Travel Wedding favors

Destination Wedding welcome bags (or Out of Town Bags) and favors are a great way to show your appreciation to those who have traveled the distance and spent a considerable amount of cash to attend your destination wedding. But all too often, wedding favors just get dumped in the trash or left behind.

So, a few months ago, I gathered ideas from hundreds of destination brides who already got married. They shared their thoughts on the type of welcome bag items and favors their guests loved, as well as the misses.

Side Note: I’m going to use Welcome Bags/Out of town bags and favors interchangeably throughout this post because for a destination wedding you can do one or the other. Many brides choose to put the “favors” inside a “welcome bag” and hand it out when their guests first arrive. You can even arrange it so the resort can hand them to guests upon check in or for a nicer touch – you can greet them with their bags when they check in.

So without further ado, below is a list of the hits & misses according to the destination brides I polled.

The Hits

The biggest welcome bag hits are items that your guests wouldn’t think to bring for themselves, things they could easily forget to bring, or gifts that will make their trips easier and more comfortable. Here they are in no particular order.

1. Tote Bags or Beach Bags

Beach bags are probably the most popular giveaway for destination weddings. Not only can you use them as the welcome bag that holds all your other times, but the best part is that your guests will put them to good use during their trip as well. Plus it’s something they can use for future vacation travel.

2. Flip Flops

I gave flip flops away at my wedding, so I can personally attest to the fact that they were a huge, huge hit. Five years later, friends and family tell me they still have theirs! Hand these out at the reception and your guests will have absolutely no excuse for not hitting the dance floor.