46 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, or, 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 in your welcome amenities? 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, and 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.

Sticking to a color palette or a particular pattern on your packaging keeps a welcome box cohesive. Teak & Twine filled sturdy boxes filled 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.

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.

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.

When your guests are glamping for your wedding weekend, it's important to give them the essentials. These jute tote bags were filled with robes embroidered with each person's initials, a towel, flip flops, a sleep mask, camping necessities, and water. A welcome booklet with the history of the couple's relationship and a map of the grounds (and the stars overhead) were also included.

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.

Copper 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.

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).

In an effort to make their welcome bags more timeless, this couple chose a location-specific design. Totes from the Detail Department featured a Colorado mountain scene, and included items like koozies with moose on them.

Take a cue from notable events that occur in the area. In this instance, it was Mardi Gras. Colorful donuts, beaded necklaces, masks, shot glasses, and more filled these celebratory welcome packages for guests at a New Orleans event.   

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 themey 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.