Gift Bags for Wedding Guests ( 8 Beautiful Paper Bag Ideas )

Last Updated on December 22, 2023 by Packoi Team

Weddings represent a significant life event that joins two souls in a sacred ceremony. Given the importance of these events, most couples choose to share the moment with the important people in their lives.

As a way to thank the wedding guests for sharing a moment of their time to celebrate their union, couples often prepare gift bags filled with tokens. These wedding favor bags serve as a memento to remind everyone of the special occasion.

But did you know that you can make your wedding favors more special by choosing the right paper bag?

In this article, you’ll learn more about wedding favors and how you can package them in a way that’ll make your celebrations last a very long time.

What Are Wedding Gift Bags?

Before we get further, what are wedding favor bags? There are two ways to apply this.

The first is by using it to welcome your guests. If you have a destination wedding, think of a welcome bag idea that will enhance the experience of your guests.

The second is by using it to thank the guests for attending the event. If you don’t have a destination wedding, you can give all your guests a bag of gifts that’ll remind them of the momentous event that they witnessed.

1. The Significance of Giving Favors to Wedding Guests

Whether you decide to give the wedding favor bags as a welcome gift or a giveaway during your reception, it gives your guests one important message: gratitude. Remember, everyone who attended your wedding gave you a precious gift that they can never get back. Their time is limited, and they choose to spend it with you.

Your wedding favors will symbolize your love and appreciation for their presence, so be careful how you put it all together. It’s not just the contents; even the bag should be well thought out.

2. The History of Wedding Favors

The origins of distributing wedding favor bags aren’t clear. However, the practice can be traced back to the 16th century. The French aristocracy held lavish weddings where they presented their guests with a small box encrusted with precious gems and metals called a bonbonniere.

This practice is also seen in other cultures because it’s believed to bring the newlyweds good luck.

3. The Evolution of Wedding Favors

In the past, wedding favor bags were used to display great fortune or bring good luck to the couple. Now, these gifts have transformed into something more personal.

The wedding favor is like a statement that couples use to make their guests remember them fondly after the wedding celebrations are over.

These reflect the unique style that’s aligned with who the couple is and the theme that they used during the festivities.

4. The Importance of Wedding Gift Bags

Where does the wedding gift bag come into play? Imagine how products benefit from the packaging. That’s the same role that wedding favor bags play.

When the guests see the gift bag, it gives them a prelude to what’s inside. It also reflects the theme of the wedding and the personalities of the couple. Even before the bag is opened, it should already excite your guests to see what you have specially prepared for them.

8 Tips to Make Your Wedding Gift Bags Special

There’s no one rule when it comes to putting together a wedding gift bag. You can be as creative and innovative as you want.

Some people give simple gifts, while others go all out and give luxurious items. Whatever you decide to give, make sure it has the best impact on your guests.

To help with that task, here are some helpful tips that you can apply.

1. Personalize the Gift Bag

Find a way to make your wedding favor bags completely your own. You can print your names on it and include the wedding date, too.

If you’re sure about the people attending, you can also print their names on the bag. This level of personalization will make your guests feel extra special. When they see their names on the wedding welcome bags, they’ll know that they’ve been handpicked by you.

Feel free to print wedding stationery and write a note for them if you have the time.

2. Use Your Wedding Colors

Couples usually start planning the aesthetics of their wedding by choosing a color motif. It serves as the guide for the wedding attire, decorations, flowers, etc.

Make sure your giveaway or welcome bag does the same. So if your color motif is red, navy blue, or earth tones, choose wedding welcome bags or giveaway paper bags with the same color. If you plan to display them in your reception, the favors will blend in with the rest of your decor.

3. Align with the Theme

Most couples start with a wedding theme before they come up with their colors. This is also something that you can use to guide the design of your wedding favor bags.

For example, you planned a beach wedding. That can be the theme of your wedding. Once guests arrive, you can give them wedding welcome bags that look like beach bags. Add some seashells or starfish decor to the design. If the theme is romance, choose a luxurious paper bag to package your favors.

4. Choose Eco-Friendly Materials

No matter how simple or extravagant your wedding is, always keep sustainability in mind. Choose eco-friendly materials for your favors.

For example, you can use wedding welcome bags made of 100% recycled materials. Or you can get paper bags from FSC-certified suppliers, so you can be sure that the materials used come from responsibly managed forests.

