49 Welcome Bags from Real Weddings

There's no better way to welcome your guests to a wedding day—or wedding weekend—than by putting together your very own welcome bag, welcome box, or welcome basket. Especially fitting for destination celebrations where you know that many of the guests have traveled from far and wide, a small gift with a few hand-picked surprises is just the thing to make every attendee feel like a special part of the big day.

Not sure what to include as part of your welcome gift? The options are nearly endless—and so are the containers. Start out by brainstorming favorite snacks, sweets, or sips, like bottled water with your own monogram or wedding logo on the label, a beloved chocolate bar or local treat, or even miniature bottles of bubbly to really get the festivities started.

From there, you can move on to travel-friendly additions for guests who many not be as familiar with your wedding destination, like personalized maps with all of your go-to spots clearly marked. Don't forget to include the ceremony and reception locations, as well as any shuttle or transportation information, too! You may also consider adding a post-party recovery kit. Think Advil, eye masks, or do-not-disturb signs that match your wedding stationery for a fun and playful touch. Wrap everything up in a stylish (and preferably reusable!) vessel and drop in a note thanking your celebrants for coming. Handwritten cards aren't mandatory, but they're certainly appreciated.

Click through these ideas for even more inspiration. We've compiled a list of creative welcome goodies, starting with this one. Lauryn Prattes Events curated these white flip-top boxes for a modern wedding. The boxed water, custom cookies, cheese straws, and coffee beans ensured guests would have plenty to drink, and a recovery kit in a muslin bag with the couple's wax seal meant guests would be covered no matter what was ailing them over the weekend. As an added bonus, the boxes folded up for easy transport home and could be used again after the wedding.

Prior to their wedding, this couple hand-wrote thank-you cards for their guests, then wrapped them in lace and placed them inside the welcome bags, which also featured drinks and local goodies. 

This thoughtful bride and groom gave guests a welcome bag from A Signature Welcome, which included a some of their favorite things: candies from Cabot's Candy, handmade organic soap, a bundle of palo santo wood and crystals, and mini carpets handmade and personalized with their names and wedding date from Azerbaijan. 

This couple greeted guests staying at their Fairmont Grand Del Mar venue with gift boxes—which included cookies, olive oil, and other treats.

Looking for a great way to welcome guests to your destination local? Make like this couple, who compiled gift bags with local staples—including snacks from The Billy Goat Chip Company and Gooey Louie butter cake, in St. Louis. 

Pick a theme and go for it. At this wedding, guests were given baskets filled with French-inspired goodies. A Signature Welcome added a baguette and rose-petal confit, a bundle of lavender, and chocolates.

Have your gifts take a cue from the setting, like these beach-inspired welcome boxes did. Marigold & Grey filled seagrass baskets with little parcels sealed with twine and wax seals to match the couple's invitations. Snacks were kept location appropriate with plantain chips and dried mango. Sunscreen and sunglasses (there were five styles in total) were tucked in to make sure guests had it made in the shade. And a Turkish towel was folded on top as the finishing touch.

The couple opted for signature Baltimore treats, including UTZ potato chips and Berger cookies. Meanwhile, the welcome tote featured their custom logo—a theme exemplified throughout the soirée. 

Custom beanies and a weekend itinerary were just some of the creative contents of this couple's welcome bags. 

If you're having a small wedding, it's easier to go the extra mile to personalize your welcome goodies. At this intimate destination wedding, attendees were greeted with a pail of edible, local goodies, postcards, and a guide to the area. The sweetest touch was the calligraphed tag welcoming each guest by name.

Weaving a common thread through the contents of your welcome bag will make them feel highly curated. At this wedding, widely-woven baskets were stocked with lemon and honey-themed snacks at this Savannah soiree. A Signature Welcome finished off each parcel with raw silk ribbon in a muted shade of green.

Baskets lined with a patterned cloth were loaded with autumnal treats like fresh apples, dried fruit and nuts, black cherry soda, and a bottle of rosé, showing that you can be a little seasonal but still have cool style.

Sticking to a color palette or a particular pattern on your packaging keeps a welcome box cohesive. Teak & Twine filled sturdy boxes with treats like mini bottles of bubbly, soap, candy, and a chocolate bar and used various elements from the Cheree Berry Paper stationery suite for the wrapping.

