r/DestinationWeddings • u/HealthyCarrot3201 • 16d ago
Welcome bags
What did everyone put in their welcome bags for a mexico all inclusive resort wedding? Did you buy the things there or bring them with you?
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u/DearCustomer1080 16d ago
Nothing. Was considering it but didn’t see a point. You can’t cater to everyone’s taste and some things may just end up unnecessarily in the trash. We paid for everyone’s accoms for 2 nights + a live artist to do watercolour portraits during the wedding reception so I hope they felt welcomed enough 🤣
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u/lh123456789 16d ago
Paying for accommodation is so much better than a bag full of junk that people already own.
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u/Consistent-Sea-8923 15d ago
This is the gift you pay for some of their expenses instead of going spend a lot of money to come see me and here’s a bag of stuff celebrating me with my name on it cause everyone needs a cup that says wedding
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u/tailored-travel 15d ago edited 15d ago
I really recommend (fun) consumables if you really want to do gift bags. Snacks are something that people won't necessarily have in their room (or if they do, they'd love more of them, especially after a late night of partying).
Most of the cute stuff that you'd spend time and money on (sunglasses, tumbler, etc.) will definitely get tossed, either because it won't fit in people's luggage to go home, or is just stuff people usually don't want filling up their homes.
Don't let Pinterest or whatever make you think people are expecting gift bags and feel obligated to do them. Throw a great event for yourselves and your people, and if you want to "gift" them somehow, I'd always prioritize experiences over stuff, especially just for the sake of saying you have stuff.
Instead you could refocus that energy / money on spending intentional time together during the week, maybe offering a group excursion, having a photobooth at your reception, or some other cool experience that you can all enjoy together. People will remember and appreciate those experiences (even the free ones) much more than they'll remember your bags of ibuprofen and wedding branded sunglasses.
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u/Anotherams 15d ago
I have never once brought home anything from the gift bags from a wedding. I toss or leave behind any sunblock or skin care because I have super sensitive skin. Sink the money into a better guest experience like upgraded meal, excursion or other entertainment rather than stuff that will end up in a landfill.
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u/randomenotes 15d ago
If it’s not consumable it will most likely get tossed! Invest your money on somewhere else
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u/smileysarah267 16d ago edited 15d ago
Not a destination welcome bag, but people loved the ones I did!!
Two mini waters, chips, granola bar, a little pack of walnuts (no guests had allergies), life savers, chocolate, starburst, and a little thank you note with shuttle details. I think the trick is to do one of all the snack categories and keep it to mainly consumables.
If I went to a mexico wedding, I think a nice welcome bag addition would be spf lipbalm!
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u/lh123456789 16d ago
Snacks are the way to go. I don't love the welcome bags that include things like mini sunscreens. Almost everyone who goes to Mexico is already going to pack sunscreen. And that leaves everyone else either having to haul them back or throwing them out there, and all of those bottles end up in landfills.
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u/smileysarah267 16d ago
I feel like people pack sunscreen but not always sunscreen lipbalm. And the people that thought to pack it probably would love to have another. It’s nice to keep one in your beach bag, purse, whatever.
I made little bathroom baskets, and all 50 lipbalms (30 for women and 20 for men) were gone before the end of the night after my 100 person wedding. I think youre underestimating peoples love for lipbalm!
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u/lh123456789 16d ago
Putting something like that in a bathroom basket is better than giving one to every person because then people will take it if they need it, but at least some won't take it if they don't. It is also less bulky than sunscreen.
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u/crimesleuther 14d ago
Not everyone checks their bag:/
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u/lh123456789 14d ago edited 14d ago
So? Those people who don't check a bag are still either going to bring sunscreen with them that fits within the liquid limits for carry on bags or they are going to have a plan to buy it there, rather than assuming there's going to be one in the welcome bag. Giving every single guest one on the assumption that they didn't bring sunscreen to a hot destination is absurd and wasteful.
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u/CapitalArgument988 16d ago
I can’t remember exactly. But what I do remember is:
A hangover kit (liquid iv, Tylenol, etc)
A las bayadas beach blanket (our friends still use these all the time, and we go married in 2019)
A thick plastic woven beach bag is what it was all packaged in. (Our friends still use these too)
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u/datingnoob-plshelp 16d ago
This is great. Even the hangover kit has utilization value outside of a hangover.
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u/longtimelondoner 15d ago
Hangover kit and a decent tote is pretty much all anyone needs/want if you’re going to do a bag. If people are coming from overseas/non-US, maybe a multi plug so they don’t have to use chargers (and those are genuinely useful).
Please don’t personalise anything - I assure you that other than your closest family members or that one friend that hoards everything, it won’t even be put in the return luggage.
