Welcome. Have a bag.

A sweet, but totally financially draining, tradition is the welcome bag for out of town guests. Why, oh why, must you spend even more money on people who will be enjoying the fruits of your labor at your wedding? Simply put? It's your wedding. You are getting enjoyment out of it. They are spending a boatload of cash to fly out, stay at a hotel, rent a car, find a babysitter for the kids/dog/fish, and buy you a gift so the least you can do for these friends & family making the extra effort is say a special thank you for their commitment to your friendship.

That being said, you don't have to go broke with the welcome bags. Here are some fun things to include that will not break the bank:

- Transportation Maps. If you're getting married in a city, these are a lifesaver for out-of-towners and usually free. Just pick some up at your local subway or bus stop.

- Time Out [insert city here]. These magazines are great and have a zillion things to do that will keep your family & friends from trying to spend time with you when you're trying to prep for the wedding.

- A Transportation Fare Card. Again, super useful, relatively cheap (depending on how many people you're buying for), and keeps people out of your hair and lets them explore the city.

- Brochures for the area. These are especially helpful if you're getting married somewhere in a smaller town or in the country. They usually contain maps and directions to the points of interest and give your visitors a chance to explore someplace they may not have been.

- A local treat. This can range from a local brew (you only need to include 1 bottle of beer per guest) to the town's famous fudge to a genuine Washington apple (if you're getting married in, say, Washington).

- Travel directions from their location to the ceremony/reception. Incredibly easy and cheap to execute and incredibly helpful to your guests and you. (This avoids those 10 phone calls you'd get while getting your hair done of "how do I get there? I left my directions at home.")

And you don't have to make an individual bag for each guest. If there's a couple, 2 friends traveling together, a family, etc. make 1 bag per room. Then put as many items as needed for each member in the bag. You'll save money on the amount of bags, tissue paper, ribbon, etc that you need to purchase.

Most importantly, your guests will be touched that you thought of them and the good karma is priceless.

p.s. Love the bags pictured here? You can get them at Keikigifts' Etsy page!