OOT gift bags

[MrsAbi]

Are you doing gift bags for your out of town guests?

We're planning on doing them. I really like this idea:
http://abi.schmidts.com/OOT.jpg

We plan to include things that represent each of us. For example, I'm from MI and he's from WA. So we're going to include a 2 disc CD set featuring musicians from each of our states. A little bag of Starbucks coffee. Bottles of MI water. Probably a few other things.

We'll also include info on the area.

[JerAndKathy]

Yep, we're doing them. :) Think we counted something like...At least 50 of them we have to get together? :faint:

[Jaci]

We are doing them also, but I'm not even worrying about them until I find out how many people are staying at the hotels we blocked off.

We are making them simple though:

bottled waters
granola bars
something sweet
something salty
local information

[Kirsten]

This is the "gee we have lots of time and wouldn't we just love to spend the afternoon assembling these?" list.

Ideas for the Out-Of-Town Baskets - This will probably be in bags rather than in “baskets.”
Small muslin bag of wild rice (a Minnesota staple) with a recipe card attached. Might put 3-4 different receipes on cards so that couples don’t get the exact same recipe(s).
Homemade sweetbread. Several options here that include Minnesota-ish ingredients. Apple-Cheddar bread (yum), Apple cake (yum), monkeybread (yum).
Homemade cookies. Might stick with some staples here like peanut butter, chocolate chip, and oatmeal. If I feel adventurous I’ll make cut-out cookies and stencil ivy leaves on them in green sugar crystals. If I feel really adventurous, I’ll make moose shaped cookies! I already have the moose shaped cookie cutter already (and a great cut-out-cookie recipe). This will, of course, depend on the weather. It's been so effing hot here lately that the last thing I'm going to do is turn on the oven. People may just have to settle for some Famous Amos cookies instead.
Couple pre-stamped Minnesota postcards. You can get a variety just about everywhere and I have a bunch of postcard stamps just sittin’ around.
Couple bottles of water. I can get these in bulk at Sam’s Club and put a wedding-ish label on them (perhaps with the ivy theme again?). As an alternate Zack suggested that I use bottles of apple juice instead.
A couple pieces of fruit
Granola bar
Small chocolate bars - like Hershey Kisses or Minature Bars. Nothing big and not too much.
Maps or Directions to local sites?. Lots of options here.
Mikey’s Diner! Mikey’s Diner is one of the last traditional boxcar diners in the United States. Because Mickey’s Diner is registered as an official historical location it’s resisted attempts at removal and relocation. Zack loves this place, especially the pork chops fried in butter. I think the food is pretty good too.
Mall of America - a great place to visit! Especially the Lego Store.
Como Zoo and Conservatory - the zoo is free, a nice walk around, and the Conservatory is simply lovely. All year round.
Aamodt’s Apple Orchard and St. Croix Vineyards - the Orchard and vinyard will be open for selling product and tours.
Dinner cruise on the St. Croix? It’s a bit pricey - around $18 per person.
Local art and science museums. Depending on the shows available it could be fun.
Gateway Trail - will be within a mile from the proposed hotel.

Magnet perhaps with an outline of the state and then some nice graphics, wedding date, or pic of Zack and I
Coupons to local restaurants especially the one next to the proposed hotel.


I have no idea how much will actually make it into the gift bags, though. I'm also thinking that any leftovers will be in the "Bridal Party Emergency Kit." I'm not sure I'll have any time for eating that day.

[JerAndKathy]

Kirsten:
Have you gotten local resturant coupons yet? (Sorry, dunno your date LoL) How willing were they to give coupons?

[Kirsten]

Kirsten:
Have you gotten local resturant coupons yet? (Sorry, dunno your date LoL) How willing were they to give coupons?
I haven't actually gotten them yet. But if I do, I'll let you know. Sorry I couldn't be more help!

[JerAndKathy]

Kirsten:
No problem. We know of one place for sure that gives 10% an entree with purchase of another entree...Or something coupons to the local hotel. We plan on hitting them up along with some others...Just some coupons to 'get people in the door'...

