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?

Lately it seems everyone around me is getting engaged and, true to form, all of the weddings seem to be within the same 2-month period.  Normally, this would be a really exciting time for me–I’d get to see all of my closest friends and family while celebrating at a great event.  However, living in California, I am anywhere from 500 to 3000 miles away from most of the weddings I have to attend.  This can pose quite a problem with plane fares being what they are, not to mention time off from work!  Throw in some showers, bachelorette parties and even some engagement parties, and I have quite the schedule to work out!

That’s why it’s important for every bride-to-be (and their families and friends!) to make sure they get the word out about their various events with time to spare.  Of course, they want all of the people closest to them to be present at their event.  But, depending on the date and number of out of town guests, that can be quite a challenge.

The general rule that most people should follow is to get party invitations out at least three weeks in advance, with a month being even better.  As far as wedding invitations go, anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks is best.  If you follow these rules, you’ll give all of your out of town guests time to  schedule and save on flights, take vacation time and truly get excited about your event.  If your event falls on or near a holiday, it’s best to give them as much notice as you can.

And don’t forget–Wedding Paper Divas has some great Save-the-Date cards that will let your guests start planning well before the big day.  These can be sent out anywhere from 4 to 9 months in advance, so you can assure that everyone will be available to celebrate!

As a part of a wedding stationery suite, most couples send out directions cards to help their friends and family find their way to the ceremony site and the reception. But, if you have guests visiting from out of town, you might consider something a little more high tech, like Wedding Mapper.

This interactive site asks you to enter the city, state and date of your wedding, then generates a Google map of the area that you can use to mark where the ceremony and reception will be. But the fun doesn’t stop there–you can add icons for you and your local relatives’ homes, your favorite restaurants, entertainment venues, hotels, airports and local attractions.

You can also add personalized messages and images that will pop up when guests first access the site and when they place their cursor over any location you highlight. Plus, you can use the site to look up local vendors and connect with the wedding community in the city you select.

This online tool is easy to use, really fun to do and totally free! I think it’s a great way to help your guests become acquainted with your city and to get everyone excited about your upcoming nutpials!