The Wedding Debate: Wedding Favors vs Wedding Welcome Bags

Ah, the welcome bags and wedding favor question… shall we supply both or pick one, and
which?!

If you are reading this as someone who is brand new to all things wedding planning, lets first dig into a little background of what each of these represents…

Welcome bags are great if you have a lot of guests coming from out of town and usually include items that are found locally in the area, a personalized gift based on the B&G, and/or
necessities to survive the next few days of partying! What we are thinking of here are perhaps a specific snack that is famous in your venue’s city, a coozie with your hashtag, and a “Hangover Kit” equipped with bottles of water, advil, and maybe a Pedialyte hydration packet.

Other helpful items to include are an itinerary of the event, a map of the surrounding area with
a few hotspots listed, and a thank you note to let your guests know just how excited you are to
have them there!

Moving over to party favors, these are the personalized and smaller items you receive AT the
wedding either placed nearby your plate or on a table by the door on your way out. Ones that
are seen often are bottle openers, a small box of chocolates, or in today’s climate – mini hand
sanitizer bottles. Whatever trinket you decide to go with given your style, your wedding vibe,
and venue type, they usually are all customized with the wedding date and names (or initials) of the new happy couple!

So now back to the debate – do we need both and if we are working off a of a budget, which
one?

From our professional experience and noticing that wedding “traditions” are becoming a thing
of the past, favors are not all the rage that they used to be. If you are going to pick one type of
gift and if you have a lot of guests traveling to you, we would recommend the welcome bag
upon arrival full of things that they will use for the duration of their stay.

If you do decide to add the favors, here are a couple of key points you should keep in mind
when perusing through Pinterest. It breaks our hearts to see so many favors left behind by
guests at the end of the night so don’t think TOO out of the box!

1. If your guests are traveling, try to avoid using glass! Whether they are in a car with
luggage making sharp turns or in a suitcase getting tossed through baggage claim, find
something sturdy for ultimate survival.
2. Make a favor that can double as a place card - two birds, one stone!
3. Go edible! People LOVE a sweet treat or something to indulge in at the end of the night,
I’ve even seen personal mini pizzas once!

Bottom line, it truly boils down to your preference and where you would like to allocate your
expenses but if you had to choose one, welcome bags are our way to go!

Want more inspiration for your welcome bags or favors?? Click here to check out or Instagram!