Among the many, many things that go into planning a wedding in Maine, inevitably the question of wedding gift bags comes up. Do you or don’t you? And if you do, what exactly goes into a wedding gift bag?

If you want to create a great first impression for your guests traveling to your Maine wedding, greeting your guests with a bag full of goodies is a start to a memorable weekend. There are simple options – such as rolling and tying an information sheet on your wedding activities – and there are extravagant baskets with monogrammed shirts and custom label candies. More often creating gift bags for your Maine wedding guests does not have to be a stressful or time consuming chore or a quick after thought.

Here are tips to creating gift bags for your Maine Wedding:

• Make it Heart Felt: Rather than a quick “We-are-so-happy-you-are here-to-celebrate-us-please be-at-the-ceremony-at-this-time” message, take a moment to share your story in welcome letter. This is your chance to share why you fell in love with each other or with Maine and maybe save having to tell the story over and over again at the reception (when you would much rather be dancing!). It doesn’t have to be a novel – just a simple sweet paragraph. And once you figure this part out, feel free to type it up for easy printing on stationary that fits your theme, even if it’s just one of your wedding colors. A hand signature space let’s you sign for a personal touch.
• Water, water everywhere: Your guests will be walking into a hotel room after traveling and one of the best ways to refresh is hydrating. It’s easy to give this a Maine touch – simply include Poland Spring water bottles. If you can’t bear to be so plain, add a Maine-ah favorite with Moxie to your wedding gift bag.
• Sweet,sweet treats: Everyone has a favorite candy from when they were a kid. Include your and your sweethearts. Then add a little something extra from a local chocolatier, such as Harbor Candy, to bring a touch of Ogunquit to your gift.
• It’s the Destination Baby: Ogunquit, Beautiful Place by the Sea. So why not help your guests explore? Ask the Ogunquit Chamber for touring maps and guidebooks to include in your gift bags. Not only is this a great time saver, but guests will be able to swap stories of what they have explored during cocktail hour. With the Meadowmere Resort’s central location to Ogunquit Beach, Marginal Way, Ogunquit Playhouse, shops, restaurants and more, they’ll have lots to talk about!
• Now Your Jammin’: Want to have something custom labeled, local to Southern Maine and long lasting? Create a custom label Stonewall Kitchen Jam Jar for your wedding gift bags. Based in York Maine, Stonewall Kitchen features delicious Maine Blueberry Jam. Pick from different size jars, create a message and share one of Maine’s most wonderful locally made products. Of course, it may not last long after your Maine wedding once they try it!
• Send them to Sea: Once your guests have journeyed to the Southern Maine Coast, a nice touch is to share one of most unique ways to see Ogunquit – by sea. With sunset cruises each night in season, you can include a ticket aboard the FinestKind for your guests to use during their stay. It’s an easy and fun way to share a ride aboard a Maine Lobster boat and past the rocky coastline and Nubble Lighthouse. Worried that you have land lovers? Send to close to the sea then with a pass to the Ogunquit Museum of American Art – home to some of Maine’s finest art and most beautiful gardens. And with gift shop, they can find a Maine treasure to take home.

Want to get more creative ideas? Check out wedding welcome gift bags and baskets at The Knot.

Worried about how to get gift bags to all your guests? Don’t be! At the Meadowmere Resort, we make it easy – With any of our official wedding blocks, simply drop off your gift bags and we take it from there.  Contact our wedding sales today for your Ogunquit Maine wedding accommodations. And remember, the best tip we can give you for creating gift bags for your Maine wedding is to enjoy each moment of your very special day!