53 Phrases for Your Wedding Welcome Bags

So you've decided to personalize your gift bags for your wedding. Now you need to decide how to personalize them. Whether you're using the bags for hotel welcome bags, bridal party gifts, favors, or anything in between, it can be tough to know what to write on the bag. More and more, couples are coming up with cute puns based on their names, but not everyone is that creative -- or has the names for the puns! If you want to say something other than a simple "thank you," here are some ideas for how to personalize your bags.

Welcome
1. Welcome To Our Wedding Weekend
2. Welcome to Our Beginning
3. Our Story Begins Here
4. From [location] with love
5. It means the world to have you here

Photography Source: Gold Welcome To Our Wedding Bags, White Welcome To Charleston Bags

Thanks

6. Thank you for being a part of our happily ever after
7. Thank you for joining us
8. Thank you for coming all this way to help us celebrate our special day

Photography Source: Clear Thank You Bags, Black Thank You Message Bags

General
9. Live well, laugh often, love always
10. And so our adventure begins
11. Love, laughter, and happily ever after
12. Forever starts today
13. Love is a song that never ends; thanks for dancing with us!
14. We decided on forever; thanks for seeing us through the first step
15. Together is a beautiful place to be
16. Today and always
17. Here's to good times and great friends

Photography Source: Canvas Let's Be Adventurers Bag, Clear Let The Adventure Begin Bags

Beach
18. With sandy toes and salty kisses, we became Mr. & Mrs.
19. Anchored in love
20. Waves of love and thanks

Photography Source: Canvas Sandy Toes Salty Kisses Bag, Canvas Colorful Beach Bag

Hunting/Fishing/Outdoors
21. Hook, Line, Sinker. Catch of a lifetime!
22. I'd rather be fishing married
23. The hunt is over!

Photography Source: Fishing Themed Wedding Gift Bag

Homemade
24. Something old, something new, something from us just for you
25. Made with love

Photography Source: Black Something For You Gift Bags, Made With Love Tags

Food
26. Hugs & Kisses from the new Mr. & Mrs.
27. A sweet ending to a new beginning
28. Sweets from the sweethearts

Photography Source: Natural Kraft Apple Bags, White Sweets Favor Bag

Hangover Kits
29. You partied hard when we were wed. Use this kit and go to bed!
30. In sickness and in health

Photography Source: Natural Kraft Hangover Kit Bags

Spring
31. Let flowers bloom while our love grows
32. Let love grow

Photography Source: Let Love Grow Favor Bags

Summer
33. Good Times and Tan Lines
34. Summer lovin' -- let's have us a blast!
35. I do BBQ

Photography Source: Good Times Tan Lines Bag, Tandem Bike Treat Bags

Fall
36. Fall In Love
37. I love you a bushel and a peck
38. This fall, we're harvesting blessings

Photography Source: Brown Fall Guest Gift Bag, Berry Red Welcome Fall Leaves Bag

Winter
39. Our Warmest Thanks
40. Snow In Love
41. Some people are worth melting for.

Photography Source: Winter Gift Tags, Silver Snow In Love Gift Bags

Holidays
42. Eat, Drink, & Be Merried (Christmas)
43. Merry Everything, Happy Always (Christmas)
44. Wed, White, & Blue (4th of July)
45. We'd like to thank the red, white, and you (4th of July)
46. Ringing in the New Year and our new beginning! (New Year's Eve)
47. New Year, new last name (New Year's Eve)
48. Welcome to our Hallo-wedding! (Halloween)
49. Love is a boo-tiful thing! (Halloween)

Monograms

If you can't decide on a phrase or saying, or are looking for a more simple option, a monogram may be the way to go! Use block, script, casual, formal, or mixed fonts to fit your personality or wedding theme. 

