We're back today with Part Two of our three-part wedding welcome gift series where I'm breaking down the most important parts of any successful wedding welcome gift. From the inside to the outside and the good stuff in between, there's a lot to think about whether you're custom designing wedding welcome gifts, or opting for our pre-designed wedding welcome gift sets that are ready to go. But, not to worry, I'm breaking it all down for you and making it super simple!

In this part two, we're talking about specifically to include in the welcome letter that you're going to include in your welcome gifts. It can be tough to know where to start with this letter, much less know what to write, so I'm going to break it all down for you, so your welcome letter is easy breezy!  

For more, be sure to check out Part One on what to include in your wedding welcome gifts. And do not miss Part Three on how to avoid logistical mistakes with your wedding welcome gifts.

Eight Important Things For Any Welcome Letter

In addition to keepsake gifts, sweet and salty snacks and beverages that are common in wedding welcome gifts, a welcome letter is an easy and thoughtful way to personalize your welcome gifts and thank your wedding guests for celebrating with you. Not to mention it's a great way to get everyone to be where they need to be at the right time! 

When it comes to custom designing wedding welcome gifts, welcome letters are one of our favorite parts of the gifting process. One of the best ways to make your out-of-town guests feel VIP is to include a wedding welcome letter or booklet inside your wedding welcome gifts.

I'm sharing the eight most important things to include in your wedding welcome gift letter including a heartfelt note from you (the couple), the weekend's itinerary, transportation details, a who's who of the wedding, a personalized list of things to do, a walking map of places to go, contact information for when there are questions, and last but not least, finishing touches to help it come together and be cohesive with the rest of your wedding details.

Welcome Letters Are Not Just For Show

A wedding welcome gift letter or information packet it's not just for show. These letters and booklets are useful too! They guide your wedding guests around unfamiliar territory (especially if you are having a destination wedding!) and most importantly, provide them with all the details of your wedding weekend itinerary.

Wedding welcome letters can also offer a sneak peek into the wedding's design and overall feel of your wedding as well as sincere messages of appreciation from you. And who doesn't want to feel appreciated as they're welcomed to town for your wedding?

For your wedding welcome gift letters or booklets, you should aim to be both helpful and thoughtful. A quick note of appreciation goes a long way with your wedding guests. And having a schedule of events handy will help your wedding weekend go smoothly for everyone celebrating.

Here are some of our favorite things to include in your wedding welcome letters and booklets: 

Wedding Welcome Gift Inclusion #1:  Heartfelt Note

For your wedding welcome gifts, write a gracious and heartfelt note to your wedding guests. Convey your thanks for making the trip to celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime occasion that surely wouldn't be the same without them there with you. 

While most all of your wedding guests know you well and are familiar with your love story, there may be “plus ones” who don’t know you as well. You might reference a special detail or two about how you met, or why your wedding location has special significance to you and your relationship.

You will get extra special bonus points on your wedding welcome gifts if you include information in your welcome letter about why you selected anything in particular in your wedding welcome gifts. For more on what to include in your wedding welcome gifts and how to select the right balance between gifts and treats, you will not want to miss my advice.

Your welcome letter is a great spot to call out anything in particular that you've chosen to include and let your guests know why you picked it. They will enjoy their welcome gifts more if they know it is full of your favorites! 

Wedding Welcome Gift Inclusion #2:  Weekend Itinerary

One of the most common items to include in a welcome wedding letter is the itinerary for the wedding weekend. Make sure to clearly state the event, venue location, address, and time - and don't forget to specify attire.

Did I mention to include the times in your wedding itinerary!? 

The wedding ceremony and reception locations are most commonly included, but don't forget the smaller events surrounding the wedding such as welcome dinner, wedding after-party, morning-after brunch, and/or any other group activities, meet-ups, and excursions.

And, don't forget to include information about any meeting spots, parking instructions, or any special travel or arrival details, such as coat check, that they might need to know to make their weekend as stress-free as possible. 

