New Trends In Wedding Welcome Bags & Gift Boxes

If there's one thing we’ve learned over the years of creating custom wedding welcome bags and gift boxes at Marigold & Grey, it's that couples want their gifts to feel like them. As weddings become more personalized, so too do the gifts that greet guests upon arrival. This year, it’s all about intention—thoughtful details, practical beauty, and a celebration of your unique story.

A wedding welcome gift can help set the tone for your wedding weekend and will make your guests feel even more cared for, particularly if they have traveled a long way for your celebration. While there are some standard items that are often included in wedding welcome gifts, think drinks and snacks, the sky is the limit when it comes to personalized keepsake items to gift your wedding guests.

Here are the top 8 trends in wedding welcome gifts for 2025...

1. Tone-on-Tone Color Palettes

Neutral is never boring—especially when it’s done with intention. One of our favorite trends this year is tone-on-tone gifting. Think layered whites, warm taupes, or varying shades of green, all wrapped up in one cohesive look. This monochromatic approach is elegant, elevated, and photographs like a dream. It also lets the texture and shape of each item shine, creating a soft, sophisticated aesthetic that feels modern yet timeless.

If you are planning on a monochromatic color palette for your wedding, this is an easy way to tie in your welcome gifts. If you are using multiple colors for your wedding, you can choose one from your palette to highlight for your wedding welcome gifts.

2. Reusable and Sustainable Packaging

Gone are the days of one-and-done packaging. Couples are embracing eco-conscious options like keepsake wooden boxes, linen totes, and woven baskets that guests can use long after the wedding is over. These choices aren’t just about sustainability (though that’s certainly part of it)—they also add a luxe feel to the gift while giving guests something practical and beautiful to take home.

Sustainable packaging can also help highlight your wedding venue or theme. If you are having a tropical destination wedding, consider a seagrass basket as your gifting vessel. If you are getting married at the beach or on the coast, a personalized tote bag is the perfect gifting package. Love a rustic look and feel? Opt for a wooden box that guests can use as a memory box after wedding weekend.

3. Pets in the Spotlight

We’ve seen a surge in couples including their four-legged family members in their gift design and we’re here for it! From illustrated pups on custom gift tags and wedding stationery to pet-inspired custom cookies, pets are getting their moment to shine. It’s a playful, heartfelt detail that adds a personal touch guests always notice. Beloved pets are often not able to be a part of the wedding day itself, so this is a fun way to incorporate your pet into your wedding weekend and add a personalized touch to your welcome gifts.

4. Welcome Booklets That Go Beyond the Timeline

Wedding weekend itineraries have evolved. Welcome booklets are becoming miniature keepsakes, filled with more than just logistics. Couples are including their love story, fun facts, favorite local spots, meet-the-bridal-party features, and even QR codes for shared photo albums. It’s a personal, thoughtful addition that helps guests feel more connected to the celebration.

A wedding weekend itinerary is an essential item to include in your wedding welcome gifts. Having all the important details for your guests in one place is helpful and ensures everyone will know where to be and when to arrive. Be sure to get all of our tips on what to include in your wedding welcome gift letter.

5. Custom Maps

Custom map cards continue to trend—and for good reason. These beautifully illustrated guides do more than help guests navigate the weekend; they tell the story of the location. Whether it’s a hometown wedding or a destination affair, featuring key spots like the ceremony venue, welcome party location, and must-visit cafés gives guests a curated peek into your world.

A custom map could be a helpful and practical walking guide for guests visiting a new city, or a more decorative element to add personalization to your wedding stationery. An artwork inspired map could be used on custom-printed tote bags, on your wedding welcome booklet, on custom gift tags and even used in your wedding invitation suite for a cohesive look.

6. Monogram Everything (In a Chic Way)

Monogramming remains a classic, but this year, it’s being done with subtlety and style. Think debossed leather tags, embroidered hand towels, and foil-stamped boxes. The key? Keeping it clean and understated. Monograms are no longer just initials—they’re design elements that elevate the entire unboxing experience.

A custom designed monogram is another element you can use in multiple ways, from your wedding invitation suite to custom gift tags on your welcome gifts to wedding day stationery like menu cards or table numbers.

7. Locally-Sourced Finds

Couples are increasingly choosing gifts that reflect the flavor of their wedding destination—literally and figuratively. From small-batch honey in Charleston to locally roasted coffee in the Pacific Northwest, these regional touches give guests a taste of the place you’ve chosen to say “I do.” It’s a beautiful way to support local businesses and share something meaningful with your guests.

This is perhaps our favorite wedding welcome gift trend as we love to source local items from small businesses. Whether you are having a wedding in your home town or a far away destination, choosing local items is a great way to introduce your loved ones and wedding guests to some of your favorite treats or an iconic item your wedding city is known for.

8. Meaningful Personalization

The term “personalized” has come a long way. This year, it’s not just about names and dates—it’s about gifting with purpose. We’re seeing couples include items that reflect their shared hobbies (hello, mini watercolor kits for artist couples!), heirloom recipes, or stories behind the chosen gift items. These choices help your guests experience your wedding weekend not just as an event, but as a reflection of who you are together.

Have a favorite sports team? Let’s create custom cookies to celebrate your shared interest- or rivalry! Did you meet and fall in love at college? Let’s incorporate your alma mater’s logo or school colors. You could each pick your favorite candy or a favorite item from your hometown to treat your guests to. The possibilities here are endless but adding those personal touches really does go a long way.

The new wedding welcome gifting trends are all about celebrating love through thoughtful design and personal storytelling. Whether you lean into tone-on-tone minimalism or fill your gift with local charm and custom touches, the key is crafting something that feels intentional, cohesive, and uniquely you.

If you are looking for more advice on creating your wedding welcome gifts, be sure to check out our past advice posts on what to include in your wedding welcome gifts, how to create a wedding welcome gift letter or booklet, and how to avoid wedding welcome gift logistics mistakes. And for even more wedding welcome gift inspiration, check out the galleries of custom wedding welcome gift designs. 

Reach out to our gifting experts to learn more about how we can create custom wedding welcome gifts to help tell your love story and make your wedding guests feel loved and appreciated. 

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