Tips for Creating Welcome Gifts on a Tight Budget

Are you planning your wedding and wondering how you can fit wedding welcome gifts into your budget? Do you even need to have wedding welcome gifts? Or maybe you are wondering what wedding welcome gifts even are and what to include in your welcome gift bags.

With an abundance of swoon-worthy wedding inspiration on Pinterest, Etsy, industry blogs and influencer social media posts, it’s easy for one’s wedding budget to get out of hand. By the time guest response cards come rolling in, it can be difficult to carve out room in the budget for guest experience details such as wedding welcome gifts.

Since welcome gifts are a great way to set the tone for an amazing wedding weekend and have even become something guests secretly hope for upon arrival, we are going to be sharing some gifting expert insider tips all about creating welcome gifts on a budget. But, don’t worry! We’re not talking about shoving two water bottles in a brown paper bag and calling it a day. Your gifts will still be beautiful and full of thought, just done with a budget in mind.

Downsize the Size

A popular option for wedding welcome gifts is to choose a tote bag and fill them with goodies. These do make for a nice keepsake for your wedding guests that they can reuse in the future, but then you have to source all the items to fill them up and make the bags look full. The budget-conscious way is to choose smaller size packaging that won’t require tons of items in order to make it look like a substantial gift. I highly recommend small gift boxes or mini tote bags. They make a great statement without the additional expense!

Dress Up the Ordinary

I joked about the brown paper bag in my intro but plain kraft bags don’t necessarily have to be a bad thing! A kraft bag with handles, dressed up with some beautiful ribbon and a hanging gift tag can look stylish and high-quality! Consider additional ways to fancy it up such as feathers or paper flowers, both of which can be bought online in bulk at low prices. This is an easy DIY to tackle in the final days leading up to your wedding. 

Back to Basics

While I always love creating welcome gifts using snacks and keepsakes that are handcrafted and sourced locally, if you’re on a budget, stick to the basics. Ultimately, your guests want something to snack on while they are getting ready or munchies for midnight when the wedding is over. Instead of macarons from your local patisserie, opt for a package of regular cookies at a fraction of the cost. A grocery-store brand will suffice. For a savory option, a bag of simple trail mix or cocktail nuts are perfect.

Buy in Bulk

The easiest way to save money with your wedding welcome gifts is to avoid sparking water and alcoholic choices such as wine and champagne. Purchase regular bottled water in bulk and add two bottles per gift. This is probably one of THE most important items to include in your gifts and always appreciated by guests. Staying hydrated during wedding weekend is important and not every hotel offers bottled water for their guests.

It's not just the water bottles or snacks that you can buy in bulk to save money. The same is true for popular amenity items such as Advil, gum, breath mints and even Pepto Bismol tablets. These are fantastic items to add to your welcome gifts and can easily be bought in bulk for hugely discounted prices. Putting together your own "hangover recovery kits" can be cheaper than buying the cutesy ones you see online.

Avoid Hotel Charges

When considering your wedding welcome gift budget, get in touch with the hotel(s) where your guests will be staying to discuss logistics. Some hotels charge for handling welcome gifts. There’s usually always a charge if the gifts are being hand-delivered directly to the guest rooms. Some hotels even charge to hand them out at the front desk. If this is the case, you might consider asking a friend to be present at the hotel to greet your guests upon check-in. This way, your guests get an even more personal welcome and you avoid the additional fees. A win-win!

Welcome Favors

Rather than purchasing several items per welcome gift, consider just one single gift item wrapped with ribbon and a gift tag. For example, I like the idea of a small favor box of macarons or even a small package of cookies. It’s a nice gesture to welcome your guests without all the additional items, making it easier on your budget but still letting your guests know they’re special. It’s actually very similar to a wedding favor except you’re presenting it upon arrival rather than at the end.

Gift Tag and Welcome Letter Combined

In addition to the contents of your wedding welcome gift, you also want to think including a welcome note or letter. A heartfelt note of "thank you for being here" can go a long way without breaking the bank. Be sure to also include the itinerary details for your wedding weekend along with the welcome letter so that all your guests will have the important information at the ready. 

However, the cost of having such paper goods designed and printed can add up. Consider a hanging gift tag with a simple message that expresses “welcome”, “thank you” and your names all at the same time. You can then ask the hotel to offer directions to guests who inquire about the weekend itinerary without having to print extra materials.

That does it for our best tips for creating DIY wedding welcome gifts on a budget. For more help in putting together your wedding welcome gifts, be sure to read our tips on what to include in wedding welcome gifts. 

If DIY-ing it is not your style, reach out to our gifting experts to inquire about custom wedding welcome gifts. And for more inspiration about how to personalize your wedding welcome gifts, be sure to check out our galleries of custom wedding welcome gift sets.

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: Elisenda llinares,  Natalie Franke Photography,  The Knot, Krista A. Jones Photography