Wedding Welcome Gift Inclusion #3:  Transportation 

In addition to your itinerary details, be sure to mention any shuttle bus pick-up times and locations! This is SO important. As in super duper important! 

We've heard horror stories of wedding guests not knowing where or when to be picked up and getting left behind only to miss the ceremony or cocktail hour.

Just like with the wedding itinerary, clearly state the pick-up locations and times. Be sure to note how long the transportation will be running and how often the shuttles will be running (or not!) so they can plan accordingly. 

If you’re not offering group transportation for your wedding, that's okay. You can still offer your wedding guests help but offering phone numbers to local, reputable cab companies and of course, Uber and Lyft if available in the area.

Uber even offers options specifically for events, info found here.

If there are special details that they need to know, such as pick up spots and departure times, when it comes to transportation, be sure to list it on your wedding itinerary. The last thing you want is your guests missing your wedding events, or worse, bothering you with questions. 

Wedding Welcome Gift Inclusion #4:  Personalized Things to Do

Including information on what to do at your wedding location (besides attending your wedding, of course!) can be a lot of fun when you're making your wedding welcome gift letter!

When guests are coming in from out of town, they may have some downtime during the wedding weekend, especially if they decide to extend their stay beyond the weekend.

In your ‘Things To Do’ section of your wedding welcome gift letter or booklet, spill the beans on your favorite restaurants, bars, activities, and opportunities for sightseeing.

If any of these places have special meaning to you, let your guests know why. It will mean more to them when they visit. Plus, this is an easy and low cost way to personalize your wedding welcome gifts. Even if they don't get to every sight or visit every establishment on your recommended list, they will still enjoy learning about why you love the town or location of your wedding.

Wedding Welcome Gift Inclusion #5:  Walking Map

Custom maps are not only unique and memorable but can be an extremely functional part of any wedding welcome gift letter or booklet.

For example, for weddings in cities where guests have the ability to walk from place to place, we love the idea of a custom-designed walking map. Include the basics such as the ceremony and reception venues, but also notable landmarks and useful locations such as pharmacies, coffee shops, and other frequently-visited spots your guests may need during their stay.

The more personalized the better when it comes to a walking map for your wedding weekend. Be sure to point out your favorite places to grab a morning cup of coffee or an afternoon bit to eat! 

Wedding Welcome Gift Inclusion #6:  Contact Information

Remember that the function of a wedding welcome gift letter is to provide useful information to your guests who are arriving from out of town. This includes providing contact information should they have questions or need help.

If you're the one getting married, please please please resist the urge to offer your contact information in the welcome letter! Even if you have an award-winning wedding planner, you will still be busy.

Did we mention to not include your personal information in the welcome letter?? 

Why add a phone number or contact information at all in your wedding welcome letter, you ask? Well, emergencies can happen. Someone gets lost or issues may arise with the hotel. While it’s not up to you to fix it, it's up to you to provide an emergency contact.

The best point of contact for your wedding guests is your wedding planner or someone not in your wedding party (Your wedding party will be busy, just like you!). Include the contact information for someone who is reliable and familiar with the wedding weekend schedule. But pretty please, anyone but you!

Be sure to check in with your designated contact person ahead of time and ask their permission before including them in your wedding welcome letter! (They will be confused when their phone starts ringing with questions from guests!) Before your wedding weekend, share your wedding itinerary, timeline, and all plans with your reliable contact. Also share with them the contact information for all of your wedding vendors so they can go right to the source without having to bother you on your wedding weekend! 

Wedding Welcome Gift Inclusion #7:  Who's Who

Especially if you're making a wedding welcome gift booklet or information packet vs. a letter, be sure to include a who's who of your wedding in your wedding welcome gift.

Your wedding guests tend to have a better time when they know other people who are attending your wedding, and the wedding welcome gift is the perfect spot to include this kind of information!