These may be trivial but keeping your wedding’s environmental footprint low speaks volumes about your character as a couple.

5. Make It Reusable

Another way to be eco-friendly is by choosing reusable wedding favor bags. Opt for welcome bags made of cloth material. If you put their name on it or choose a beautiful design to print on it, they’ll be encouraged to use it as their eco-bag.

If you wish to use paper bags, choose thicker materials that are durable enough for multiple uses.

Doing this won’t just help you be more environmentally friendly. It can also remind your guests of the wonderful experience they had during your wedding.

6. Think about the Contents

Once you’ve figured out the basics of your wedding welcome bags, you can start considering what you’ll put inside. If you have a wedding weekend, put items that the guests will need during that time.

Or if you only plan to give favor bags, put items that’ll remind your guests of what happened during your wedding. This is another way to make it personalized and special.

You can be as creative as you want with your choices, as long as you choose something that your guests can use. Otherwise, your favors might just end up in the trash.

7. Add Fillers

With all the contents organized inside the wedding favor bags (or welcome bags), you can choose to add fillers to complete the look.

Of course, you want to be eco-friendly about this, so use tissue paper or other recycled materials. You can also use colored paper that represents the motif of your wedding.

8. Let the Gift Bag Make a Statement

In the end, the wedding goodie bags that you’ll provide for your guests should make a statement. Your wedding welcome bags can promote adventure. Or the favor bag can be a statement of love and affection.

It could be about gratitude. Or maybe you can even share an eco-friendly message. Whatever it is, take advantage of the gift bag that you’ll use. Make sure it spreads a message of positivity and happiness. That’s how you leave a great impact on your guests.

6 Presentation Ideas for Your Wedding Favor Bags

Aesthetic appeal is important at any wedding event. It’s one of the most important days of your life. It’s the start of something new and beautiful. You’ll be looking back on that day numerous times, and you want to make sure what you remember is a visually appealing event.

This is why you need to pay careful attention to how your wedding will be presented, including your wedding favor bags. This is the only thing that wedding guests will have to remember about your wedding. Make sure it gives them a great feeling by taking care of the presentation of your gift bags.

There are several presentation ideas for gift bags. While it’s best to consider the theme and color of your wedding, focus on the emotion that you want your guests to feel when they open your gift bag.

Here are some ideas to inspire you.

1. Romantic

Weddings are generally romantic events. It’s normal to want your wedding favor bags to look romantic. If that’s your goal, choose soft colors like pastel shades of blue, pink, green, and yellow. Add some lace or ribbons to the bag.

You can also consider the season when you’re choosing accessories. For instance, a spring wedding can have a light yellow gift bag adorned with labe ribbons and some floral accents.

2. Rustic

Rustic-themed weddings are perfect for beach, park, or dessert weddings. The ideal colors you can use include earthy tones and natural hues.

Use burlap or kraft paper bags to achieve this look. Your wedding favor bags can also use wooden accents, like a wooden heart with the initials of the newlyweds.

You can also use twine instead of ribbons to tie the bag securely.

3. Vintage

This type of presentation is a nod to old-fashioned designs. Think of antique designs. You can use cream-colored paper bags and print the newlywed’s initials using old-style fonts like Garamond or Goudy.

Add some lace and pearls to the wedding favor bags to make them look more special.

4. Fun

A lot of couples use their wedding favor bags to reflect their personalities. Instead of the traditional romantic ones, they opt for fun welcome bags that the guests can use and enjoy.

For instance, having a beach wedding weekend calls for bright-colored gift bags for your guests. You can add items that they can use throughout the event, not just the wedding. Add some fun beach prints and accessories, like seashells and beach-themed patterns.

5. Luxurious

If you prefer a luxurious presentation for your wedding favor bags, start by choosing high-quality materials for your paper bag. Then use satin or velvet ribbons to complete the look.

If you want to prepare reusable bags, use velvet bags. Then add some gold and silver accents to make it look opulent. Stick to darker colors paired with metallic accents.

6. DIY

This is ideal for crafty couples who want to show their creativity. Paint your wedding favor bags to match your color theme.  You can also cut out scraps around the house that you can use to decorate the welcome bags.

