Hey there!

I am SO excited to begin the journey of blogging to chat about all things wedding & event related! I have SO many great topics & vendors I would love to talk about, but I am open to any topics or questions any of you may have for myself or our team at Serendipitous Events as wedding & event planners!

Today I want to talk about how to welcome out of town guests to your wedding or event! Friends & family travel from afar to celebrate events such as weddings, graduations, baby showers, & so much more. I personally have been so lucky to have had the opportunity to celebrate couples who have lived in New York, Texas, & Tennessee to name a few, who have chosen to celebrate the biggest day of their life in our amazing city of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Of course with living out of state, it is likely that most family & friends are going to be traveling in for the big event!

Something that I love to recommend to my clients is creating personalized “Welcome Bags” to those who have traveled from afar to be placed in their hotel room or at check-in once they arrive at their hotel. These “Welcome Bags” can include so many different items - but my favorites are: 1.) Weekend itinerary - This lets guests know what exactly is going on, when & where so they don’t miss a beat! 2.) List of the couple’s favorite places! Who doesn’t love to try new restaurants, wineries, or breweries? Sioux Falls has SO much to offer in these departments! 3.) Things to do - This can include activities such as events going on in town over the weekend, walking or biking trails, or your favorite movie theatre! 4.) And of course, pre-mixed cocktails or a shooter to kick off the weekend celebration!

Luckily for me, I have the opportunity to work with one of my favorite creators, Brandi Goebel with B.Invited. She is so brilliant when creating stationary pieces for all of our clients! Above are a few samples of items she has put together for our out of town guests to be included in some type of “Welcome Bag”. She included some of the couple’s favorite places & also local favorites. Attached to the “Welcome To Sioux Falls” page (located above) is the “Here’s The Plan!” page letting all guests stay tuned over the duration of their stay. (If you know me, you know I love a good timeline!)

Another fun example would be a pocket stationary filled with details throughout the weekend! How amazing is this piece Brandi put together for our couple Mr. & Mrs. Ronning last July? This stationary included ALL of the things & was SO incredibly fun & full of details from their “Red, White, & Blue” rehearsal party, the wedding day, & the “Bye-Bye Brunch” the following morning.

Photos By: Brittany Elizabeth Images

Promise me, your guests will THANK YOU for providing them with all of the tools for them to have a wonderful stay! It will also make your guests feel SO welcomed & trust me, when guests have an idea of what the day will be like ahead of time, it makes your big day go that much more smoothly!

Thank you for tuning in for my first blog of many! I’m looking forward to sharing so many things with you all! <3