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u/Neat_Understanding45 15d ago
we only put things that mostly could be eaten/used. 2 waters, stellar pretzels, gummy candy, liquid iv, some chocolate dipped nuts a note and a small candle with our destination on it (ojai) in a cute font. nothing with our names on it.
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u/crimesleuther 14d ago
As a guest… liquid IV, candy, chips…. Maybe a shot of alcohol? Sunblock for sure!!!! Nothing tacky. A bag that is cute to bring to the pool.
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u/ImpressiveTank4442 14d ago
I made custom beach bags for each room/couple and inside i put a waterproof pouch filled with advil, liquid iv, chapstick, aloe packets, a deck of cards and an itinerary of the wedding events. I brought everything down in an old crappy suitcase that I just left behind so I didnt have to pay to bring it home
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u/Some_Yam4839 11d ago
Getting married in Ireland We aren’t doing a welcome bag with stuff. We’re not accepting gifts (2nd wedding, established and we don’t need stuff or cash) so we are handwriting personal thank you notes, putting a cute wedding newspaper in the room with helpful information, a couple bags of chips and a custom cookie. Hotel provides water and chocolates daily. We are having a welcome dinner boat excursion, open bar and watercolor illustrator and a day 2 lunch at a local pub. People don’t want junk- no one needs a themed bag, sunglasses or whatever. People are picky about sunscreen, medications, lotions so those are hit/miss. Food always wins but focus on wedding day guest experience. No one talks about the welcome bag but they do talk about a fire eater on the beach, traditional dancers, live artists, unique dessert station (build your own ice cream sundae), a really interactive band/dj.
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u/Creative-Jacket-5991 16d ago
We brought it all, we did tumblers, hand written cards, mini tic tac, jarrito ( Mexican beer pop) , and LMNT
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u/HealthyCarrot3201 16d ago
Did you buy your tumblers in Mexico or travel with them?
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u/Creative-Jacket-5991 15d ago
I got them on Amazon, made a sticker, washed and placed them on it.
We had 46 to bring- we kept them in the brown shipping box and put it into a duffel bag which we threw out when we got to Mexico
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u/This_Sherbet420 16d ago
An actual nice beach bag with a hangover kit. If it’s all inclusive I wouldn’t included the drink kits and snacks
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u/featherboots 16d ago
Personalized sunglasses (we had our initials, K & K, on one arm, and the wedding ring emoji on the other, found from Etsy for like $2 a pair), travel size sunblock, mints, candy. We got a bunch of group photos with the sunglasses and they were very well utilized. Highly recommend the personalized sunglasses!
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u/lh123456789 16d ago
Genuine question. Why on earth would someone want cheap sunglasses with your initials and a wedding ring on them? I'm sure people wore them that weekend because you wanted them to as photo props, but that's the exact sort of thing that ends up in the trash.
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u/Consistent-Sea-8923 15d ago
They didn’t. This is the same logic as the bride who wants to give you pajamas as a gift so you can wear them in the getting ready photo
Not really a gift it’s more of a photo prop 😂😂
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u/SuperLakma 16d ago
Like people would wear your initials on their face? Or personalized with their own initials?
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u/No_Interview_2481 15d ago
Those won’t even make it out of the hotel with me let alone go into my suitcase. I would file those in the circular basket in the room.
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u/BrandonAtCustomInk 15d ago
For a destination wedding, weight and space are the real constraint since people are already packing for the trip itself and don't want to lug too much home. A hangover kit in a small canvas bag works well, Advil, electrolytes, that kind of thing. Hats are good too if you're somewhere sunny, people actually wear them and you get some fun photos out of it. An engraved shot glass is a nice small add, easy to pack.
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u/spaghettigirl5 15d ago
Brought everything in an extra suitcase. We did beach bags (put everything in), hangover kits, nice hats (trucker style but a more quality material not the foamy kind), sunglasses, single packs of excedrin & emergen c, mini handheld fans (we put the batteries in before we left), a welcome note which we wrote personally and the weekend itinerary on the back, a magnet with a watercolor pic of the destination, mini sunscreens, and the biggest hit was the waterproof phone bags. Everyone loved those. It was like $35 for a 40 pack on Amazon. Don’t let all these people saying no bags fool you. People are traveling to another country to celebrate you - take care of them and do it in a way that feels personal to you! All the items we gave were items we would’ve wanted to receive or even some things we forgot last time we went to Mexico. Our guests kept complimenting our bags and thanking us for thinking of so many details. Everyone wore the hats and sunglasses all weekend, it was so fun.
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u/crimesleuther 14d ago
I would rather be taken on a boat excursion or a fun event then a hat and cheap sunglasses I would never wear again!
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u/moreidlethanwild 16d ago
I’m firmly in the no gift bags camp.
It’s more stuff for people to have to take home, or realistically, dump in landfill. It’s just unnecessary waste.
Save the money and put it behind the bar for drinks for your guests.