Getting married in another country? Celebrate the local language by printing a welcoming message on the tote bags you give each of your guests. At this wedding in Tulum, Mexico, the couple handed out teal-colored totes with local beer, a bottle opener, handmade guides to the area, and "in sickness and in health" bags that included Pepto, Band-Aids, ibuprofen, gum, sunscreen, and bug-repelling bracelets.

Everything inside these metal welcome baskets was gold or white, and most items were locally-sourced. Gold water bottles helped keep guests hydrated over the weekend, while treats like kettle corn, a candle that smells like the nearby forest, and a small bottle of liquor with a recipe card had everyone feeling right at home. Shredded wood kept the contents from falling out.

Go the regional route and stuff your welcome boxes with local staples. Here, Marigold & Grey filled round boxes with monogrammed snacks, gourmet cashews, and honey to show guests some southern hospitality ahead of this Georgia wedding. The color palette of the packaging and ribbons tied in to the welcome dinner, where the couple presented the welcome amenities to each guest.

Brand your bags, but do it in a way that's not just your names and the wedding date, as guests are more likely to reuse something if it's a general design. This couple adorned their welcome totes with a colorful watercolor motif that complemented their stationery suite by Julie Song Ink. Along with snacks and water, an itinerary helped guests settle in.

At this Greek-inspired wedding, a bottle of olive oil was just one of the many components guests found inside their wooden gift box. Lauryn Prattes Events tapped Marigold & Grey to flush out what was included: a Greek walnut loaf, artisanal chocolates, sparkling water, and a few olive branches.

Remember that not everything you include has to be store-bought. This bride pulled together some of her favorite items to share with her loved ones—including loaf cakes made by her sister. The goodies were tucked into a lined wire basket.

Gather local beverages, snacks, a bottle opener and coasters, and a playlist and you're giving your guests an instant party to kick off the wedding weekend.

These Marigold & Grey welcome boxes were made with a "Mad Men meets West Elm" theme, and the result was so cool. Cookies with the couple's two German shepherds' likenesses took center stage, while a bag of local coffee, boxed water, and bison jerky rounded things out. Blue crinkle cut kept the contents from sliding around or sinking to the bottom of each box.

Artwork can really make a bag feel special. A pelican illustration by Dear Elouise graced the cover of this welcome booklet, which was tucked inside a jute bag curated by A Signature Welcome. A bottle of red wine and a petite bar of chocolate were also included.

Why not welcome guys with a combination of bourbon, cigars, nuts, and cookies in a flip-top basket that can easily be repurposed post-wedding? We love this one by Marigold & Grey.

It's nice to channel the season, particularly if you're getting married in fall. At this wedding, dark baskets adorned with silk ribbon (and a tag thanking guests for coming!) were filled by Lauryn Prattes Events with seasonal staples. Boxes from Ikea were stuffed with local apple cider in a small growler calligraphed by Laura Hooper Calligraphy. For those that wanted to spike their drink, a mini bottle of whisky was provided, as was pumpkin-spice popcorn and a snickerdoodle cookie. Rounding out the gifts were hammered brass apple and pear-shaped candles and a tea towel that read "thankful."

This couple had their names written in white on wooden welcome boxes, which contained presents like a mini bottle of tequila, lime candy, and peanut butter cups. Checking in to a hotel room with a box like this waiting for you would be such a treat.

For this outdoor wedding, guests received boxes put together by A Signature Welcome, which included Champagne, water, and canisters of snacks. The snacks highlighted the duo's favorites: cheese puffs for him, caramel popcorn for her, and chocolate chip cookies for both. It's just one more way to show off your personalities (and your preferences).

The pair repeated the same floral motif on their welcome bag throughout their wedding, tying the knot, and every aspect of their wedding weekend, together. 

The couple had an intimate wedding, and chose a weekend itinerary by Marti Harris Designs with illustrations of each event's location instead of traditional wedding invitations. Also in the welcome bag: customized cheese knives, chocolates, and drinks. 

Give guests something they'll want to use once they're back home. These blue bags are sure to be used again—they're casual-chic and a great size. The couple filled them with some of their favorite things, including Live Love Pop truffle popcorn Tate's cookies, Moscow Mule ingredients, and Miraval rosé. There was also a Colorbox Letterpress map of their wedding's location.

Picnic baskets are creative alternatives to the typical box or tote. This one was planned by Tory Smith and was adorned with a pretty pink bow.

