Guest Post - Wedding Welcome Gifts

I am so happy to introduce you to Jamie, the gifted gal of custom gift packaging! I found Jamie on Instagram and immediately reached out to her! As a wedding and special event planner and designer it's important to me to offer our client's new and fresh designs and concepts. When it comes to those of our clients planning destination weddings, wedding welcome gifts are even more of a must-have. Jamie has some awesome tips to share with you today!

How to Create Wedding Welcome Gifts on a Budget
Marigold + Grey

I work with a lot of clients who have large budgets that allow for them to do custom welcome booklets to go inside the welcome gifts. However, I also work with clients on a tighter budget where we have to get creative. In these situations, a small insert card with a simple welcome message does the trick.Sure, we all wish budget didn’t play a role in planning a wedding. But of course, that isn’t reality. Today’s post is all about how to create wedding welcome gifts on a budget. It can be done! And yes, they’ll still be well-balanced, thoughtful, and will undoubtedly set the tone for an amazing wedding weekend.

Packaging

Opting for a custom tote bag or high-quality box or basket is a way to quickly use up your entire budget without even taking into consideration the contents that go inside. Instead, opt for simple packaging so you can allocate the majority of your budget to the gift contents. Sturdy kraft gift bags with handles, gable boxes, two-piece gifts boxes, and even small-sized jute totes are great budget-friendly options!

Image via  The Knot

Color Scheme

You may not have a huge budget but the gift can still look well put-together. Consider adding a splash of color, especially one from your wedding color palette. Guests will appreciate a little sneak peek of what color your bridesmaids are likely walking down the aisle in or a hint about what your bouquet may look like!

Mainstream Snacks

Instead of opting for ALL locally-sourced, artisan, small batch goodies for the gifts, go a little more mainstream with your choices and you’ll save some money. Sure, it isn’t QUITE as personal as choosing items that are made locally but in the end, your guests will still get their “something sweet” and “something salty” and will love you for it.

Personalized Items

Typically when I’m designing custom welcome gifts for my clients, they always want personalized items. This can still be done on a budget. They key here is not to go overboard. Rather than high-priced personalized totes, buy inexpensive water bottles and pay for a batch of customizable labels to wrap around the water bottles. Or, print your names and wedding date on the gift tag. Either way, stick to one portion of the gift rather than personalizing everything.

Hydrate

No matter what, there’s nothing worse than checking into your hotel as a guest and finding that bottled water isn’t included. This is why it’s crucial to provide your guests with water upon check-in. Standard bottled water is fine but if you want to up your game, consider sparkling water. Sure, the glass Pellegrino bottles can be pricey but Perrier now makes sparkling water in a smaller-sized can and the pricing is very reasonable.

Image via Style Me Pretty

At the end of the day, it’s the thought that counts. Decide on your budget and figure out a way to work within your budget. Don’t let the budget cause you to procrastinate. Or worse, cause you to cut the welcome gifts altogether. Treat the gifts like any other portion of the wedding planning. Decide what you want to spend and then get creative within those parameters. When your guests thank you for taking good care of them, you’ll be so glad you did!

Jamie Kutchman

Founder, Marigold & Grey

Web: http://www.marigoldgrey.com

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