Winter Welcome Baskets

[luvthemstrawberries]

I see from my brief lurking that everybody seems to be doing pretty well! I''m so darn busy that I hardly have time to be on here anymore, which I miss. PS is great.

Our wedding is in January in the mountains of NC. So there may or may not be snow, but it most likely will be quite chilly. It''s a small family-only wedding, and I want to put welcome baskets in the rooms for everybody. It will only be about 5 baskets. I don''t want to go overboard, but I want them to be nice. I plan to get some cute baskets from a local store, and I''m just deciding about the items to put in it. So far I''ve thought about...
- itinerary for the weekend (but we''re providing all the transportation) and a welcome/thanks note
- the little hand/foot warmers that activate when you open them
- tissue packets
- snacks they like
- water bottles, maybe some soft drinks they like
- gum (specific ones for the grandparents that they like/can chew) and/or mints
- a bottle or two of wine - the wedding is at a winery/champagne cellar, so it''ll be the brand from there, which is really nice

I also thought about gloves, etc. but I thought that might be kind of unnecessary as they''ll probably be prepared with those already.

Any other thoughts for a cozy welcome basket in the mountains, in the winter?

 

[sparkly_stars]

Hey Strawberries- I haven''t chatted with ya in forever!
Slippers!! I think if you included some variation in there, it would be very well received!

Are you getting excited?

 

[MagsyMay]

What about some nice hot chocolate? That screams winter to me!

 

[jaylex]

Date: 10/28/2009 5:12:37 PM
Author: MagsyMay
What about some nice hot chocolate? That screams winter to me!

I was going to suggest that!
You could attach notes to it that says something like "strawberries and mr. strawberries... a perfect mix!" like hot coco mix! see?! it's cute!
or tea bags or coffee..
you could make chocolate covered spoons? those are yummy in coffee!

coffee cups?

Some mositurizing lotion? i know that when it gets cold where I live, my hands are affected almost immediatly! lol.
chap stick?

 

[charbie]

Date: 10/28/2009 5:12:37 PM
Author: MagsyMay
What about some nice hot chocolate? That screams winter to me!

you beat me to it- that''s what i was going to say. they have some great packets that have a gormet feel to them.

 

[vc10um]

I second jaylex''s idea of lotion and chapstick. Though the place your staying may have some scented type stuff, just get the 99 cent bottles of Eucerin or something extra rich at a CVS, etc. Those things ROCK and I''m sure your guests will be very appreciative!

 

[prettylnpink419]

Just a few ideas:


Cute Winter Mints


Tea option
Maybe the above with 2 nice snowman mugs or something like that depending on budget. But something reusable.


Hand warmer

I know you aren''t really looking for favors, but more for a welcome basket but I thought these could all be fun to include. I recently went to a wedding and in our welcome bag they included some homemade fudge and a few snacks, like granola bar, bottled water, etc. among other things like area maps, thank you note, etc.

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Date: 10/28/2009 6:17:18 PM
Author: charbie

Date: 10/28/2009 5:12:37 PM

Author: MagsyMay

What about some nice hot chocolate? That screams winter to me!

you beat me to it- that''s what i was going to say. they have some great packets that have a gormet feel to them.

+1 ...And maybe an inexpensive mug?

 

[luvthemstrawberries]

Wow thanks so much for all the great ideas!

I can''t believe I didn''t think of hot chocolate!! I don''t think the place we''re staying has microwaves in the rooms though, so I don''t know if they''d actually be able to enjoy the hot chocolate there. Maybe they have coffeemakers - I need to check. It''s a really upscale Inn, so I''m not sure what''s typically included or left out in rooms like that. I guess they could still take it home though... it just wouldn''t be too helpful there if there''s no way to make it. Haha, there''s something to add to the to-do list!

Jaylex I''ve never heard of chocolate covered spoons - how fun! Might be a fun thing to make for them.

I love the lotion idea too - will definitely throw that in there.

I love the heart warmer - that is so neat! I''ve never seen that before. How is it reusable - is it battery powered?

I like the slippers idea too, Sparkly - and that would be something they could take and use at home also. I like it! (And yes, we''re getting excited! Our planning has kind of been condensed into about a 4-month period, so January still feels a good ways off... whereas, to the people who have been planning for a year, it seems like it''s almost here! Haha it''s amazing what different perspectives there are. But I''m also feeling the pressure, or more like the cloud looming over my head to get it all done and organized... haha. Thanks for asking!!)

 

[Morgie44]

I was also going to suggest hot chocolate/a mug. My mom gave us things like these http://www.ncgiftbaskets.com/Prod-23-1-807/Hot-Chocolate-On-A-Spoon.htm last year in our stockings (yes my mom still gives us stockings

) which I think would look really cute. You stir them in a hot cup of milk to make hot chocolate with marshmallows and everything all set. These are also really cute!


Maybe maple syrup? Also, are there any foods or treats that are famous in the area? I think a few local snacks that they can munch on during down time between events would be much appreciated. I always hate when I end up hungry at a hotel room because it is vending machine or room service... not much choice!

ETA: I see you already have the snacks covered. If there is some kind of candy or something that is local to NC that might be a nice touch still though.

 

[prettylnpink419]

I believe the way the hand warmers work is by a small metal disc inside. I have one that is similar. You snap the disc and it heats the warmer. Once the heat fades....several hours later (on mine...which is larger), it gets kind of hard like. You add it to a boiling pot of water and then it''ll go back to normal and it ready for the next time you need it. Then just snap the disc, and repeat.

Without access to a kitchen they wouldn''t be able to reuse while in the hotel but definitely something reusable. You could include a note that says something like, "It warms our hearts to know that you are able to celebrate our special day with us..." Probably a little cheesy but I still think it would be a nice gift to get, and definitely a little different.

 

[katamari]

From someone who grew up in NC, there had better be some barbecue!

lol

Everything sounds great, though!

 

[luvthemstrawberries]

Interesting how those reusable warmers work! I never knew that.

Haha katamari - I would SO put bbq in there if there was a way to refrigerate it and heat it up for the people! We very well may be having bbq at the party/reception though, so that''s a definitely possibility. Believe me, we''re BIG on bbq around here! We have the annual pig pickin'', bbq is catered to reunions, and I just love it for takeout too, haha!

Mom and I did some brainstorming over the weekend and thought of some good snacks/candy. We''re going to personalize the baskets for each couple in the rooms. It''s just parents and grandparents, so we know what they like. We''ll also have a bottle of wine in there, whatever type the couple most prefers. Plus some water bottles, tissues, lotion... I can''t remember what else is on the list right now. Maybe a photo of us, if we get our engagement photos done in time.

But we also went and looked at some baskets yesterday. Any good ideas on how to fill/decorate a welcome basket? It''ll just be an average sized wicker basket, probably dark. I thought about using tissue paper or something in our colors to tie it together - any advice/ideas as far as that goes?

 

[vc10um]

Will there be a handle? If so, wrap satin ribbon around it in your colors and tie a nice bow at the end.

The baskets sound lovely and wonderful for your occasion!

(PS: Do they bottle NC-style bbq sauce??? That could work instead of including actual BBQ...maybe with a personalized label???)

 

[luvthemstrawberries]

The baskets we''re looking at will have side handles, so we definitely could wrap them in ribbon or tie bows to them. Thanks for the idea!