Over half of our wedding guests were from out of town. Over HALF! In addition, many of those guests had never visited Seattle before. Even though we couldn’t welcome each of them when they arrived, we did arrange for welcome bags to greet them when they checked in to their accommodations.
Mr P and I used our Gocco to screen-print a logo that we designed on .99 bags from Cheaptote.com.
You can purchase special Gocco screens and ink for printing on fabric. I was surprised how easy it was.
We filled the bags with snacks including locally produced Tim’s Chips and Oberto jerky, some crackers and Pretzel M&M’s (I couldn’t resist). I was skeptical that our guests would like the jerky but my P insisted. I had to eat my words later when numerous guests commented on the awesome jerky.
Mama Pretzel and MOH Tig helped by putting our custom labels on water bottles. Our guests’ favorite item in the bag was easily the cedar grilling plank. These planks are perfect for grilling northwest salmon. We got a great deal on 12 packs of planks on Woot.com. The planks came out to be just a little more than $1 each. WOOT WOOT!
We also gave out guests an assortment of info on local attractions, maps, and some Boeing post cards and stickers.
A surprisingly helpful item was these taxi cards that we printed for our guests.
On one side it has the number of a reputable taxi company and on the other side it has a place for our guests to write the address of their hotel or rental house.
We made a variation of these that included the address of our reception venue and had them available at the bar during the reception.
The response to our welcome bags was very positive. One of my aunts loved the cedar plank so much she contacted me about where to purchase more. For just a bit of effort, it really was a nice touch.
What sort of things would you like to see in an OOT bag?
Excellent job, Pretzel! You included some really awesome items.
Out-of-town bags are so thoughtful! I love how you personalized the outside of the bag as well! They turned out great! This gave me inspiration to get started on mine. : )
I have a maybe stupid question…how are you gettin access to their hotel rooms before they check in? When we first thought of the idea, that was our biggest challenge.
They look amazing – from the print on the outside right down to the goodies inside. I’ve never been an out of town guest which makes me sad.. I WANT A BAG. 
@Laniefl624: I called ahead to the hotels where they were staying and buttered up the front desk staff. I delivered the bags to the front desk and they put a note on each of our guests reservations that they had an item to pick up at the front desk. It was easy and we didn’t have to gain access to their room. Different hotels have different policies so it is best to inquire before you put the effort in to make OOT bags.
I am just learning about the gocco and trying to decide which one to buy. Which one do you have that allowed you to print on fabric? Is that PG-11? Would you mind giving a few more details?
What an awesome bag of goodies! Some of my guests are coming from out-of-state, so I may do this too. And I absolutely LOVE the idea of the taxi cards!
Where did you get your gocco supplies from? I’ve always been interested in trying my hand at it, but I’m overwhelmed by the different types and suppliers.
Umm these are awesome!! Great work Mrs and Mr P!
I am so excited for our OOT bags, just wish I had a Gocco because I would love to be able to print on the canvas bags instead I think we’ll have to go a cheaper route. Yours turned out soooo cute! Luckily both hotels were we blocked rooms said we can just drop off the bags a few days before and they will also tag guests so they can receive their bags at check in.
I love those bags and everything in them! the taxi card was an extra touch that I as a guest would really appreciate. So thoughtful you are!
Those are awesome – I love the Seattle logo that you printed on the bags!
@lullafly: You can print on fabric using any of the Gocco models. When you print on fabric you actually only use the machine to burn your screen, then you use the screen directly on the fabric. The main difference in the models is that the PG10-SUPER (must be SUPER) or the PG 11 has a method to do registration which in my opinion is essential. See my post about registration: http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/11/23/a-gocco-tutorial-pretzel-style/
@lullafly: I buy from a couple online spots and I also have a friend in Japan who has purchased things for me in the past too. I’ve had good luck with PrintAddictJapan on Etsy.
I hope this isn’t too forward, but what was your budget for the bags and the filler items? I am trying to estimate the costs now to see if I can fit these in my budget.
Thanks!!
@Wendy:We didn’t really have a formal budget for this project. The bags were .99 each, the grilling planks ended up being about a dollar each. 2 cases of water were about $8 at Costco, where we also picked up the chips and snacks (lets say $40 total on those) The travel brochures and maps were free…
I expect that we put these together for less than $150 and made about 30 of them (one per couple/family from OOT) So about $5 per bag?
What are pretzel M&Ms? (I’m from Australia so we often don’t have the range of M&Ms that the US has)
Mrs. Pretzel, Seattle Age and Occupation: 32 Learning, Training, and Development Specialist Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28 Manufacturing Engineer Engagement Date: September 2, 2009 Wedding Date: July 2010 Venue: Catholic Church & The Engine Room at Georgetown Studios About Me: I’m just a thirty-something girl who never dreamed of weddings, poofy dresses, or ritzy receptions. I am a rabid knitter, except recently, wedding projects have replaced my yarn and needles. I’ve been fiercely independent since the age of 2 and 30 years later I think my family and friends had given up on me settling down and getting married. Ironically, I had to go all the way to Seattle to find a boy from Purdue. We fell in love over Seattle Beers and cooking together. I love NASCAR, he loves Legos. I can talk like a Muppet and he can fit a whole McDonald’s cheeseburger in his mouth. We are a two reception couple, currently planning a brewery inspired bash.
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