Weddings
Wedding welcome bag ideas your guests will use
A wedding welcome bag is a small bag of useful things waiting in each guest's room: water, snacks, the plan for the day and something local. Order one per room rather than one per guest, pick a bag that suits the venue, and put one shared design on every bag.
5 min read · Updated 15 September 2026
Who they're for
Welcome bags make most sense when guests are staying over: a country house wedding, a weekend at a converted barn, a hotel where half the guest list has booked rooms. They're a way of saying thank you for travelling, and they save you answering the same four questions forty times on the day.
If everyone is going home after the reception, you probably don't need them. A small favour at each place setting does the same job. If most people are staying, a welcome bag on the bed or at reception is one of the nicest touches you can give, and it doesn't have to cost a lot.
What to put inside
Useful first, pretty second. Everything here fits in a small jute or cotton bag.
- The plan. A card with the timings, the venue address, where to park and when the last taxi is booked. It will be read more closely than anything else in the bag.
- Water. A small bottle or two each. Someone will need it at 2am.
- Something local. Biscuits, fudge, crisps or a miniature from a producer near the venue. It gives guests a sense of the place they've travelled to.
- The morning-after kit. Paracetamol, plasters for new shoes, a sachet of rehydration powder and a mint.
- Breakfast help. Where to get a decent coffee nearby, and what time the hotel stops serving.
- A note from you. Two lines, handwritten if you can face it. Guests keep these.
Bags that suit a wedding
Jute looks right at barns and country venues, and the midi jute bags come with coloured sides you can match to the wedding. The mini cotton tote holds a welcome kit without looking empty.
Midi Jute Cotton Canvas Bag
Printed from £4.09 +VAT
Sample £2.99 +VAT
Available colours
NaturalNatural-BlackNatural-FuchsiaNatural-NavyNatural-Apple Green
Mini Cotton Tote Bag
Printed from £1.20 +VAT
Sample £0.58 +VAT
Available colours
BlackNaturalOrangeWhiteFrench Navy
Cotton Tote Bag Contrast Handle
Printed from £1.54 +VAT
Sample £0.87 +VAT
Available colours
Natural-BlackNatural-FuchsiaNatural-Lime GreenNatural-French NavyNatural-Classic Red
Classic Jute Cotton Canvas Bag
Printed from £4.93 +VAT
Sample £3.69 +VAT
Available colours
NaturalNatural-BlackNatural-FuchsiaNatural-NavyNatural-Apple Green
One design for everyone
Screen printing puts the same print on every bag, so the design needs to work for every guest. That's easier than it sounds, and it usually looks better than a name on each bag would.
The classic is your names or initials and the date, with a small drawing: the venue, a sprig of the flowers in your bouquet, a pair of wellies if it's a field wedding. A lovely alternative is the whole guest list in one design: every first name arranged into a heart or a list, so each guest can find themselves on the bag. It turns a welcome bag into a keepsake.
Keep it to one or two ink colours. Jute is a coarse weave, so bold lines and clear lettering print well, while hairline script and tiny text break up. A dark ink such as navy, forest green or deep burgundy looks best on natural jute. Our tips on designing for a tote go into more detail.
How many to order
Count rooms, not guests. Couples share a bag and a family in one room needs one bag between them, so the number is usually well under the guest count. Add a few spares for the wedding party, the parents and the guest who turns up having booked a room nobody knew about.
There's no fixed minimum with us: prices on each bag's page start from 25, and you can type any number into the configurator. If you're only doing forty bags, that's fine. The screen charge is a one-off for each ink colour, so a one-colour design on forty bags works out a lot more reasonably than four colours would.
One money-saving idea: if you're also giving bags to the bridal party, or want some as favours, put them all on the same order with the same design. Bigger runs cost less per bag.
When to order
Our standard turnaround is 7 to 10 working days from the moment you approve your proof. For a wedding, we'd suggest ordering at least a month before the date. That leaves time to order an unprinted sample first, change your mind on the ink colour, and still have the bags in a cupboard a fortnight before the day, which is where you want them.
Have them delivered to you, not the venue, unless the venue has said yes in writing. A box of welcome bags sitting in a hotel's post room on the day of the wedding is nobody's idea of fun. Delivery is by DPD Next Day to UK mainland addresses.
For more bag ideas for the wider wedding, from favours to bridal party gifts, see our wedding tote bags page.
Questions people ask
Can you print each guest's name on their bag?
No. Screen printing puts the same design on every bag, so we can't personalise bags one by one. What works well is a single design with every guest's first name in it, so everyone finds themselves on their bag.
What bag is best for a wedding welcome bag?
A small jute bag suits most country and barn venues, and the midi jute bag comes with navy, black, fuchsia or apple green sides to match your colours. For a lighter touch, the mini cotton tote is 26 x 32.5 cm and comes in five colours.
How many welcome bags do I need?
One per room or household, not one per guest, plus a few spares for the wedding party and last-minute bookings.
Can I see the bag before I order?
Yes. You can order an unprinted sample of any bag from its page, and we email you a proof of your design before anything is printed.
How long does printing take?
Standard turnaround is 7 to 10 working days from your approved proof. We'd order at least a month before the wedding so there's time for a sample and any changes.
Got a design in mind?
Send us a sketch, even a rough one. We'll check it for free and tell you how it will print on jute or cotton.