[Jaci]

Hmmm, suddenly I'm regretting NOT staying in a hotel while down there :P

And shortbread huh...someone has delectable recipes for shortbread? That's so weird...:giggle:

[Kirsten]

Hmmm, suddenly I'm regretting NOT staying in a hotel while down there :P

And shortbread huh...someone has delectable recipes for shortbread? That's so weird...:giggle:
No, it says "sweetbread" silly! Of course, now I remembered what I was supposed to do an feel like an idiot for forgetting to do it for so long. . . .I will get my butt in gear tonight. . . Promise.

I think I can arrange an extra basket for you and Chris, so don't worry!

[Jaci]

YAY!

I'm getting so excited for that day, so far I haven't had anyone even inquire about the date, and I really don't think that I will. The only thing that will get in the way now is a parade or something.

[Kirsten]

Good for me! I luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuv parties where I'm the center of attention!

Now if I can just remember where I put those darned shortbread recipes. . . ;)

[lizaanne]

MissAbi!!! Don't forget Vernors!! :)

I really want to do these for our guests. I would love to do a combination of things from England and things from Michigan, but with everything else going on they are low on the list.

~Liza

[carolinalady67]

We are doing them. I like your inspiration photo. I got red and purple (our wedding colors) gift bags from a site on line for a great price I'm going to use. Because we live on the coast I'm going to get a beach towel for everyone this fall when they go on season end clearance and a few other local items.

[MrsAbi]

MissAbi!!! Don't forget Vernors!! :)

I really want to do these for our guests. I would love to do a combination of things from England and things from Michigan, but with everything else going on they are low on the list.

~Liza

Oh Vernors! Duh!

Let me know if you do decide to do them. I'll be more than happy to help brainstorm.

[lizaanne]

Oh Vernors! Duh!

Let me know if you do decide to do them. I'll be more than happy to help brainstorm.

So far for the Michigan side I'm thinking:

Small bags of Better Made potato chips
Dried Traverse City Cherries
Vernors (of course, even though I hate it)
A jar of Sanders Hot Fudge

From the England side:

A scone mix
Jar of clotted cream
Tea bags
A linen tea towel


It's getting all the stuff and putting it together!!! UGH!!!

What else are you thinking for the Michigan ideas? Do you have different stuff than this? I'm sure you do!!! Would love to hear your ideas!

~Liza

[Theresa]

We got little gift bags at Michael's and wrote "Welcome to Boston! Love, Theresa and Matt" on the bags. Then we filled them with 2 bottled waters, a post-card map of the T, a post-card from the church we were getting married at, 2 granola bars, mixed candy, maps of historic sites in Boston, brochures for the different museums and a brochure for the Boston duck tours.

[*Ashley*]

We're doing some.

We're using cowbow hats that my mom bought at Target for a dollar each to put everything in. Some ideas so far (bold we have already):


Bandana -- red or orange, not sure yet. Red is the "norm" but Michael likes the idea of orange because of UT.
UT playing cards or Texas playing cards
Texas postcards?
Candy (I think I'm gonna do orange and white M&M's or red/white/blue)
Hot sauce FROM mexico (we got it on vacation, LOL)
Directions to different spots in Houston
maybe Houston visitors guide
bottled water
Thank you card for coming from out of town
Cowboy hat it's all going to go in.


I'm open for ideas!

*smacks head*

I almost forgot -- Little Texas Flags!! Most of our guests are coming from New York :) (in fact, ALL our OOT guests are coming from New York except for my two brothers...

[*heather*]

Ashley, I want a gift hat filled with goodies!

We had to make over 100 of these, so we had to do them on the cheap. We put in Charms pops (for Charm City-Baltimore), Baltimore postcards, peanuts, magazines of local attractons (just call the chamber of commerce or the tourism board, they'll send you everything, free!), tissue packets that we made, and a welcome letter with an itinerary for the weekend. I think I'm forgetting something...

[Kirsten]

. . . . (just call the chamber of commerce or the tourism board, they'll send you everything, free!)...
Awesome idea Heather!

[~Sara~]

We did them too...only had to do about 24 though.

