Welcome Gifts

Plans seem to be finally starting to come together for my big day! About time right?! There has been much talk of a destination wedding but no previous steps taken to move forward with a decision! This is mainly due to my parents and their concern for guests and traveling.  Being a Minnesota girl marrying a boy from North Carolina, our wedding will be a destination for one of our friends and families either way!  So what's a girl to do?! I received some great advice that has helped me with the decision; "As a bride you cannot please everyone. The people that truly matter and care about you and your groom will make the effort to attend and show their support. No matter the cost or distance."  So after taking into account this wise advice, we have decided to go for our destination wedding outside of Nashville, Tennessee! Woo-hoo!

We all know asking friends and family to travel is a lot to ask! So I plan to make sure everyone that makes such effort knows how much we appreciate them by making "Welcome/Thank-you" gift bags for each guest. 

I also recommend this to any bride planning a destination wedding or with out of town guests.  I know it will require a small portion of the wedding budget but in the end it is truly worth it.  People that are willing to spend the money to travel deserve some special recognition!

The best part is that it is an easy DIY and can be adjusted accordingly to any budget!

Recommended Items:

• Gift bag, basket, box, or mini suitcase
• Welcome/Thank-you card
• Wedding weekend itinerary
• Map and local area information/recommendations
• Restaurant information
• Area activities
• Nearby facilities (Drug stores, Grocery and convenience, etc.)
• Water bottles
• Snacks

Depending on the location and theme of your wedding, get creative! If you're getting married on the beach include sunscreen, a beach towel, or flip flops. For a wine country wedding include a bottle of local wine. Maybe a movie credit for the hotel room and microwavable popcorn. If the bride and groom are from different places, highlight the coming together of these two states by including something like Minnesota wild rice and North Carolina BBQ sauce!

Optional items:

• Tolietrie Items
• Mints
• A game or activity
• Slippers/Robe
• Local coffee shop gift card

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