50. Large last name initial

51. Two first name initials
52. Two first name initials with the last name initial in the center

53. Two first names with the last name initial in the center

Photography Source: White Gift Bag with Window, Purple Monogrammed Gift Bags

After choosing a saying or a monogram, you'll want to decide on a layout and a font. Try combining your saying, design, or monogram with your names, date, and/or location for a completely custom personalized bag. 

Do you need some suggestions for how to fill your beautifully personalized bags now? Check this out.

Elizabeth graduated from The University of Findlay with a Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Writing. She now resides in Portland, Oregon where she is employed in the real estate business and is particularly enjoying the local cuisine. As a writer, Elizabeth believes in a quote from one of her favorite TV shows: "We have only two jobs on this Earth. The first: to learn. The second: to cope." A deep desire to learn struck Elizabeth when she was young, and now she hopes to help you cope by sharing information, and helping you apply the knowledge. Weddings and event planning can be overwhelming; sometimes it's okay to take a little advice from a stranger on the internet.

What Your Hotel Welcome Gift Bags Are Missing

We recently shared what hotel welcome bags are and why you might decide to gift them to your out-of-town guests. The hardest part now is choosing what to put in them! Here’s our guide to filling your hotel welcome gift bags to help you make sure you don't leave out anything important.

Source: Frosted Plastic Welcome Bags

These bags can be as simple or as extravagant as you want them to be – anything from a couple basic necessities to a location-themed grab bag. Throw items in the bag willy-nilly or connect them all with a theme. The goal of these bags should be to help your guests feel more comfortable during their travels.

The Necessities

• Bottles of water
• Personalized water bottles, koozies or flasks
• Outdoor items like sunglasses, sunscreen, bug spray, handwarmers, or a rain poncho
• Advil/tums/bandaids
• An area map
• Mints or gum
• A grooming set with tweezers, nail clippers, and a nail file

 Source: Water Bottles, Custom Lip Balm, Monogrammed Floral Sunglasses

Local Gifts

• Write a personalized guide to your favorite nearby restaurants and attractions
• Include gift cards or coupons for a restaurant (bonus: you can use these almost like tissue paper as a filler, too!)
• Locally-made food or drinks
• Check out this list of state-specific souvenir ideas

Source: Colorado, Vienna

The Practical

• Portable phone charger
• A note that says “Please call anyone but the bride” and a list of phone numbers for people who know the area and the weekend’s events
•  Snacks
• Fresh fruit
• Power bars
• Trail mix
• Chocolates
• Bride’s and groom’s favorite candy or snack
• Something sweet and something salty
• Clothing-repair kit
• Mini sewing kit
• Safety pins
• Wrinkle release spray
• Lint roller
• Bottle opener
• Hand sanitizer

Source: Bottle Openers, Phone List

The Extra

• Alcohol
• Champagne is a good go-to, but don’t be afraid to include a local wine or a couple bottles of the bride’s and groom’s favorite beers or ciders
• Coffee – beans, grounds, or already brewed
• Candles or incense
• Lotion or soap
• Deck of cards or travel-sized game
• A hardy plant like a cactus or succulent
• A small notebook and pen
• A disposable camera
• Lip balm
• Nail polish
• An uber promo code for your event
• Febreeze or air freshener
• A recipe for a dish served at the wedding or unique to the area

Source: Cards, Plant, Candles

The Whimsical

• A lottery ticket
• The bride and groom’s favorite toys
• A favorite book or a book set in the area
• A handwritten book telling the couple’s love story
• Personalized “do not disturb sign” for their hotel room door
• A framed print of a map or photograph of the area or wedding venue
• Sparklers or small fireworks
• Postcards from the area your guests can send back home
• Drink coasters

