Welcome Gifts for Your Wedding Guests

Give arriving wedding guests hand-picked goodies that will satisfy midnight munchies, help steer their stay, and make your destination-wedding weekend all the more memorable.

Ah, if only you could personally welcome all your guests the second they land. The reality? That only happens on Fantasy Island. Instead, create a cache of thoughtfully curated items to help folks feel right at home in their hotel rooms. Keep in mind that the best gift bags blend the fun with the practical and encourage people to explore their surroundings. To make this easy, consider the following suggestions. We chose high-quality, nonperishable items that pack and ship well. When it comes time to make them, just enlist your bridesmaids and a bottle of wine, and let the assembly line begin!

Go for an inexpensive style; try a beach tote, a collapsible storage box, or a colorful paper bag. Clockwise, from left: Download our "away we go!" message, print it on Avery iron-on transfer paper, and iron it onto a Jones T-Shirts canvas tote. Land of Nod Knock Down storage box. Nashville Wraps bag PEHCW, shown with a tag.

Select fare unique to your locale. Consider items like Taza Chocolate Cinnamon Chocolate Mexicano; Knob Creek bourbon, liquor stores; Pommery "Pop" Champagne, Astor Wines; Hampton Popcorn Company popcorn; Melville Candy lollipops and TWG Tea, both Dean and Deluca); or Made in Colorado chocolates.

Charming local tokens become keepsakes from the trip -- all the better if they're useful too. A few ideas: Yellow Owl Workshop England postcard set; Nashville lapel pin, Music City Marketplace; Schylling stretchable lobster; Souvenirs of Paris mini Eiffel Tower; or Love pencil sharpener, Xenos Gift Shop.

Protect guests from sunburn (or help them forget their red-eye flight) with a few creature comforts that the hotel doesn't cover. Slip in one of the following: Muji foldable slippers or eye mask; Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Liquid Sunblock SPF 55, at drugstores; Boscia Blotting Linens, Sephora; Lather Lip Protector with SPF 15; or Evian Mineral Water Spray To Go, Sephora.

Whimsical games and toys will entertain both the young and the young at heart. Some fun finds: The Night Sky rotating star finder, Amazon; Yellow Owl Workshop seashell stamps, Velocity and Design; Pressman Toy travel checkers and chess set, unclesgames.com; Century Novelty mini crabs; or Guillow's balsa gliders, Schylling.

Expose guests to the best your location has to offer with a map, book, or museum pass. Other suggestions: Make a scavenger hunt ("Identify the secret margarita ingredient at Sal's"), or create an itinerary they'd enjoy. Pack a City Walks: Amsterdam map cards, Chronicle Books; "123: San Francisco" children's book, Duo Press Books; "Speedy Spanish" phrase book or "Wallpaper* City Guide Vancouver," Phaidon.

Last, customize your items with our artwork and ideas by downloading our editable clip art. Create a favor sticker (Nashville Wraps coffee bags #300950M); a booklet that lists your favorite places to eat, drink, tour, play, shop, and unwind; a design for personalized playing cards (Bicycle playing cards); or a water-bottle label.

How to Make:
Personalized CD Stickers
Coffee-Bag Stickers
Favorite Places Booklet
Local-Food Stickers
Playing Cards
Rubber Stamps
Tissue Stickers