optional filler, but also a preppy, personalized way to let the hotel staff know that your guests are going to need a few extra hours of sleep (after a whole lot of dancing!)

THE RECOVERY KIT

LOVE THESE! Attach Advil capsules and vitamin B to water bottles in an attempt to avoid hangovers and a bunch of cranky guests sluggishly moving through the next morning brunch buffet. No headaches, no heaving – what could be more thoughtful than that?

. . .

WELCOME YOUR GUESTS WITH OPEN ARMS BAGS & EQUIP THEM WITH EVERYTHING THEY NEED TO FULLY ENJOY THE BIG DAY!

(IMAGES: LISA POGGI PHOTOGRAPHY, JESSICA LORREN PHOTOGRAPHY, ASSORTED PINTEREST SOURCES)