Welcoming Your Out of Town Guests

Out of Town Gift Bags

When planning a wedding, every courteous bride wants to take good care of her guests.  When you have guests who have traveled a good distance to attend your special day, it can be important to let them know how appreciative you are of the time and money they spent on their trip. The best way to do this is to provide small gift bags to out of town guests (also called OTT bags for “out-of-town” bags) at their hotel.  Bags are a great choice because your guests can fold the bags, which easily fit in their luggage. Here is a video on how to put together your OTT bags.

When deciding whether to use OTT bags, consider the type of wedding you’re having and how far guests have to travel.

Destination Wedding Guests
For guests attending a destination wedding, the answer to OTT bags is almost always yes.  All of your guests are traveling a good distance to get to your wedding.  When they check in at their resort or hotel, arrange to have an OTT bag waiting for each guest either at the front desk, or in their room. These bags should include

• local maps,
• a guide to nearby attractions
• an itinerary for any events you have planned
• snacks and drinks
• warm thank you note for coming to the wedding

You can also include items that go with the locale you are in.  For example, sunscreen and leis in tropical locations, or scarves for a snowy mountain retreat.

Traditional Wedding
If you have several guests coming in from out of town you may want to consider OTT bags.  These gift bags should match your wedding theme and colors. Consider including

• candles,
• bath beads or salts, or
• candy

If your guests are coming from a very long distance and are unfamiliar with the area you may consider including some local maps and information as well.

If you only have one or two guests staying in a hotel, but the majority is local, you will probably want to skip the gift bags.  Instead, invest that money in nicer wedding favors that all of your guests enjoy.  If you have just one special family coming from another country, you can of course always give them a special gift to show your appreciation for the distance they traveled to attend your wedding.

Don’t Play Favorites
It is important to keep in mind that gift bags like this should be all or none.  If you choose to greet your resort guests with OTT bags, you will have to provide these to everyone regardless of how far they traveled. As well, you should probably provide some gift bags to guests who have come from out of town but are staying with friends and family.

Do-it-Yourself OTT Bags
If you do decide to put together gift bags to greet your guests, put some time and attention into creating these fun treats.  There are a plethora of sites offering personalized wedding favors that can be used in gift bags.  As mentioned above, bath salts are a good idea as well as soaps or lotions.   You can also provide bottled water with personalized labels, sleep masks, and airline pillows to ensure a comfortable return trip for your guests.  Putting together gift bags can be a unique and fun personal touch to let your guests know just how important they are to you.