WEDDING BAG: IDEAS AND TIPS FOR THE PERFECT KIT

28^th February 2022

If you are struggling with the planning of your wedding, you will surely have heard of the "wedding bag": a small bag holding items that can be used by your guests during the big day.

Since more than ten years this Anglo-Saxon trend has having a big success also in Italy: its function is to welcome guests and pamper them during the wedding day, offering an "emergency kit" which they can deal with the most disparate situations.

Let's see when to use wedding bags and how to best organize them!

Deciding to use wedding bags denotes a deep attention to details, as well as a strong desire to make your loved ones feel good on your day. This is why it is important to customize this gift which must be in line with the stationery, style and colors of the event. In this way, you will characterize your wedding with an unmistakable element that everyone will appreciate.

Are you wondering which materials are most used to realize wedding bags?

• Paper: the "paper bag" of any grammage, meets lower budgets and is suitable for all wedding styles;

• Fabric: jute, linen or wool for a natural and eco-sustainable style or cotton, with lace work, for a wedding with a romantic touch;

• Wicker: this is the best option for a country or rustic wedding in nature;

• Plastic: colored and transparent for a modern style with a refined design.
  
  

The wedding bag can be of different sizes and materials depending on its content: medium-small bags in any shape and texture while for the larger ones, resistant fabrics or rigid plastic are recommended. In general, I suggest to opt for a medium size, so as not to weigh down the bag and allow guests to move easily for the entire duration of the event. Furthermore, you could personalize the wedding bag with your names or a logo with your initials, along with the wedding date: remember to use the same fonts and colors as the stationery!

The delivery of the wedding bag can take place in different ways and depending on the usefulness it must have:

• At the hotel: in this case, it is more appropriate to speak of a "welcome bag" as guests will find it upon arrival in the room or at the reception. It is usually designed for destination weddings in a far away place, which include two/three days of celebrations with a dense schedule and which also includes experiences in the local territory;

• At ceremony place: your guests will find everything they need to attend your vows. Whether it's a sunny summer morning or a warm autumn afternoon, friends and relatives will have an "ad hoc" kit carefully arranged on the chairs or desks specially set up;

• At the reception location: in this case the wedding bags contain small gadgets to be used in the funniest moments of the reception. You can think of arranging them on a table at the entrance to the saloon, entrusting the task of distributing them to a loved one or a hostess. In order to avoid that someone takes more "bags" than they should and some guests are left without, it is essential to make a quick calculation during the planning phase: the ideal solution would be to provide one for each couple of different families.

The content of the weddings bag changes according to the season in which you want to get married, the location and its characteristics:

• Basic kit: that is the most common. Inside, the following must not be missing: a bottle of water, a booklet with the texts of the ceremony, paper handkerchiefs, a box/bag for rice, petals or other, sweets for any drops in pressure and moist sanitizing wipes. You can customize this kit in any way but be careful: consider small items which can be used during the ceremony. If you get married in spring, a nice idea could be to also include a hair ribbon in the main color of your wedding or a pastel-toned lip gloss. For a wedding kissed by the summer sun, however, a fan, sunglasses and sunscreen will be very appreciated! Finally, for the colder months of the year, I recommend to provide a warm stole, hand cream and gloves: your guests will be grateful to you;

• Welcome kit: it is useful for your guests who come from afar so that they can have a bag containing the wedding program with lots of information on a map of the different stages contemplated. If you have decided for the help of a wedding planner, be sure to also include its contacts: this professional will have full organizational control and it will be the most suitable figure to help your guests in case of need. And why not add a mini-guide in which to point out places of interest, restaurants or a list of activities to suggest to guests? These are tricks that will make the big day an unforgettable experience for everyone!
  
  

• Party kit: it is an alternative to the classic favor and has to be placed in the venue of the reception. This bag contains those items to face the wedding party until late at night: flip flops to dance on the beach to the rhythm of music, heel savers for walking on the lawn, nice gadgets for the "photo booth", sparkling stars to light up for the cake cutting and why not even a couple of aspirins to recover from hangover?;

• Kits for children: coloring drawings, play dough, soap bubbles and sweets are part of the winning ideas for the bag dedicated to kids. If there are children of different ages, remember to avoid anything that could put the little ones at risk, without the supervision of an adult such as candy or games with plastic parts. I recommend to rely dedicated entertainment service so that all kids can have fun in total carefree.