Top 5 Reasons to Provide Welcome Bags to Your Out-of-Town Guests

Today we have a guest blog by Bow Tie Bags. They give us some good reasons you'll want to have welcome bags for your out-of-town guests.

1. First impression- Your out-of-town guests have traveled from near and far to celebrate your special day. Providing elegant, personalized welcome bags at your guests' hotel not only thanks them for attending and celebrating with you, but it creates a memorable first impression of the weekend that will follow. 

2. Low-cost- Welcome bags are an important detail, but they don't have to break your wedding budget. Providing a custom wedding welcome bag can cost around $10 per welcome bag. According to TheKnot.com, newlyweds (and their families) spent on average $28,400 on their weddings in 2012.  If you anticipate needing 25-30 welcome bags (one per hotel room typically), the welcome bag cost equates to just 1% of the average wedding cost!

3.Empty Stomachs-Providing a welcome bag for your guests when they check into their hotel will help satiate their immediate hunger and thirst.  Throughout the weekend, these snack items help bridge the gaps between meals and keep your guests happy and energetic!

4. Itinerary- Besides providing snack food and other essentials for your out-of-town guests, welcome bags are great for providing information about your wedding. You've planned meticulously for this weekend, so make sure your guests are where they need to be when they need to be there by including a schedule of events for the weekend. The itinerary can include the time and venue of the rehearsal dinner, the wedding itself, and the post-wedding breakfast, along with driving directions to/from the hotel.

5. Forgetful Guests- Your out-of-town guests may forget to bring a few important travel items with them, such as Advil and hand sanitizer.  Including these items in a welcome bag will save them a trip to the drug store so your guests can enjoy your wedding weekend care-free!

Bow Tie Bags was founded to save engaged couples the time, energy, and hassle of creating wedding welcome bags for their out-of-town guests. With their simple online ordering process, you can create elegant, personalized wedding welcome bags in just a few clicks. They assemble your welcome bags and ship them to you or your wedding guests’ hotel, while you spend your time and energy on other important details to make your wedding the most memorable day of your life! Visit them on Twitter @BowTieBags or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bowtiebags and Pinterest www.pinterest.com/bowtiebag

Are Brides Really Stressed or Do They Just Think They Have to Be?

In a recent #WeddingMarket chat, an interesting topic came up: Are brides truly stressed out with wedding planning or do they simply take on the role of being stressed out because everybody tells them they should be?

To answer this question, let's start by defining what stress is. According to Webster, stress is "a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation." It can be caused by negative or positive experiences, environmental factors, or other external stimuli. With that in mind, planning a wedding can definitely fall under the stress causing category. To say otherwise, is unfair. Keep in mind, that stress is a natural part of life, and increases or decreases depending on the specific situation. The bigger question, in my opinion, is how the bride deals with it.

Every personality is different. Some people use stress to help them get things done, while others may take it as a signal to ask for help. Whatever the case, feelings of stress or overwhelm can play an important part for the engaged couple. Pinpointing what's causing the most stress for the bride is instrumental in helping her overcome the issue and start to relax and enjoy her engagement.

Everyone agrees that this is a happy time for the engaged couple and that wedding planning should be fun and enjoyable, not stressful. But lots of new emotions and feelings come with getting engaged. Throw that into the mix of wedding planning and the situation becomes ripe for added stress. Plus the couple might be dealing with other issues like financial limits or family drama, which could create more challenges.

Yes, stress is real. Validate it and then see where it's stemming from. Maybe there is an easy fix, like hiring a wedding planner to help if a bride isn't the most organized person. Or maybe it will take a bit more effort, like seeking out therapy for an anxiety issue. Once the stressor is identified and worked on, brides will likely have more fun in planning their wedding.