Source: Box, Postcards

Themed Bags

• Wedding
• How can you tie your wedding theme into the gift bags?
• Wedding destination
• Focus on the unique, local items and maps
• Candy
• In addition to a variety of candy, include candy-scented candles, make-your-own candy kits, candy-flavored alcohol
• Travel
• Neck pillows, small blankets, eye masks, noise-canceling headphone, reusable water bottles, reusable bags, sunglasses, hats, passport holder, toiletry bag
• Spa
• Lotion, tanning oil or sunscreen, face and eye masks, coupon or gift card for a massage after the wedding (or a handheld massager), wine
• Color
• Use your wedding colors or another favorite color scheme and choose items suggested above within that color scheme
• For example, yellow, pink, and orange: yellow-framed sunglasses, mini bottles of orange juice and pink champagne, lemon-scented soap or lotion, a rose-scented candle
• Activities
• If there's a lot to do near the wedding venue, center your gift bags around these activities: sunglasses, energy bars and trail mix, trail guides, coupons for the activities, a local scavenger hunt
• Games
• A deck of cards, travel-sized checkers or scrabble, a book of road trip games, mad libs, plus all the best gaming snacks (chips, chocolate, popcorn, pretzels, m&ms or skittles)

Source: Travel Bag, Italy, Pineapple Theme, Toiletry Bag

Make sure you include a note explaining why you included the personal items! Who likes which candy or drink? Why did you choose that particular quote for the bag? Which restaurant is your favorite and why?

Keep in mind you’re doing this to help your guests feel more comfortable away from home, and think about their favorite things. You’ll also need to remember who is driving and who is flying – and what they’ll be able to fit in their luggage.

Have a little fun with the bags. Because you're not giving them to every wedding guest, you can make them more personal and give yourself a chance to think about how much this guest means to you and why you're so happy to have them attend your wedding.

Elizabeth graduated from The University of Findlay with a Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Writing. She now resides in Portland, Oregon where she is employed in the real estate business and is particularly enjoying the local cuisine. As a writer, Elizabeth believes in a quote from one of her favorite TV shows: "We have only two jobs on this Earth. The first: to learn. The second: to cope." A deep desire to learn struck Elizabeth when she was young, and now she hopes to help you cope by sharing information, and helping you apply the knowledge. Weddings and event planning can be overwhelming; sometimes it's okay to take a little advice from a stranger on the internet.

The Ultimate Guide to Hotel Wedding Welcome Gift Bags

Remember that wedding you went to when you had to travel for hours and then drag your luggage to your hotel room and you collapsed on the bed only to immediately realize you had forgotten your toothbrush? Or you magically arrived hours early and suddenly you needed something to do for the rest of the day, but the hotel’s welcome book was missing from the nightstand, so you ended up at a two-star restaurant on accident?

You don’t want that to happen to your guests who are traveling to your wedding. You want them to have just as magical a weekend as you will have. We've created this guide to hotel wedding welcome gift bags to help you make the start of their weekend spectacular.

Source: Canvas Bag

How Many Will You Need?
You will want to plan on putting together a bag for any guest who is traveling in order to attend your wedding. Whether they’re staying in a hotel or with a family member, these gift bags are just one small way you can make their visit more comfortable.

If you are reserving a block of rooms at a hotel or multiple hotels in your area, check in at least a month or two in advance to get an estimate of how many people have made reservations so far. You will want to add some extra for guests that may be staying with other family members, or who simply haven't made their travel plans yet.  

Choosing Your Packaging
Hotel welcome gift bags are bags filled with anything from useful to whimsical, from generic to personal. Give to your out-of-town wedding guests to make their weekends just a little better. Travel can be so stressful; it’s heartwarming to know the bride and groom are thoughtful, even when they are busy with last-minute wedding details.

There are TONS of gift bags out there. How will you ever decide which one to use?! First, set a budget and decide what items you want to include. Once you know how much money you have left over for the bag, it should be easier to pick a style.

• Do you have a lot of items to include? Consider a canvas bag, which is sturdier and will be able to hold more, and will also hold up better than a paper bag – not to mention they’re reusable, making the bag itself part of the gift.
• Plastic or paper bags will keep your cost down, and they can be easily “dressed up” with a personalized print.
• If you do want to personalize the bag, consider a frosted plastic with a bright, bold color for the print.

