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My Simple Wild

a motherhood & simple living blog

September 23, 2019 / DIY, Wedding

Affordable Wedding Welcome Bags

affordable wedding welcome bags

The little details are always the most fun for me to plan! I put together these very affordable wedding welcome bags for all our out of town guests that came to our wedding this August. We wanted to show our friends and family that we were so grateful they all came out here to Montana for our special day.

What we included in our welcome bags:

  1. I searched Etsy and Pinterest and found several adorable cotton or canvas bags that you can personalize, perfect for a wedding welcome bag. But with our budget being so tight for these, I went with a simple classic brown paper bag. I got mine from Hobby Lobby and they happened to have a buy one get one free sale on these. You can also find them at a great price on Amazon.
  2. A small water bottle with some Advil attached and a cute label was a fun and simple way to help that post-wedding hangover. I put one for each person in the bag (so 2 if it was a couple). You can find this free printable here.
  3. My favorite part was the door hangers that also doubled as our welcome letter. I found a great template here and printed them on cardstock and cut them out with scissors. Guests could hang these on their hotel doors and is a fun little keepsake from the wedding weekend.
  4. Snacks are always a good idea! I added a sweet treat of thin lemon cookies and stacked them in a seal-able clear cello bag. My original plan was to make my own cookies but time was not on my side, so I bought a box of my favorite cookies from Costco instead.
  5. For a salty snack, I made popcorn on my stove and bagged them up with large clear cello bags I tied with twine. I kept the popcorn simple and just added some butter and salt to the kernels.
  6. I added a Whitefish map since most of our guests have never been here. I picked these up for free at our local visitors center.
  7. A gift tag that I printed on cardstock and attached with ribbon was the final touch. I found a great template here that I also used for my favor gift tag.
affordable wedding welcome bags

There was a million things I wanted to add to the bags but I was good and stuck with my small budget for these. I think my guests appreciated them and it was fun to put them together. I dropped them off at hotels and handed them to a few guests at our dinner rehearsal. Unfortunately I ran out of time to finish delivering all the bags the days before the wedding, so I ended up just handing the rest out at the end of the night. I learned that there are just so many things that do not go perfectly when having a backyard wedding, and that you just have to go with the flow!

affordable wedding welcome bags

A few things I wish I added:

  1. A Postcard! I really wanted to add a cool postcard with a stamp attached. This is something I could have probably bought in bulk to save money.
  2. Something huckleberry. Montana is the land of all things huckleberry! I wish I could have added some candies or a small jam.
  3. Lip balm is a must when traveling to a higher elevation. This would have been even cuter if I had a label to add to each balm!
affordable wedding welcome bags
affordable wedding welcome bags

What would you have added to this bag? Anything I am missing?? Let me know in the comments below!



This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a small commission if you purchase through my link at no extra cost to you. To read my full disclosure, click here.

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Comments

  1. The Dance says

    September 23, 2019 at 4:06 pm

    Such a thoughtful and personalized gesture!

    Reply
  2. thesmalladventurer says

    September 25, 2019 at 11:25 pm

    I LOVE that you made/put together these bags yourself instead of buying a pre-made item. I know it will take a lot more time, but one of the main things I am looking forward to with my own wedding is DIY-ing most aspects of it as that is something I genuinely love to do, and that way I’m able to ensure that each piece of my wedding is unique and “me” ☺️

    Reply
  3. Melissa says

    September 26, 2019 at 1:54 am

    I love this idea! It literally has everything they need after the party. Saving it for when I need it!

    Reply
  4. kileen says

    September 26, 2019 at 5:12 am

    These are awesome wedding bags babe, so smart to add the advil!! & that huckleberry sounds amazing!

    Kileen
    cute & little

    Reply
  5. aisasami says

    September 26, 2019 at 2:13 pm

    Wow, these are amazing. I am so into DIY gifts, especially something like this, as can be heart-warming, personally made, and just creative.

    Reply
  6. Cindy says

    September 26, 2019 at 7:39 pm

    These are so cute and practical too! I love creating welcome bags for overnight guests, whether they stay at a hotel or in my home. I include bottled water, snacks, maps, points of interest around town and a magazine I think they might enjoy.

    Reply
  7. Kwiaty do Polski says

    December 12, 2019 at 5:10 pm

    Great wedding ideas. An interesting blog!

    Reply

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