Wednesday, June 18, 2014

DIY Beach Wedding - Welcome Bags for Out of Town Guests


The Wedding of Josh & Magen is Complete and I am surrounded by Sand from Beach Towels, Leftover Wedding Supplies and Lots of Memories from Such a Busy Weekend. Josh is my brother and I wanted to make sure I gave him all the special details I did for my sister when she was married in 2012. The couple chose Mexico Beach, Florida because this was one of the first beaches Magen had ever been to in her ENTIRE life along with the location for our Annual Father's Day Reunion with my Father's Side of the Family. My two sisters and I wanted to add something to the planning process and thought that designing a Welcome Bag for the Guests would be something Extra that they would not be expecting and refreshing to dig in when arriving to their room. As a Wedding & Event Professional, one of my favorite items to receive at Wedding Expos and Conferences is the "SWAG".  Of course I searched Pinterest high and wide to find the latest trends and cute ideas. I wanted to give you our version of the Welcome Bags to see how a low budget option can still be equally charming and memorable.
The Bag was the very crafty and low budget option from Hobby Lobby (12 for $6.99). If you wait until they have a sale then you can find them for 50% off. I wanted to do a more cloth or burlap type bag or beach towel but it was not in the budget, therefore I decided to spruce it up a bit. I went to the stamp aisle in Hobby Lobby and found the perfect stamp "Hello There" ($3.99 + 50% off = $2.00) for the Welcome tag. Next I searched for the perfect color from the bride's wedding colors and added that to the basket ($2.99 + 50% off = $1.50). I decided to find a stencil that would add to the beach/aquatic theme and found a value pack of over 20 stencils, including this seahorse, that I thought would be simple and perfect for the front of the bag ($4.99). Just remember when using a stencil and acrylic paint, use a sponge to dab on the paint to the stencil with it taped or secured. I tried to use a paint brush at first and it looked like my 2 year old nephew had painted a big blob on top of the bag (thankfully we had a few extras)!!

The only thing left was the paint that I matched to the stamp pad ($2.99) and the Cardboard Colored Tags that were hugely discounted ($2.99 for 24 scalloped edged tags + 50% off = $1.50). The string I used was some that I had laying around in my craft bag (FREE) and the sand dollar that I attached to the tag was already part of the bride's shell order from Shell Horizons so I snagged a few (FREE). If you wanted to order shells, the website is www.shellhorizons.com and they have great deals on a variety of high quality shells. I used one of my stamps where you can create your own words by organizing the letters in the stamp holder (Michaels $12 over 2 years ago) to stamp "Magen & Josh June 14 2014". This was the final touch to the outside of the bag.

The Bride wanted a Koozie added, she purchased these generic "To Have & to Hold & to Keep Your Drink Cold" Koozies from Oriental Training for $20 for a total of 50. We added in the Miniature Bottles of Water ($1.88 for a 12 pack) and a matching colored straw ($1.99 for a 24 pack Hobby Lobby).

The next idea was the "hangover" pack. I found the cutest little beach themed sleeves on clearance for $1.99 for a pack of 24 at Hobby Lobby. At the time I did not know what I would use them for but soon figured it out. I searched for bulk quantities of Advil and Alka Seltzer (my moms cure all) on Amazon and found a 50 count box of Individual Advil Packets for $12.00 and a 72 pack of Alka Seltzer for $13.87. With an added bonus of Free Shipping (WOOHOO).

The Bride loved Saltwater Taffy so I knew I had to add that in. I found the precious bags on sale for $1.99 for a pack of 24 at 50% and used one of the stencils and paint from the outside of the bag to paint a starfish on the front of the mini white bags. Onto the sticker aisle of Hobby Lobby (can you tell I love this place!!), I found these "Handmade with love" stickers 42 count for $1.99 to finish it off. I searched Ebay for a cheap deal on Taffy and to my surprise actually found one on the first listing. It was for 2 pounds of Mixed Flavors of Saltwater Taffy for $12.00 with Free Shipping (arrived in 2 days). I added a handful to each bag and VIOLA!! Now of course I sampled 2 or 3 or 10 before I added them, I mean ....I had to see if they were fresh!!

What's a beach trip without a little fun, I found the miniature blow up beach balls on Amazon for a quantity of 24 for $12.00 with free shipping. Everyone had these out within minutes of receiving their bags. 

I still needed something sweet along with the Saltwater Taffy. My great friend, Carla Raymond of Sweet Treatz Custom Confections in Byron, Georgia, was the girl to call. The Bride's grandfather who passed away a couple of years ago was always known for anchors. I told Carla about my idea of the Anchor themed cookie in her wedding colors with the new last name initial and wedding date added. She individual packaged these up and tied with white ribbon. We received 2 dozen for $55 and they were one of the most favorite items next to the beach ball!!

So now that the sweet tooth was covered, we needed a little something salty. We found generic round stickers for $1.00 for 24 at Michaels on Clearance and Clear Plastic Goody Bags for $2.99 for 24. After returning from Walmart with 2 bags of Chex Mix and 2 bags of Bugles (Total $12.00) we had assembled a great snack pack for each bag.

The last item added was a Timeline of the Wedding Weekend so that the Guests could keep the agenda handy. I happen to be very handy with Word and created it from scratch based off of a favorite Pin on Pinterest using free clip art and shapes and arrows. It can take some time but it is cheaper than buying them online at several dollars a piece. My mother printed these from her printer on card stock at no cost (I always have card stock on hand). 

The Welcome Bag was COMPLETE!! I hope you enjoy this post. I found that I loved reading similar ones online from different blogger websites. It is the hot summer sunshine months and what better to kick start the old blog again then with a Beach Inspired DIY project. Add what you want and take out what you don't want, make it meaningful and personal to the couple. Tomorrow I will add the DIY on the Children's Welcome Buckets, which were a simple yet personal favorite of mine. I would love to hear your feedback!!

Here is your price breakdown...

White Bags ( Hobby Lobby) $6.99 for 24
Cardboard Scalloped Tags (Hobby Lobby) $1.50 for 24
Hello There Stamp (Hobby Lobby) $2.00
Stamp Pad (Hobby Lobby) $1.50
Acrylic Paint (Hobby Lobby) $2.99
Sand Dollar (Shell Horizons) (Free)
String (Free)
Stencil 20ct (Hobby Lobby) $4.99
Straws 24ct (Hobby Lobby) $1.99
Miniature Bottle Waters 24 ct (Walmart) $3.76
Saltwater Taffy (Ebay) 2 lb $12.00
Miniature White Bags 24ct (Hobby Lobby) $1.99
Handmade with Love Stickers 42ct (Hobby Lobby) $1.99
Minature Beach Balls (Amazon) 24ct $12.00
Koozies (Oriental Trading) 50ct $20.00
Beach Themed Sleeves (Hobby Lobby) 24ct $1.99
Advil Miniature Packets (Amazon) 50ct $12.00
Alka Seltzer Packets (Amazon) 72ct $13.87
Anchor Personalized Cookies (Sweet Treatz Custom Confections) 24ct $55.00
Round Stickers (Michaels) 24ct $1.00
Clear Plastic Party Bags (Walmart) 24ct $2.99
Chex Mix (Walmart) 2 bags $6.00
Bugles (Walmart) 2 bags $6.00

Total Cost: $172.55
Total Cost Per Bag (24 Total): $7.19

To Check out the Pictures from the Wedding, please visit my Facebook site. www.facebook.com/SisterSecretsWeddingEventPlanning
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/rackley


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