Cardboard boxes can be customized so they fit the style of your wedding. Attendees at this wedding received boxes covered in a red-and-pink rose pattern, which were filled with truffles, chips, and more.

The groom built these beautiful boxes, which included olive oil, walnuts, fresh muscari, a do-no-disturb sign, gummy bears, and a reusable tote bag. Don't know a skilled carpenter? You can buy ready-made options, or just consider the idea of using a statement quote somewhere on the packaging, whatever you choose.

These welcome bags put a focus on purple—there were Turkish towels, tags, and more in the shade. The bag itself was printed with a quote from an e.e. cummings poem, which was later read during the ceremony. 

Go a little thematic and guests will get into the spirit. These bags were themed "Bienvenido to Miami," and were packed with Guayabera shirt-shaped cookies, Cuban coffee, plantain chips, Advil, and mosquito repellent. 

When combined, favorite foods, local additions, and personal notes can really pack a punch. For this November celebration at a farm, guests were given the venue's cookbook, a schedule of events, and treats from the area and the bride and groom's home states. A Signature Welcome curated the bags, and the couple provided the handwritten notes. 

The couple put together welcome bags for each guest, choosing a canvas tote printed with their custom monogram and filling it with chocolates, personalized cups, favorite snacks and drinks, and cookies decorated with two images: the wedding venue and the couple's dog, Finn. 

Wire baskets like this one are something guests can use to decorate their home with post-wedding. This couple put awesome gifts like potted cactuses in theirs.  

Now this is a welcome box we'd love to receive! The gray-washed wood is just so handsome. The couple included black-and-white cookies, vegan treats, and peanuts alongside items like Irish whiskey, Champagne, and boxed water, plus a small map of the area surrounding their wedding location.

Think about how you'll entertain your guests when they're not attending the events over your wedding weekend. At this wedding received welcome baskets by A Signature Welcome, which were packed full of local snacks and sweets, but also a voucher for a boat ride on the nearby river.

These welcome baskets came ready to celebrate. The couple included kettle corn, Russell Stover candy, two bottles of sparkling rosé, and a post-wedding recovery kit that included items like ibuprofen and eyedrops.

What better way to greet your guests than to have a personalized welcome bag all ready and waiting for them at the hotel? These monogrammed totes were packed with a mixture of local and imported treats and weekend essentials, like a welcome pamphlet with details on nearby attractions, plus chocolate bars and bottled water.

It's always a good idea to include a welcome bag when the agenda involves an international destination. For their Italian wedding day, this couple packed linen bags with tasty local treats like amaretti cookies and sparkling Italian beverages and made sure that their packaging and details (created by Tarah Catalano) coordinated with their wedding's other paper goods, too.

Think about the material of the bag you're giving. This bride and groom gifted each of their wedding guests a burlap tote for their wedding on a ranch. Then think about how you can make it your own. This one was customized with their "brand" (designed by the groom as a twist on a rancher's brand) stenciled on the front and stuffed with goodies for the four-day stay.

Get colorful and be bold. Guests in town for this couple's California nuptials received mini Baggu totes, which were imprinted with calligraphy and filled with SoCal essentials: a beach towel, sunnies, and treats.

This couple thought that the best way to welcome guests to Guatemala was to gift them items local to the area: salted plantain chips, coffee, and a booklet with a map and guide to the fun-filled five-day celebration. A striped luggage tag, made by a local women's cooperative using native textiles, doubled as a gift tag and wedding favor. Celebrating the setting of your destination wedding, either with local items or a luggage-tag (or both) highlight why you chose to wed where you did and make the trip all the more special for loved ones.

Who says welcome bags have to be given out before the wedding? It's all about making your guests feel welcomed, not necessarily upon arrival. In lieu of receiving welcome bags on arrival in South Carolina, guests woke up to a delivery of warm biscuits on this couple's wedding day.

Set out goodies on a clear tray and they'll feel right at home. Guests of this couple were welcomed with in-hotel acrylic trays stocked with custom postcards, cheeky do-not-disturb signs, a journal, and wine from Banshee, a friend's vineyard.

Showcase your roots. This groom was British, so welcome bags with English breakfast tea, a Harrods teddy bear, and locally-made pastries and granola drove home the Brit-and-Yank theme of the wedding.

Fill an open basket with food, fun, and information and your guests will love you. This couple gave guests welcome baskets that held water, apples, illustrated maps of area attractions, honey-bear bottles filled with trail snacks, and decks of cards.