Travel Bags (The Beginning)

As I mentioned yesterday (when I was talking about my logistical nightmare), all our guests are going to be from out of town.

It's customary to have a wedding welcome bag for each family that travels in from out of town. With us having 150 to 200 guests, realistically, that's somewhere between 70 and 100 bags. That can get pricey.

So I'm planning already. At least, I'm trying.

So far, I have a small army of hair products. Not really enough to make a dent in what I need, but it's a start.

I have five TRESemme shampoos and conditioners (both 2oz) from when TRESemme was free at CVS in January. I have four John Frieda hair sprays because John Frieda hair products were free at Walmart. That's it. I have four full sets and one that would be full if I could assure that the bag was going to a single man. But I can't guarantee that.

In a way, it could be daunting to look at know that I only have four complete sets, but in a way, I'm happy to know I already have four complete sets. I'm being a glass half full kind of gal.

I already know that I'm going to put in books from the area and a map of downtown. I met a woman at a bridal expo who told me where I can get those -- and that they're completely free, even if I need 100 of each.

I was on A Bride On A Budget's Facebook page and I asked what people thought was ideal to put in travel bags for guests. You can read the full post here, but I wanted to highlight a few of my favorite ideas below.

Joy said: A wedding I just went to had a list of the best places to eat, best bars to hit up, local attractions & things to do & they were personalized for younger people, older people, families with kids ect.

Mallory said: A post card from the town your having it in. Punch a hole in the corner and attach it to the bags. We wrote a quick thank you on it. 

Linda added: My SIL had a mini Burt's Bees sampler, assortment of LUSH soaps and a special ornament ready for me when I visited her over the holidays. It was such a nice surprise and I can think of her every time I see the ornament. 

One of the biggest tips came from Amanda. She said: I work in a hotel and a lot of people drop off a box of bags with small packs of candies, map quest directions, bottled water, and a list of things to do in town along with the best places to eat. Don't forget to leave extra, we run out almost every time because someone usually just shows up that wasn't planned. Plus, the desk clerks like being remembered since handing those out aren't usually in our job description and it takes a lot of extra time and coordinating on our part. We don't mind it, but it is nice to know we are appreciated ... It never hurts to ask the staff if they will, all the ones I've worked at do it free of charge as a thank you for having your guests stay with us.

I've got a lot of stocking up to do, but I do have a lot of time. We're looking at next summer, so I've got a solid 15 months to coordinate these bags (and hope that some nice company happens to find this blog and wants to donate some items for the bags. Hey, wishful thinking never hurt anyone right?).

BRIDAL BABBLE: What would you fill bags for out of town guests with?

Want to see our finished wedding welcome bags?
Check out our final wedding welcome bags post.