It’s your wedding weekend, and you probably have guests coming into town to celebrate. A great way to greet them when they arrive is to have welcome bags ready in their hotel rooms – filled will all the essentials they will need for the weekend. Here are some ideas to help you.

The Container

There are several options you have to choose from to put your guests welcome items in.

Bag

Customizable bags are a great option. You can choose a reusable tote that can be utilized long after your wedding or simply have gift bags made.

We love these totes for your destination beach wedding!

We recommend if you choose a reusable tote, keep the design simple so that guests will want to use it later – i.e. use a creative symbol instead of an elaborate description of your wedding weekend.

Add the location of the wedding to personalize it.

Boxes & Baskets

A box or a basket is a great container to hold the items – and both are customizable!

What to Include

The possibilities are endless. From toiletries to cures for those hangovers to itineraries for the weekend to small souvenirs, your guests will be grateful for your thoughtfulness.

Itineraries

Make sure to include a list of activities and times so your guests know what the schedule will be for the weekend.

Add a note to thank your guests for sharing your special day with you.

Local Attractions

If there is downtime, make sure to include a list of local attractions your guests can visit.

Food and Water

Show your guests some love with snacks and water – they may need a midnight snack after dancing all night long at your wedding!

Let them enjoy some of your favorite things!

Alcohol

Nothing gets a party started like a few libations – include them for your guests to enjoy as they get ready for your day. (Don’t forget to add a mixer, a bottle opener or a corkscrew, if needed!)

Small Souvenir

Give your guests from out of town something to remember your wedding location by – whether it’s a vintage postcard, a seashell if you’re by the beach, or some other small trinket they will appreciate.

Luggage tags are perfect for your out-of-town travelers.

Hangover Cure

Last but not least, be kind to your guests and give them some help to recover from the big day. Include a “Do Not Disturb” sign for their hotel door and maybe a sleeping mask. Sunglasses also provide relief from the harsh rays of the sun the next day.

For more great ideas for your big day, make sure to check out our Pinterest boards and the rest of our blog!

Rejoice Pittsburgh wine lovers! Your day in the spotlight is finally here with all of the new wine attractions popping up throughout the Steel City!

First on our list of favorites is the new restaurant and wine bar, Senti.

Located on Butler Street near the Strip District, the new restaurant features an enomatic wine dispenser, which allows customers to taste high-end wines by the pour.

“We mainly have high-end Italian wines,” said owner Franco Braccia. “This wine dispenser is a new approach to high-end wines. Most bottles cost $100 to $200, and with this, we can offer those same high-quality wines at a fraction of the price. It gives the exposure of higher-end wines to anyone who likes wine.”

Customers are able to serve themselves at the wine bar through a prepaid gift card that allows them to pay for the glass of wine as they go. Wine is dispensed at a one, three or five ounce interval.

“You don’t have to wait for a server to come around for you to get your glass of wine,” said owner Annette Ishida.

Braccia added that the wine gift card is great option when customers are doing dinner with friends.

“You can get the wine anytime you like it,” he said.

The wine is preserved with argon gas as it is released through the dispenser. This prevents it from becoming altered by oxygen, allowing the wine to last for a longer period of time.

Senti also offers additional wines by the glass and bottles that are not in the enomatic wine dispenser.

Next on the list is the new Waterworks Giant Eagle Market District, which features a one-of-a-kind wine bar experience.

“We offer eight different wines to our customers in either a one ounce, three ounce or five ounce pour,” said Keith Smith, a bartender at the Market District Giant Eagle. “We have a new age machine that has the wine on tap, and it gives you the perfect pour. We also have a wine flight where you can sample three different 1.5 ounces of wine.”

The bar and restaurant offer four red wines and four white wines for guests to choose from, including a 2011 Cakebread Cabernet Sauvignon and a 2013 Sterling Chardonnay.

Another Pittsburgh favorite of ours is Dreadnought Wine, a gourmet wine company based in the city that offers custom tastings (for personal or corporate events) as well as classes.

The company was opened in 1980 by Shawn Beck and Bob Gonze, with the mission to “bring new and exciting specialty and gourmet wines to Pittsburgh.” Beck and Gonze wanted to offer the public wine tastings and knowledgeable advice.

To see their schedule of events for class times or to book your own private wine tasting at Dreadnought Wines, check out the calendar of events. Dreadnought also recently moved to Lawrenceville from the Strip District, so make sure to visit its new home across from the former Pittsburgh Brewing Company.

And remember:

Congratulations! It’s a boy! And now it’s time to plan a baby shower for your little guy!

It all starts with the invitations – set the theme for your special day with the right one.

Include a present with your invite to get guests excited about the baby shower … we love the idea of including a stuffed animal for your jungle themed baby shower!

We love these decorations for your day – and remember that you don’t have to just use blue for your colors!

Welcome your baby aboard with a very cute nautical theme!

We love the use of a jungle theme for your shower – you can incorporate it into everything from the chairs and linens to the floral arrangements and sweets table.

Or you can choose a theme from a timeless classic children’s book – The Velveteen Rabbit.

Or keep it more casual with a cute sports theme.

Use these creative ways to capture the moments with your guests! We love the idea of this picture, where guests put their thumbprint on as their “signature” for the baby shower – and when the day is through, it can be used as a decoration in your nursery.

Or sign the balloons in the picture!

To fit in with your nautical theme, have your guests sign a lifesaver, which can be hung in your nursery after the shower.

Create special memories for your little one by having guests color and sign an alphabet book for your little boy to learn his ABCs from later in life.

We love the idea of requesting that your guests bring a book instead of a card as another way to remember the day.

These food and drink ideas will be sure to fill your guest’s appetite and quench their thirst!

We love the individual veggie snacks!

Lemonade is always a cool and refreshing drink!

Or cool off with this blue drink – it’s just Sprite and Hawaiian punch!

Satisfy your guest’s sweet tooth with these delicious treats.

Dazzle with a divinely-decorated cake!

We love these cakes from Bella Christie & Lil Z’s Sweet Boutique in Pittsburgh!

Make sure to send your guests home with these cute favors!

Or something else special for your guests to enjoy!

For more ideas for your baby shower, make sure to check out our Pinterest boards!