Yes, sometimes couples include this information in the wedding ceremony program, but we like to include it in the welcome gifts so that during the ceremony they are paying attention to your ceremony and not reading your booklet! Your wedding ceremony program should be more geared towards the ceremony, and in your welcome gifts you can go into as much or as little detail as you want. This way, your guests can take their time and read through it, and get excited for the fun activities to come! 

It can be fun to clue your wedding guests in on who's who ahead of time. This can mean introducing the wedding party, mentioning other notable people participating in your wedding such as readers and greeters, adding any thank you's and shout outs that you don't want to forget, as well as remembering any loved ones who are unable to make it. Some couples even take it a step further offering a guide or guestbook of who's coming to the wedding.

There are online guest book options that do an awesome job of curating your list, and make it incredibly easy for you to pull the guest info together. There are sites that help you present it in a fun, creative way.

Wedding Welcome Gift Inclusion #8:  Make it Blend

Once you have the important content figured out for what to include in your wedding welcome gift letter or information booklet, now you can focus on the aesthetics of the welcome letter. This is the fun part!

Make sure the design of your welcome letter and booklet coordinates well with the style and color palette of your welcome gifts. Think about the fonts and the colors, as well as the overall layout and design. Having a cohesive look for your wedding from start to finish will really uplevel your wedding and provide an unforgettable guest experience for your nearest and dearest. 

Ideally, your welcome gift inserts can be designed along with your other wedding stationery, including your wedding invitations, signage, and day-of paper details, like programs, menus and escort cards.

Be sure to mention that you're doing wedding welcome gifts to your stationery designer ahead of time so that they can plan and price out all of your stationery together. They will help you to make sure it is all cohesive and delivered on time. 

For more on logistics, don't miss part three of this series where I go into more detail on how to avoid mistakes with your wedding welcome gifts. 

We hope these tips have helped you map out your welcome letter or wedding information booklet, and get started! Following my tips for the eight most important things to include in your wedding welcome letter, you'll be done and in no time! 

We would love to work with you to custom design the perfect wedding welcome gifts, including a thoughtful welcome letter or booklet, to start your wedding weekend with a special personalized touch. You can also shop our curated collection of pre-designed wedding welcome gifts that you can quickly and easily add your personalized welcome letter to. 

For more, you can go back and read part one on what to include in your wedding welcome gifts from sweet treats to local keepsakes. And be sure to get more in our wedding welcome gift advice series with part three on how to avoid logistical mistakes when it comes to creating and delivering your wedding welcome gifts.

Happy wedding welcome gifting!  

3 WAYS TO DO GIFTING WITH MARIGOLD & GREY

When it comes to corporate gifting, gifts for your business, or gifts for your company's employees, clients or events, there are three unique ways to gift with Marigold & Grey.

#1: Custom Gift Design Service

If you're interested in elevated branded gifts for your company for employee appreciation, holiday or any corporate event in between, please get in touch with us to ask about our custom corporate gift design services. We'd love to work with you or your team to create something that reflects your company's brand with limitless options for customization to include branding the packaging, gift contents, printed collateral, and more. 

#2: Add-Your-Own-Logo Program (i.e. Semi-Custom Gifts)

In addition to custom gift design, we also offer a thoughtful semi-custom gift design program with low order minimums and your company's logo and brand on each gift you send. Our Add-Your-Own-Logo Program is perfect for businesses that want to send company branded gifts either all at once for an event or particular marketing campaign OR throughout the year, on demand as you need them, for special occasions like employee appreciation, birthdays, client thank-you gifts, and more.

#3: Ready-to-Ship Collection in our Online Shop

For curated gift sets and themed gift baskets that are easy to send for any occasion in life or work, don't forget to shop our curated collection of ready-to-ship gift boxes with quick turnarounds and no order minimums. These ship out within 1-3 business days; rush next-day shipping is also available at checkout.

Images: Lissa Ryan Photography and Elisenda llinares