Here's what we included:
-Bottles of water
-Granola bars
-Mini bags of chips
-Fruit snacks
-Assorted Hershey Kisses
-Mini chocolate bars
-Famous Amos cookies
-Crackers
-A jar of Tony Packos sauce (a Toledo speciality :heee: )
-A visitor's guide that we got from our Visitor's Bureau...it included a map of the city, a city mag, list of events happening in July, and a card that could be used at discounts at local stores during the weekend of the wedding (with our names printed on the front!)- All free from the Visitor's Bureau!
-A welcome note that included an invitation to the brunch the next morning

We got lots and lots of compliments on them so I'm really happy we did them :) I definitely second checking out the Visitor's Bureau (or something similar)..I had no clue they would give us so much free stuff!

[MrsAbi]

What else are you thinking for the Michigan ideas? Do you have different stuff than this? I'm sure you do!!! Would love to hear your ideas!


Your list looks great. My mom just brought back cherries from Traverse City.

We're going to do the Vernors, candy from the Morley candy factory (down the road from our site), cd with MI artists, toy car for the kids, Better Made chips, MI spring water, 2 bottles of MI beer.

[lizaanne]

Ooo! I love the Morley Candy idea! Maybe better than the Sanders Hot Fudge - too bulky of a bottle, and chocolate would be easier to transport back home. Hmmm - will have to think about it some more.

Tossed it around with FH, and he loves the idea! YAY! Agreement!! :)

~Liza

[*Ashley*]

Thank you so much for the tip Heather! I wonder how far out I'd have to ask for them here in Houston.

[*heather*]

I called Baltimore about 2 months ahead, and that was plenty of time.

[Theresa]

We're doing some.

We're using cowbow hats that my mom bought at Target for a dollar each to put everything in. Some ideas so far (bold we have already):


Bandana -- red or orange, not sure yet. Red is the "norm" but Michael likes the idea of orange because of UT.
UT playing cards or Texas playing cards
Texas postcards?
Candy (I think I'm gonna do orange and white M&M's or red/white/blue)
Hot sauce FROM mexico (we got it on vacation, LOL)
Directions to different spots in Houston
maybe Houston visitors guide
bottled water
Thank you card for coming from out of town
Cowboy hat it's all going to go in.


I'm open for ideas!

*smacks head*

I almost forgot -- Little Texas Flags!! Most of our guests are coming from New York :) (in fact, ALL our OOT guests are coming from New York except for my two brothers...


I LOVE this!! If I'd gotten married at home (Dallas) I would've loved to have done something like that!

[mrs.g]

Being that the majority of our guests will be OOT, actually OOCountry, we'll be doing gift bags for them, just not sure what yet, but I've gotten a general idea from this thread.

So just to make sure I have the correct idea, you put stuff from/about the city/state/country where the wedding is being held?

[JerAndKathy]

We stumbled across these little fabric activity bags at JoAnns (will have a pic soon, probably) so we bought a shitload of clearance 4th fabric and suckered MOG into making them for us cheaper than buying them. :D

We'll be stuffing them with all of our goodies and hanging them from the clothes bar in the hotel rooms, likely.

[*meghan*]

We are doing these, since about 90% of our guests are OOT. So far we have:

-Welcome letter with itineraries, directions, things to do, etc.
-Visitor packet from Greensboro Visitors Bureau with maps, restaurants, bars, etc.
-Bottled water
-Packs of crackers
-Granola bar
-Gum

We are keeping it simple since we have to make so many of them! :)

[KathyandJer]

Not only can you get magazines and maps and stuff from the tourism bureau... but I just sent emails to the mayors of the cities that we live in asking for information and possibly some promotional items (pins/pens/pencils/balloons etc...). Also did the same with the state governor and the provincial premier! We want the OOT baskets to reflect a little bit of both of us :)

Will let you know if it works!

[Rosebud]

We are only having a few out of towners which is a big stressor off of us, so in making them feel welcome we're putting all of the following in rope handled bags (probably from a Dollar Store):

Gum/Candy
Mini bags of cookies (like from Costco)
Prestamped postcard?
Visitor’s Guide (thanks to the Visitor’s Bureau)
Maps to favorite scenic locations, the casino, our favorite restaurants, the cheapest gas stations, banks, museums, day-use parks,
Lotion
Bottled water
Phone numbers of local contacts in case we can’t be contacted.
Emery board
Hand sanitizer
Local tips such as: radar around here is strictly enforced, please drive the posted speed limit. If you see a deer dart out onto the road, chances are there is a second one.