Source: Plastic Bag, Canvas Bag, Paper Bag

Curating The Contents
The welcome gift bags can be as simple or as extravagant as you’d like. Here are some basic guidelines for what to include.

• The necessities/things commonly forgotten while traveling
• Something special/unique to the area
• Snacks: sweet, salty, and savory
• Water bottles – ensure your guests stay hydrated
• Wedding itinerary or invitation to ensure guests know the timeline for all of your events
• Recommendations for the area; what to do, where to eat, etc. Bonus points if you include coupons!
• A note or letter from the bride and groom welcoming the guests
• Tissue paper or other filler

Source: Frosted Bag

Deciding On Delivery

The delivery may be the trickiest part of the gift. Should the bags be waiting in your guests’ hotel rooms? At the front desk when they check in? Should you hand-deliver them? Or wait until the first wedding event?

The simplest delivery method is to trust the hotel staff with the bags. The staff can keep them at the desk (be sure to write the guests’ full names on the bags!) or may even be able to deliver them to the guests' rooms before they arrive. If the guests are staying with a family member or friend, it should be no problem for you to drop the bags off at the houses before your guests get in. Delivering bags in person is probably the best way, but you’re going to be busy, so don’t sweat it if you won’t be able to greet everyone when they get to town. If everyone will be at the rehearsal dinner, you can hand them out after. Or maybe this is the perfect excuse to host a bonfire the night everyone arrives – you can have a relaxing evening and still get to watch your guests’ reactions when they see the bags!

Is It Really Worth It?

If you’re having a destination wedding, your guests are spending a lot of money on travel to be with you. If you’re not having a destination wedding but do have out-of-town guests, it’s a way to thank them for taking the extra time to travel to you. Out-of-town guests who don’t know the area may be uncomfortable being in a new place at such an important time. A welcome gift bag is a really easy way for you to let your guests know how much you appreciate the time and effort they put into being at your wedding.

Consider the luggage restrictions for travelers. There are so many rules for what you can and can’t take on an airplane, or maybe your guests don’t have access to a big enough car. They’ll have to cut down on what they pack, and the stress can cause them to forget something they actually need, or they may have to forgo something they might or might not need because they couldn’t quite justify the space it would take up without being certain they'll use it. Guests who are traveling - with kids in particular - have to make sacrifices with what they pack. Including items in the gift bags for kids (coloring books, bubbles, small toys, etc.) can relieve some of that stress.

Source: Thank You Bags

Assembling Your Gifts 

How can you possibly make time for ordering the pieces, filling the bags, and delivering them?! This last week before your wedding is probably your busiest. Consider these bags a chance to relax. Pour a glass of wine, sit down with your partner, and have fun with it. Hand write the notes and arrange the bags like they’re floral bouquets and placement matters. Or, if you really don’t have time, enlist a younger sibling or cousin to help – they may have fun with it! Even better: make the bags way in advance. As long as you're not including any perishable items, you can also put the bags together as early as you want. Even if you do want to include some perishable items, you can start the bags any time and add to them as the date gets closer.

You can save time (and money on shipping!) by ordering everything for the bag from one website, too.

Source: Canvas Bag

A welcome gift bag is an easy and thoughtful way to help your guests relax and enjoy their weekend that much more.

Elizabeth graduated from The University of Findlay with a Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Writing. She now resides in Portland, Oregon where she is employed in the real estate business and is particularly enjoying the local cuisine. As a writer, Elizabeth believes in a quote from one of her favorite TV shows: "We have only two jobs on this Earth. The first: to learn. The second: to cope." A deep desire to learn struck Elizabeth when she was young, and now she hopes to help you cope by sharing information, and helping you apply the knowledge. Weddings and event planning can be overwhelming; sometimes it's okay to take a little advice from a stranger on the internet.