Out-of-Town Gift Baskets

It is important to show thanks to all of your wedding guests, however, out-of-town guests have made particular effort to share in your day as well incurred additional expense so be sure to go one step further in thanking them.

 

The first thing to consider is whether most of your out-of-town guests are traveling by car or by airplane. This will help you determine what products and packaging you wish to use. If most of your guests are flying, you may wish to thank them with products that will be consumed prior to their return flight and/or place them in either a disposable bag or something that collapses for insertion in their luggage.

 

Next, consider the location of your wedding. Are you on the beach? In wine country? In your home town? It is common – and fun for your guests – to incorporate items that speak to your destination.

 

Finally, make sure the packaging ties in with your wedding theme and colors. While the other aspects consider your guests’ needs and desires, this aspect allows your personality to shine through so get creative!

 

• So what could be included in the gift package?
• A personal welcome/thank you note
• Details can customize these to match your other wedding stationary
• A list of other guests they may know who are staying at the same hotel
• A map to the church and reception sites
• A local map
• A list of sites to see
• For the three items above, have fun with it and have a custom map created. Highlight favorite spots for you and the groom
• An event itinerary
• Sunscreen if you are on the beach
• Flipflops if you are on the beach
• Water bottles or special local beverage
• Again, Details can create labels which match your wedding stationary or incorporate your custom monogram
• Candies that are unique to the area

• Other snack items that are an area specialty or favorites of the bride and groom

For instance, what might an Appleton, Wisconsin out-of-town gift package look like? If the hotel rooms have access to a kitchenette, why  not include a Jack’s Pizza? To complete the late night snack attack include bottles of Sprecher’s Root Beer and candy from Vande Walles. Tie the candy to the root beer with a pretty ribbon and a note attached that welcomes them and lets them know the pizza is in the fridge.

 

What about Columbus, Ohio? Graeter’s Ice Cream is a hometown favorite so why not include a gift certificate and a map to the nearest location inside your welcome card? Of course, there’s a host of fun things to do in Columbus so be sure to include a list – or a custom map! – of activities such as COSI, Easton Town Center, Franklin Park Conservatory, German Village (be sure to direct them to the original Max & Erma’s!), Short North Arts District, Columbus Museum of Art, and in the outlying areas, Columbus Zoo and Zoombezi Bay. Why not create a trivia card and test their knowledge of local facts?

 

Are those ideas out of your budget? Not to worry. Thanking someone doesn’t have to carry a hefty price tag. Consider your gifts . . . have a garden full of beautiful flowers? Brighten their room with a small bouquet! Awesome at baking cookies or making caramel corn? Ba da bing, there’s your gift!

 

Now back to that packaging. Brown craft bags are the least expensive, but please tack a bit of time to dress them up (or let Details do it for you!). Consider other options as well such as Chinese takeout boxes, shipping boxes, or reusable bags (Please, don’t put your face or wedding details on the reusable bag!). Details created birthday gift bags once which included a black and white image of the party girl wrapping two sides of the bag with a boa attached to the top of the bag – talk about personalization! Let the images shown inspire you and if you’d like a little help finding the right gift for your price range, hitting the right creative note, or even getting them assembled and dispersed, call us. We’re happy to help!

 

~Jami