Fun Ideas for Patriotic Welcome Bags

If you’re hosting a party with people coming in from out of town, you’ll want to make sure they feel welcome when they arrive at their hotel.  A hotel welcome basket has become expected from out-of-town guests and I think it should be expected.  If your friends and family are spending time and money to come to town for your event, you should thank them and welcome them as soon as they arrive!

 

Have fun with your welcome bags!  Sure, you’ll want to add snacks and drinks, but why not theme the bag a bit to your city or to your event?  I got married on July 4^th, so we had patriotic theme welcome bags! Since July 4^th is quickly approaching, I thought I’d share some ideas for a patriotic welcome bag (or any welcome bag!):

 

We started with American flag tote bags.  They carried LOTS of stuff and our friends are still using them 5 years later.  We added some snacks: cookies, pretzels, water, juice, fruit, etc.  (Go to a local Costco or Target to stock up for your bags.)

 

We added some fun Patriotic items that I got online, like:

• Pinwheels

• Personalized pencils

• Uncle Sam notepads

• Small American Flags

• USA Flag beaded necklaces.

 

We also added a few Cleveland favorites:

• Cleveland Indians peanuts (from a local nut company)

• Stadium mustard
  

• Chocolate from Malleys – a local favorite

 

And, of course we included a welcome letter with a weekend schedule, maps and a list of fun things to do in Cleveland for “free time” during the weekend.

The bags were stuffed and were a big hit!  When making your welcome bags, make sure to add some snacks, a nice welcome and a weekend schedule.  Beyond that have fun with themed favors and local goodies.  It will make for a wonderful start to an event weekend!

 

Amy