OOT Bags
April 7th, 2008 @ 1:43 pm by Mrs. Cream Puff
It seems like a few of us bees are at the same point in our wedding planning…so although you saw another post not too long ago about out-of-town bags, I gotta post mine, too. Momma Puff and I finished them during her visit, and we were quite proud of the finished product:
Here are the custom labels I made for the outside. From Office Max, I bought some generic label paper in 8.5″ x 11″ size–basically full sheets of white sticker paper. I ran them through my printer, used my paper cutter and VOILA! I had labels to close my bags.
Inside: two water bottles with our custom labels, a small bottle of wine, a reusable target-brand grocery bag (that’s the red thing), Hello Panda cookies, Cheez-it’s, Ghirardelli Chocolate, aspirin and a San Francisco welcome packet, courtesy of the San Francisco Visitor’s Bureau (call them–they’ll give you stuff for free!). Each bag cost us about $6. I also printed up a little welcome packet with important phone numbers (our cell phones, cab companies and the numbers for MUNI (the SF bus system–did you know you can call them and they’ll tell you what buses you need to take from wherever you are to wherever you’re going? It’s very helpful)). I also included a big list of activity suggestions for the city and our favorite restaurants.
As an aside, I have a slight problem with being completely obsessive about finishing my projects once I have started them, just so I can check them off my list. I really wanted to close all of my bags, even though I didn’t yet have a “schedule of events,” which people recommend you include. So here’s my plan: In addition to the schedule, I also wanted to include a personal thank you note to each guest. So I plan to hang a little envelope from each bag, addressed to the receiver. Inside will be a note from Mr. CP & I, a reminder about the rehearsal dinner and day-after brunch, and the schedule (once I know it). That idea was all I needed to close up my bags with my home-made labels and BE DONE WITH IT. Yay!
As another aside, I am sorry that I haven’t been very good about responding to comments recently, or about updating as often as I did in the beginning. I was diagnosed with carpal tunnel last week and my wrist has been killing me. Hopefully this pain will go away soon!! I love you guys.
Related Posts
18 Responses to “OOT Bags”
Where did you get the grocery bags? So cute!
I’d love to see an up-close shot or template that shows what places you guys highlighted on your map / guide. I’m organizing an OOT bag for San Francisco, too. Great job; these look great!
Cute bags!
Be careful with that carpal tunnel. Have you thought about getting a night-brace to sleep in?
How did you know how many to make? I’m an August wedding too and my invites haven’t even gone out yet! 
But I’m like you, I have a very large NEED to check things off my list, so much that I’ll write menial things that I’ve already done, just so that I can cross them off.
Take care of yourself!
ahhhh…..sooo sorry your wrist is injured…..
{{{CreamPuff}}}
and thanks for the heads up…i truly was wondering why you hadn’t responded to a question i asked in a pm a while back….
now i feel soooo bad. 
I love them!!
Yay for reusable grocery bags! So apropos for San Francisco, and hopefully your guests will continue reusing them when they go back home.
The whole thing looks great. I can’t get over how awesome your illustrations of the two of you are.
Two words: Physical Therapy. I was diagnosed earlier this year with arthritis in both thumbs. I had three sessions with a local place called HandWorks, and although there is clearly not much you can do in terms of “conventional” PT (like you would get if you tore a ligament in your ankle) they showed me completely different ways of doing everything from using a keyboard to gripping my bicycle handlbars, which have made a huge difference. I have a friend who is a massage therapist who also says theraputic massage can do wonders for CTS. I wish you the best of luck in dealing with it - its really miserable when your hands hurt!
Oh, and you bags are wonderful!!
Such cute bags — I love the artwork you did of you and Mr. CP. Our OOT Bags was one of my fav. projects and I think our guests really appreciated them. I even made one for us and we took it on our honeymoon (so happy for snacks on the plane). Check them out here: http://www.weddingbee.com/2007/09/05/welcome-bags/
I hope that you feel better. The bags look great.
HELLO PANDA!!!!!!!!!!! that is absolutely fantastic! that was my favourite cookie in the world growing up (that and yan yans)
i hope you feel better!
Thanks for the support, you guys! It means a lot to me. I have been wearing a brace and stuff, but it doesn’t seem to be getting better. I finally was able to get an appointment with a physical therapist, so I hope it works for me like it worked for you, suzanno!
GetMarried4Less–I totally haven’t gotten a PM for you!! I definitely would have answered that! I’m sorry! Will you send it again?
Thank you all for the compliments on the bags, too.
clarita–the bags are from Michael’s. I think they came in a pack of 6 or so. It was a great deal.
jma–most of our OOT guests are our close family members & my parents’ friends, so I already know for sure that they’re coming.
Mrs. Onion–I totally think we have the same bags! I thought that when I saw yours! You had some really awesome things in your bags.
Catherine: This will be long, but here’s what I highlighted for SF:
* Visit the Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill! Yes, that’s right, we actually have a flock of wild parrots in the city. Prepare yourself by renting the movie or reading the book before you come. Other great books which can help you prepare for your visit are Tales of the City, San Francisco is Burning, Zodiac, and the Rice Room. San Francisco has a ton of fascinating history, so reading a book or taking a tour would be well worth your time!