For everyone's amusement, we're including a checklist of items that our guests might encounter if they happen to go to the waterfront (which is likely), the casino, on a leisurely walk through our numerous parks or just driving around the area.

Welcome to the Olympic Peninsula! We hope you enjoy your stay. See if you can spot some of our local charm:
deer
elk
sheep
seagulls
seals
canadian geese
eagles
ducks
robins
ravens/crows
bluejays
a National Park sign
snowcapped mountains
Native American art
seashells
seaweed
driftwood
crab shells
waterfalls
logging trucks
ferry boat
a couple wearing flannel
someone that looks like the Gorton’s fisherman

Count the Coffee Shacks - a tally (our big joke is that town with populations as small as ours don't need as many coffee shacks as we have)

[theAmericanNtheSwede]

we are thinking of doing 2 versions of ours. since i am american and my sweedie is swedish our guest are coming from both countries.
the wedding is beach themed so all will go in sand pails.

the american guests will receive:
suntan lotion
aloe
water
map and area info
swedish marmelade
swedish chocolate
swedish fish (the candy)

the swedes will receive:
suntan lotion
aloe
water
map and area info
keylime candy
saltwater taffy
a conch shell

[djbabyj]

Does anyone have pictures of their OOT gift bags? i know what i want to put in them but i am curious as to how everyones have turned out. :)

[Fellnlove92203]

I was just wondering what you guys put in your welcome letter. I am trying to write ours now so we have it out of the way and I am completely stuck. If anyone can help that would be great!

[Poloke]

Shanna, you might wanna ask Kathy&Jer, they seem to be the king & queen of OOT BAGS:)

[Fellnlove92203]

Thanks Paula... will do!

[Poloke]

when we make ours i will post pics:)

[KathyandJer]

:shuffle: King & Queen of OOT bags :blush:

This royal couple are royally STUCK with the welcome letter :laugh3: Putting a personal note...a little bit of information about the area (hoping to get people reading the booklet from the visitor's bureau!), and an invitation for them to come back and visit anytime :)

Other pages in the portfolio will include maps 'n directions, contact information (FMIL is awesome at directions!), Itinerary and a "What's this for?" page to explain why some of the items were included in the bag (if they're not self-explanatory :lol:). Other than that, the portfolio's will have a sheet protector or two which will hold some of the take-out menu's etc... that we're collecting!

[*Diane*]

Susan, I love :love: your idea of your local charms! What a great idea!

[FutureMrsCrumpacker]

Since our wedding was a few weeks before halloween, I used a plastic pumpkin to put the items in. Included was

A welcome letter from Dh and I hand written
Bottled Water
Water flavoring packets
Mini Bags of Chips
Bag of Peanuts
Little packages of cookies
Map of the town
Coloring book and crayons for families with children
Sudoku and word search book
Package of kleenex
Travel sized hand lotion and lint roller
Map of the area
Copy of invitation and schedule
Map from hotel to ceremony and ceremony to reception and reception to their house
Info on local restaurants, hours, phone numbers, and menus and coupons
A picture of DH and I in a frame

I only had to make 10 of these, they ended up being about $11.50 each but I got so many thanks for them...I got a lot of the stuff at walmart and the dollar tree (including the frame)

[*Diane*]

For their late October wedding, Biz and Jeff used these bags for their OOT guest bags:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cf27b3127cceb042857e24cc00000035118GZt2zhyzY
without the baby, of course. :giggle:

We put in maps, personalized itineraries, bottles of water, locally made salsa, Little Debbie cakes (also made locally), chips, pretzels, fake vampire teeth, fake tats, and lots of other stuff that I can't remember anymore. :blush:

[km]

These ideas are so nice,, as a guest I would certainly like any one of them, or all,,, :lol:

[Bridget]

The Halloween bag is great! So creative. The most I have gotten at wedding has been water, candy, maps to attractions and menus to nearby restaurants, so I appreciate the extra touches and creativity!

[Kiera]

We're doing them as well. I have a general idea of how many out of town guests we're going to have, but I'm waiting for the final count when we mail out invitations.

I haven't decided exactly what's going in them, but I have an idea. Ah!