Wedding Blog
I’m sitting at work and just got this email from Champ:
FYI: It is 9 degrees (feels like -1) in Vail today. Brrrrrrrr!
Oh man. It’s gonna hit me hard in a few weeks! So, considering that over half of our guest list is traveling from out of town, and most will be trekking over 500 miles from where it’s not quite so cold, I figured we would welcome them with a little warm Colorado cheer.
In each bag, we’ll add a bit of warmth with a pair of HotHands hand warmers. We’ve actually arranged a get together with all our guests that will be in town the Thursday before the wedding. After a few apres-ski drinks (mountain slang for happy hour), we’ll take the gondola up the mountain and go tubing! I’m certain these will come in handy!
HotHands2 Hand Warmers: $33.50 for 40 pair
To keep guests nice and toasty while they are resting in their hotel rooms, we’ll also include a few packets of hot cocoa mix.
Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate Packets: 50 for $11.50
Personally, I’m a big marshmallow fan, but I’m not sure if every guest loves them as much as I do, so we might just stick to the regular hot cocoa mix.
And just when guests think we can’t get any cheesier, we’ll add packages of “Hot Tamales”. I found these at a great price of .15 per box at Candy Warehouse.
We’ll add these items to a mix of other helpful things like maps, water bottles, aspirin, directions, and high altitude reminders, and put them all in these Manhattan bags with twill handles. They’re $5.99 per package of 10 at Dunwoody Booth Packaging. I searched and searched for inexpensive gift bags that didn’t look cheap, and I finally ran across these.
So what else can I add to these bags?!
Anyone else incorporate a little theme into your OOT bags? What will you include?
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Share this post: Feelin’ Hot Hot Hot: Our Theme OOT Bag
How about bottled water for the altitude sickness? I know I was struggling the first couple of days I was there. Luckily, I plan to replicate what Miss Sushi did for her OOT bags since she and I both doing DWs in Hawaii. 
Wow, you’re so close to the day! I’m so excited for you!
When I went to my cousin’s wedding in Vail (she also got married at the Vail chapel!) the welcome bags included lip balm, which I thought was a great idea for a Vail wedding.
i second the bottled water. perhaps some travel size hand cream and/or chapstick? and a little snack — nuts, pretzels, crackers. if they’ve been traveling they’re bound to be hungry when they arrive.
I agree with the comments above, and would like to suggest mini kleenex packets. Even if I don’t have a cold, my nose gets sniffly in the chilly weather! Your bags are cute, and I love the hand warmers and hot cocoa!
A cheapie pair of gloves- I know they have those one-size-fits-all gloves at the dollar store. They’d be handy if someone forgets gloves or one (inevitably) gets dropped in the snow.
Great idea, Taffy!
Champ - I couldn’t find a hot tamale pattern, but I did find these Champage and Wedding themed ones
http://www.thetissuestore.com/Store_ViewProdDetail.asp?ProdID=9901&Cat=281
http://www.thetissuestore.com/Store_ViewProdDetail.asp?ProdID=7042&Cat=263
These are adorable! Definitely go for the marshmallows I second the chapstick and kleenex!
I second the kleenex packets and chapstick/hand cream. The last time I was in Costco they had large packs of those 360 earmuffs, not sure the price point for them, but they could be nice especially tubing in the afternoon.
We’ll be in BCreek next week and those temperatures sound really, really cold to this GA girl!
There are lots of good suggestions already! I love the idea of having a theme for your OOT bags. I’m sure your guests will love them.
Instead of the Swiss Miss cocoa mix, I highly recommend the Land o Lakes cocoa mixes (there are a bunch of flavors out there). I think they taste better, and not too terribly expensive at Sams Club ($11 for 46 variety pack at the one here in Brookfield, WI). Goes great in coffee too 
One of my favorite future wedding projects is the welcome bag! What about a cheap mug for the cocoa? Or a local snack??
I agree with the chapstick and kleenex idea, some people forget to pack things like that. Personalized bottled water would be a nice touch as well..it’s pretty cheap to personalize the labels. As cheesy as that may be to some, I love the idea Thanks for the bag reference, I’ve been searching for something like those and they look perfect!
I agree with the hand cream suggestion! I know whenever it’s below 50, my hand start to get red and rough!
This isn’t too exciting a suggestion, but maybe some plastic bags — or something else to help keep wet items away from dry ones!
Oh, and I vote for no-marshmallow hot cocoa (but that’s just because of my own personal preference!).
BUT, if you DID want to work in marshmallows, then maybe include ingredients for s’mores in the bags? A small chocolate bar, some graham crackers and a packet of marshmallows? This could encourage guests to mix and mingle while cozying up by the fire and making snacks!
You might be able to find some cute mittens or scarves. But I think if you are trying to stay with the hot theme you’ve got a great bag.
Maybe throw in a mug to go with the hot chocolate? I love the ideas you have, especially the hand warmers! Too cute!
