Naomi: Let me introduce you to Adunni Akinduro, the founder of By Araa, one of our Recommended Suppliers. We often get asked about gifts. Many people want to thank their guests for the effort of attending their wedding day and often do so with wedding favours. But what happens if you want to go that extra mile? If you have the wedding party or guests coming to stay over and you want to make sure they receive a warm welcome? Enter Wedding Gift Boxes By Araa. I'll hand you over to the expert of gift-giving, Adunni to explain all about what wedding gift boxes are, why you should consider them and what you may want to include in a wedding gift box.

A welcome gift on arrival is such a unique way to thank your guests for taking the time to be part of your celebration. It is personal and thoughtful and by giving these gifts, you are acknowledging their efforts for showing up with a big heart. They may be staying overnight or a full wedding weekend soiree, or simply the wedding day. Visualise finding a surprise gift with a welcome note on it in their rooms; that will certainly make any guest feel extra special. 

Now, here in the UK the norm is to focus on the actual day without taking into consideration the overnight guests. To bring a change to what has always been the norm, By Araa has been born. We see welcome boxes as important, not just for appreciation but also as it sets the tone for your wedding, giving your guests a sneak peek into what’s coming. 

Let’s dive into the details. If you are thinking about what to put in your box, the starting point would be your wedding style or theme and then what you find personally appealing. To give you a good start we’ve broken down what we class as essentials for an exquisite welcome box.

At the top of the list is the packaging; remember, this is all about presentation. You want to create the best possible first impression. At By Araa, our signature style of packaging is boxes. Our aim is to create a luxury experience so we use a white gloss velvet feel box or a black ribbed feel box. However, you have a choice of boxes, baskets, or bags; basically, whatever style of packaging that suits your wedding theme. Remember to personalise the box - you could use fancy tags, personalised ribbons, belly bands, or emboss the boxes. We find most of our couples prefer to emboss their wedding monogram on the boxes as it gives a more luxurious look and feel. 

Your guests have seen the box and an initial impression has been made. Let’s go the extra step and have a note welcoming them to this wonderful stay. If you have an event-filled weekend, you could create a welcome suite. Yup, this will make your guests feel really special. In this, you can also include your wedding itinerary, area, and contact information (basically any key details they need to know). This should be in sync with the aesthetics of your wedding stationery.

Remember you are setting the tone for the weekend. 

Now let’s look at the actual contents:

SNACKS

Your guests have travelled far and meal time might not be for a while (or late-night cravings might set in), it would be handy to have some nibbles in the room. We always offer sweet and savoury snacks in our gift boxes to cater to different palettes; chocolates, brownies, fudges, cookies, and macarons, then for savoury; salted chips, nuts, and popcorn. 

DRINKS

We know how pricey mini bars can be so it would definitely be a welcome gesture. You can add water or other beverages to the boxes to keep your guests hydrated. Our preference for water is Voss water; still or sparkling. Let’s face it, the bottles are pretty. And if your guests are in for a full fun stay, you can add a bottle of bubbly or liquor for the party.

EMERGENCY KIT

It’s been a fun weekend or wedding day and with or without the drinks, it is important to have a “go to kit". This could include some pain medication, chewing gum, sweets, lip balm and band-aids. Just little bits to have if and when needed.

GO LOCAL

Another tip is to source local. We look to get an item sourced locally included in the box, so it could be one of the treats or drinks or even a little memento. The extra cool part is you can have these items customised. 

Enjoy creating these boxes and if it still feels daunting, then get in touch and we would be happy to make this a stress-free process for you. 

Create that unique experience your guests would not forget in a hurry.