When I got married last year, I had a lot on my plate. I was planning a wedding from 2500 miles away, not to mention trying to accommodate our huge guest list that consisted of about 50% out of town guests. I wanted these people to know that they were appreciated for taking the time to travel, rent a car and book a hotel for our wedding. However, with a hefty out of town list of well over 120 people, I had to find a way to do this without breaking the bank.
Since my wedding was held in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan, I wanted to show the out-of-towners that Michigan, and especially Detroit, Michigan, could actually be a pretty cool and beautiful place to visit, despite its poor reputation. To do this, I put together some very personal, hometown gift bags for my guests, without spending a ton of money.
To start, I bought the bags themselves from Oriental Trading to match our wedding colors. Buying in bulk saved a ton of money, and you can even have the bags personalized (although I printed my own labels). Next, I headed to Costco and purchased bottled water and small bags of local Better-Made chips emblazoned with the Detroit Tiger’s Logo (a lucky find!). I also ordered Mackinac Island Fudge in bulk to please our guest’s sweet tooth. Finally, by contacting my state’s Travel and Tourism department, I was able to get 120 state and local maps for free. I also put together my own list of “things to do” with specific foods, features and places that my fiancee and I loved in the area.
As a final touch, I purchased some locally-grown Michigan Cherries and Apples at Costco so the guests would have something healthy to munch on. Because almost everything was purchased in bulk, I was able to spend a little and give a lot. And, using hometown goodies made everything really personal. Do you have any ideas of your own for hotel gift bags?
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October 3rd, 2008 at 11:00 am
Where did you order the Mackinaw Island Fudge from? I’m a Michigan Bride myself who wanted to do something similar, so I was wondering how cheap you were able to find the fudge. Thanks!
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:13 am
Hi Patty! I actually ordered it from http://www.mackinacislandfudgeco.com and they did a great job!