I like Miss Sushi’s mug idea. For my brother’s wedding we got mugs made with their name and wedding date for the OOT bags. I use mine all the time! And I know it doesn’t go with the theme, but I also second the chapstick That was one of the things I forgot when I went to Colorado over Christmas!
I second the Land O Lakes hot cocoa suggestion! The flavors are so good, and if you get them at Sam’s Club they’re still very affordable. I’m also a big advocate of homemade marshmallows (they’ll keep for a couple of weeks if stored properly, and a candy thermometer and kitchenaid mixer make them a breeze to make!). Wrap in parchment, tie with a pretty ribbon, and throw them in a mug with your cocoa mix! Even non-marshmallow eaters love them when they’re homemade, in my experience. Let me know if you want the recipe!
The mug and gloves would also be cute, or how about travel tumblers? Definitely second the chapstick and kleenex, too. Those are necessary when it’s cold.
It might also be a fun touch to include a recipe card for your favorite soup or warm, comfort food so that all of your guests could have a warm reminder of your wedding when they get home!
(Can you tell I love putting together baskets for people?)
The pack looks great and as a Boulder gal might I suggest packs of Emergen-C (the vitamin C powder)? Those are *huge* here.
Yay Colorado!
I would add Emergen-C. With the cold weather and elevation, people tend to get sick. We’re planning on adding some to our OOT bags, too. LOTS of water, too. You could pick up a bunch at Costco– it’s not too far away from Vail.
Oh my goodness! This is the greatest idea ever!!!! I am doing a winter wedding as well and I am totally stealing this idea!
I love the idea too of a mug! Sounds perfect!
Hot Hands are the best idea ever! (In fact I could use one right now b/c my office is FREEEZING). I third Miss Sushi’s idea for the mug.
The bags look great so far. How about cinnamon sticks to stir into the cocoa?
The hand warmers are a great idea! Also good might be cute little kleenex packages, like the ones that have nice designs on them. I just know when I’m in the mountains skiing and playing there is never enough kleenex!
Ooh these are all such great suggestions! I planned on water bottles, I just have to attach our labels to them. Champ suggested the chapstick thing, and I couldn’t agree more with you guys! Hopefully I can find some packs of emergen-c and kleenex to add too! @AbbieOinCO: I’m in luck because my mom actually lives pretty close to the Costo- whew!!
Miss C, why not add some local flair to the OOT bags? Some Vail Gourmet Cookies perhaps?
http://www.vailgourmetcookieco.com/
I love cookies with my choco milk!!
(Yay Rocky Mountain Wedding twin!)
I need those hand warms on a daily basis, hehe. Brilliant!!!!
your OOT bags are going to be a hit! the chapstick is such a good idea—no one likes yucky lips!
our OOT package themes is going to be “all the places we’ve loved”
I was born in Chicago, Grew up in Madison, WI, went to college in Louisiana
He was born in Mississippi, grew up in Louisiana
We met when we both lived in Texas,
and we moved to NY this fall.
So we are tying the states into the entire wedding, in small ways, especially since everyone we know is traveling to the wedding.
I plan on doing homemade chocolates in the shapes of the states, and perhaps little snacks labeled with each location (NY black & white cookies, wisconsin cheese chex mix, etc.), and im still brainstorming a hundred other ideas, of course 
I second the chapstick and water. Also, think about packets of sun screen. You can get them for .99 cents at Target. People not used to being in the mountains don’t realize how easily you can sunburn at altitude.
I heard on the news yesterday that the mountains have already beat last year’s record snow fall.
This might be the best wedding favor ever, so cute and useful. I second chapstick and cookies!
What cute ideas! My parents are in Vail right now, and they say it’s mighty chilly!
I love hot hands… great idea to include them! Chapstick is an awesome idea too.
i’d just like to attest to the fact that hot hands have saved lives, mine included. hot theme is super awesome!
It doesn’t really fit in with the theme, and I don’t know the price point on them, but you could always add some Hammond’s candies since it is a local treat!
We had the Hot Hands at our second (very cold) reception and they were really popular. Good call. And some chapstick would make me SOOO happy if I found it in my bag.
[...] Our first project was the out of town bags. I posted a while back about how I wanted to do a themed “hot hot hot” bag, to provide our guests with items that might help with the cold weather and high altitude. So my [...]
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Miss Champagne, DC/Vail/Colorado
Age and Occupation: 26, Eye Doctor
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Attorney
Engagement Date: March 13, 2006
Wedding Date: February 2009
Blogging Since: July 30, 2008
Venue: Small church ceremony with mountain-view log cabin reception
About Me: I'm a small town mountain girl with a city heart. Found my way to the east coast, and Mr. Champagne kept me here so we're planning a wedding from afar in my hometown Vail, Colorado. I'm secretly obsessed with reality TV, Wii games where I can shoot a gun, country music, and Caesar: Dog Whisperer. I also spend time pretending to golf, backseat driving, having one way conversations with our MinPin Maxwell, loving champagne, and wedding perfecting… I mean, planning. I use way too many repeated symbols and letters when I write, and I'll love Mr. Champagne endlessly…
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