How Much Should We Expect to Spend on Wedding Welcome Bags?

Welcome bags, boxes, and gifts are a lovely way to welcome your guests to your wedding weekend, especially for guests who've traveled to attend. You might include a few local treats, something refreshing to drink, or even some little goodies to help with the inevitable post-wedding hangover. To avoid these costs adding up to an unexpectedly high amount, here's what you need to know about how much to spend on welcome bags.

Related: Yes, It's Possible to Make Amazing Welcome Bags on a Budget. Here's How

Emily Slater, co-founder of A Signature Welcome, a company that specializes in welcome bags and gifts for guests, says that there are many variables to consider which can cause pricing to vary greatly. As an example, she says, "Our gift pricing truly varies, depending on quantity, custom elements, packaging, contents, and delivery needs (we offer white-glove hand delivery in select areas vs. shipping)."

For a couple who'd prefer to make their own welcome gifts or bags, you can spend as little as $7 to $10 per bag and simply include a nice bottle of sparkling water, a couple of pieces of fresh fruit, a couple of cookies or muesli from a local bakery, a bag of salty pretzels or chips, and a welcome note. Of course, it's easy to spend significantly more once you consider adding a bottle of wine, local specialties, customization, and more. Before you even start considering what'll go in the bag, determine how much you're willing to spend and make your decisions with that goal in mind. When budgeting, don't forget that you can calculate one bag per couple.

If you're worried about going over budget or not sure what to budget for, focus on keeping things simple but meaningful. Slater says, "You don't have to have a million things inside a welcome gift to make an impression. A few well thought-out details like a great local-to-the-area snack, useful items (our trademarked Revelry Remedy amenity kits are a favorite) and something personal to the couple. For example, we recently included customized bookmarks inside the welcome gifts for a marriage between two English PhD candidates"

Trends change over long periods of time and Slater says that for the couples she works with, many are trending away from sending guests home with favors at the end of the wedding night. Instead she says, "We've helped a lot of our couples combine their welcome gifts and favors. For this, we'll select specific keepsake items to include inside the welcome gifts. This serves as the wedding favor and is more convenient and less likely to get left behind."

By the time you've researched, selected, ordered, unpackaged, repackaged, and delivered everything that goes into your welcome bags, you will have spent many hours on the overall process. "It always takes more time than you think it will," Slater says. "Our best advice is to outsource if you can. If you're DIYing your welcome gifts, make sure you enlist the help of your wedding party, friends, or family the week of the wedding. You don't want to be holed up in a hotel room assembling welcome gifts when your loved ones are arriving to your wedding destination!"