Use white or plain-colored bags as your canvas. Then draw designs that the guests can identify with your personalities as a couple.

Destination Wedding Gifts to Welcome Guests

Statistics reveal that an average of 350,000 destination weddings happen in a year. This went down during the pandemic but is now back to where it was before. While destination weddings can be a lot of fun, they’re also more expensive, especially for your guests.

So if you’re looking for a destination wedding location, take into consideration the welfare of your guests. They’ve given both their time and money to be with you on your special day. They deserve the best wedding welcome bags to make their stay more pleasant.

You can even make it more extravagant by putting together wedding welcome boxes.

Whatever you decide to do, here are some tips that you can use to make it an extra special welcome treat.

1. Local Treats

Do your research before the actual destination wedding. What local treats can you share with your guests? If you’re getting married in Hawaii, put chocolate-covered macadamia nuts and some pickled mangoes in the welcome bag.

Make sure you buy from the locals so your guests can appreciate what the location has to offer. Put everything in the wedding welcome bags and have it ready in their hotel room.

2. Things-To-Do

Your guests won’t be with you throughout the destination wedding weekend. You can plan events before and after, but they might want time to explore the location themselves.

To help your out-of-town guests enjoy the place, put items in their wedding welcome bags that they can use to get around the place. Give them ideas for activities like a map, local destinations, information about tourist spots, etc.

3. Wedding Essentials

Your wedding welcome bags should also contain essential items that will make your guests feel comfortable during the ceremony and reception. For instance, you can provide them with fans and water bottles to keep them cool during your beach wedding ceremony. Add some sunscreen to the bag, too. Or you can give them wool scarves to keep them warm during your winter wedding.

These thoughtful gifts will make your guests feel extra special during your destination wedding.

4. Discounts to Local Establishments

Encourage your out-of-town guests to explore the local community by adding discounts and vouchers to their wedding welcome bags. Choose local establishments that you think they’ll like. A local breakfast place, bookstore, souvenir shop, etc.

You’re not just helping your guests create more memories during your destination wedding. You’re also helping the local community thrive.

Extend the Wedding Celebrations Through the Gift Bag

While the contents of the gift bags are important, don’t underestimate the power of well-designed packaging for your wedding souvenirs. With the right design, you can extend the celebrations and make people remember the beautiful memories created during the wedding festivities.

Here are ideas to help you find the right design for your gift bags.

1. Create a Monogram of Your Initials

This is common among couples. They create a design with their initials on it. Some use their whole names. But if you want the guest to be comfortable reusing your welcome bags, you might want to keep it discreet by using just your initials.

Make the design reflect the theme of the wedding. If you opted for a romantic wedding, add some flowers. If you had a beach wedding, add seashells and beach waves to the design. These graphic designs will trigger memories of what happened during your wedding.

2. Put Your Wedding Date

You can also put a small print of your wedding date on the gift bags. Or you can incorporate it into the design. Putting the wedding date in a visible place can remind your guests of when your anniversary will be.

If you did a destination wedding, the date will also remind them of the things they did back then. It can be a trip down memory lane and they’ll know exactly when it happened.

3. Include Photos and Images

Feel free to include photos or images to design the wedding favor bags. Maybe it could be an actual engagement photo. Or it could be a caricature of the couple. This will give the guests a glimpse of the love story between the two.

This will make the welcome bags more personal, especially if you add a handwritten thank-you note.

4. Use Wedding Hashtags

Since it’s the digital age, you might as well make use of it to help extend the wedding celebrations long after they’re over.

You can do this by adding a wedding hashtag and printing it on the bag. Every time the guest reuses the wedding favor bags, they can be reminded of the hashtag. When they search it online, they’ll see the photos and videos that everyone else uploaded. They can even tag themselves in posts that include them.

Put Together the Most Incredible Wedding Gift Bag for Guests. Packoi Printing Can Help You.

The wedding favors, or welcome bags, represent more than just a souvenir of your union. It’s a reflection of your gratitude, appreciation, and love for the people who took their time to share the moment with you.

Regardless of what you plan to put inside, your guests deserve a well-designed gift bag to take home with them.

If you need help designing your wedding favor bags, Packoi Printing has a design team ready to assist. We can help you come up with a unique design to represent your personality.

Call us so we can talk about your ideas. We’ll get back to you with a quote as soon as possible.