How do you create the perfect indian wedding welcome bag? Anyone can whip up a welcome bag, but certain ingredients make the bags stand out from the crowd.
Welcome bags (or boxes) are perfect for your out-of-town guests. Pick some of these items or pick them all – it’s up to you!
Indian Wedding Welcome Bag Contents
Wedding Weekend Itinerary / Schedule of Events: Include this info in your Itinerary so your guests are in the know.
- Welcome Note / Thank You Message: You want to welcome your guests [to the most exciting wedding they will ever experience]. A.K.A your wedding. Include a short and sweet message.
- Timeline of events: Wedding guests want to be in the know – recap the breakdown of events, and when they need to be where.
- Key contacts for the weekend: Add in one or two people guests can contact if they have any questions about the weekend.
- Social media hashtag or app to tag photos: If you’re using a wedding app, here’s a great place to add in the hashtag or URL.
- What to do between events / Map of the area: Indian wedding weekends usually consist of some downtime in between. Give your guests some ideas of what to do and where to go in their downtime. It’s especially helpful when you’re having a wedding in a city like Chicago, Atlanta, or LA and there’s a ton to do.
Where to get an itinerary printed:
- Zazzle
- Beau Coup
- Minted
Snacks: Opt for pre-packaged single size chips and granola bars from wholesale stores like Costco or Sam’s Club.
Indian Goodies: Don’t forget some Indian goodies (if you so desire) – throw in some naasta or some homemade Indian cookies.
Customized Snacks: If pre-made snacks aren’t cutting it for you, put together a customized trail mix with bulk nuts and dried fruit using ingredients from wholesale stores.
Water bottles: Water is an important add-in to your Indian wedding welcome bag. Print out customized labels at Zazzle or create them yourself.
Hangover Recovery Kit: Advil, Altoids, Pepto Bismol, etc. These kits can be purchased pre-packaged on Amazon.
Mints / Candies: Mini-candy in your wedding colors make for a sweet touch. Check for candy from bulk candy store or online. If you’re feeling traditional, opt for “mini” versions of everyday favorites like Twix, Kit-kat or Snickers.
Edible Unique Goodies: Something unique could be your favorite, a hometown favorite or something fun related to your wedding destination. Here are some examples:
- Chicago: Chicago Style popcorn
- Ohio: Buckeyes
- New York: Black and White cookies
- Beach Wedding or Cali: Plastic sunglasses (for the Baraat / groom’s procession)
If you want to include something sweet, keep it simple and classy with a french macaron or some cookies.
Favors: If you want to add in a favor, the Indian wedding welcome bag is a good place to add in something fun like a luggage tag, wine opener, or the like.
Check out Pier 1 Imports, MyWeddingFavors, Little Things Favors and Beau Coup more ideas.
Packaging
- Welcome bag or welcome box: Opt for a color that’s one of your wedding colors or simply pick something neutral like paper bag brown Check out some ideas here at Bags & Bows. LOVE this site!
- Reusable bag: Customize the reusable bag with your names and wedding date that’s a favor in itself for your guests.
- Don’t forget custom logos on stickers to package your gifts. An awesome added touch.
Where to Buy Packaging: Amazon
- Organza Bags
- Small Zippable Plastic Bags
Welcome Bag Assembly:
Now you have all of the contents, it’s time to put your welcome packages together. Welcome bag assembly is a great activity to outsource to a few family and friends who want to help.
- Use a big area to spread out the welcome bag or welcome box
- Create a sample bag to show your helpers what to put in the bag
- Have each person be responsible for distributing ONE item into each bag
- Add in a piece of tissue before finishing up the welcome bag – it’ll look like a gift, and guests will feel like they’re getting a gift package
Welcome-Bag Delivery:
- Coordinate with the hotel manager beforehand to make sure they’re good with distributing the bags. Some higher end hotels might charge for distributing the bags.
- Specify to the hotel staff how many welcome bags should be distributed per room or per person. Have the staff hand the welcome bags to guests upon check-in or have the bags placed in guest rooms ahead of time.
- Get help from family or friends to transport the welcome bags to the hotel during the week before your wedding weekend.
- For destination weddings or weddings not in your hometown, take supplies and assemble welcome bags upon arrival at your destination.
And that’s a perfect Indian wedding welcome bag!
As I mentioned before, this is one of the best tasks to outsource to family and friends.
Happy Planning,
Satya
For more ideas, visit our resources page.