* Catch a show! Check out what’s playing at the Orpheum, Golden Gate and Curran Theaters. We went to Teatro ZinZanni (on the Embarcader0) for Yorkey’s 30th birthday. It isn’t cheap, but it was a blast!
* Golden Gate Park is a fun, nature-y way to explore San Francisco. Check out the Japanese Tea Garden, the Conservatory of Flowers, or rent paddle boats and tour around Stow lake. Also check out the deYoung Museum.
* The Exploratorium and Palace of Fine Arts are really beautiful and fun!
* If you’re into military history or just like beautiful surroundings, the Presidio or Fort Mason. These are gorgeous areas to walk around and explore. If you’re over by Fort Mason and are in the mood for tasty vegetarian cuisine, Greens is very good.
* Even if you’re a local, you probably haven’t been on the Alcatraz Night Tour. We took this tour a couple of years ago, and it’s fantastic! We highly recommend it over the daytime tour. Tip: these tours tend to sell out, so get your tickets ahead of time.
* San Francisco is famous for Fisherman’s Wharf, which is very, very touristy. Pier 39 has your typical touristy shops (oooh, Ripley’s Believe it or Not! the Wax Museum!). If you choose to check out Fisherman’s Wharf, make sure to check out Ghirardelli Square (and Sara’s first apartment in San Francisco, which is right across the street at 3030 Larkin Street), and Aquatic Park (which is right near Ghirardelli).
* San Francisco is split up into a bunch of different neighborhoods. For a real experience of what it’s like to be a local, check out areas like Union Street, the Fillmore, the Marina or the Mission (and if you’re in the Mission, you HAVE to eat at Little Star Pizza–it’s to die for!). North Beach is Sara’s old stomping grounds (if you’re in the mood for Italian, check out Panta Rei). Also check out San Francisco’s Chinatown–it’s a sight to behold! In the mood for Chinese Food? We like R & G Lounge. The Castro is the “gay” area of the city. It’s vibrant and fun and has lots of great shopping. There are also tons of good looking men, but they aren’t into women. 
Although Haight Ashbury is no longer anything like what it was in the 60s (now there’s a GAP on the corner!), it’s still a pretty happenin’ spot.
* Wanting to check out the Golden Gate Bridge? Take a trip across it by car (but be prepared, the toll is now$5), by bike or on foot. You can get great views from Crissy Field (but you’ll be there for our wedding ceremony anyway!), Baker Beach (which is inside the Presidio– it’s a nude beach, so be prepared–you might see something OTHER than the Golden Gate!), and across the bay from the Marin Headlands.
* Always wanted to ride a cable car? We’ll be taking a cable car on wheels for the wedding, but if you want to check out the real thing, there are three different lines. You can catch these in Union Square (shopping district–this is where the Grand Hyatt is located) if you head down there to explore.
* One of San Francisco’s famous landmarks is the park and area surrounding the Painted Ladies, otherwise known as “the Full House Houses.” This is Alamo Square.
Thank you SO much! Wow, you have done such a great job on all of this. This will all come in handy, for sure. I hope you feel better soon!
I didn’t realize you were so on the ball about the out of town bags. Basically the moms ordered stuff for ours a month before and then put them together when the moms arrived a few days before the wedding.
I’d been meaning to pass on these links to you for your bags but it’s probably too late now. Oh wells.
We got personalized Golden Gate Bridge mints here:
http://www.beau-coup.com/personalized-wedding-mint-tins-new-san-francisco.htm
Cool random SF crap:
http://www.myfavoritecity.com/sanfrancisco-souvenirs.html
I’ve got info on fortune cookies with personalized messages, too. (The cookies are flavored, dipped in chocolate, or plain.)
Those look adorable. I’d tear into the Cheezits faster than you can say “thoughtful bride”.
[...] As I talked to her longer, I deduced that the Grand Hyatt had given Mr. CP’s parents’ OOT bag to someone else of the same name! She told me that she loved my bag very much and that she wanted [...]
If you are looking for a less expensive alternative, I just ordered some gable boxes for our OOT guests. http://www.uline.com/BL_5618/Gable-Boxes?searchedkeywords=gable … I chose the 9×6×6 ones and they are even nicer than I expected. I also designed welcome stickers at http://www.zazzle.com that I will use with some ribbon to dress them up.
Mrs. Cream Puff, San Francisco Bay Area
Age and Occupation: 25, Illustrator
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Merchandise Planner
Engagement Date: May 27, 2007
Wedding Date: August, 2008
Blogging Since: February 7, 2008
Venue: Ceremony at Crissy Field and Reception at the Green Room
About Me: I never dreamed about my wedding as a little girl because I was too busy playing in the mud or pretending to be Martha Stewart–but now that it's here, I'm having a fabulous time DIYing everything in sight! We’re planning a very fun multicultural wedding (I'm Jewish and Mr. Cream Puff is Chinese), filled with as many personal details as I can muster.
=( I hope the pain goes away soon too! take care of yourself first!
As for the OOT bags, they’re fantastic!!