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Are you celebrating your wedding soon and just realized you want to create welcome gifts for your guests?
I know there are a million blogs out there saying the same thing when it comes to welcome gifts but what sets this one apart is that I'm here to share what's necessary or a total waste of time, what to consider that I see NO ONE talking about and how you can save some money if you choose to DIY!
As one of the first details your guests will see as they arrive, you want to wow them and give them a sneak peek into your epic party!
Although we offer Custom Welcome Gift services, we JUST launched our new DIY (Design it Yourself) Welcome Gifts for those of you that aren't feeling full custom or are on a tight turnaround. If you do decide to delegate these to your family or friends, use our ideas below to help you!
As far as beverages go, it's always good to stick with water. Hydration is often times an afterthought with so many things going on and your guests will appreciate not tapping into the mini bar and paying $8 for a bottle!
Money Saver: do yourself a HUGE favor and save your money on the custom water bottle labels, it's an added expense and total time suck to do! Your will know no difference! Sign up for Rakuten and purchase your items from sites that offer Cashback!
The perfect pre or post a wedding snack to munch on is a carby one! I recommend pretzels, chips, or popcorn and stick to crowd favorites like a simple sea salt! If you get too specific with flavors, your guests may not eat them and leave the behind which is a waste.
Pro Tip: DON'T repackage snacks AKA buy a big bag of Costco chips and add them to clear bags unless you plan to include an ingredient line. People have allergies and digestion issues and it's imperative to be conscious of ingredient lines with food. My advice is to simply order packaged snack packs and leave them be. You'll also save A LOT of time!
Money Saver: Repackaging also adds up because you are purchasing additional products (bags and labels). Stick with the original packaging of the food items. Sign up for Rakuten and purchase your items from sites that offer Cashback. Head to your local Sam's or Costco to buy these snack pack items in bulk.
What's a salty snack without a sweet snack!? If you prefer to be more health conscious than please feel free to do so! The options are endless- we recommend granola bars, nuts, cookies or chocolate. Again, keep the flavors to basic crowd-pleasing favorites like chocolate chip or a cinnamon sugared almond vs anything to specific.
Pro Tip: similar to the salty snacks, I suggest to not repackage snacks unless you plan to include an ingredient line. My advice is to simply order packaged snack packs and leave them be. You'll also save A LOT of time! If you add anything with chocolate to your gifts, ensure they are stored in cool places at all times during warmer months to avoid melting!
Money Saver: Repackaging also adds up because you are purchasing additional products (bags and labels). Stick with the original packaging of the food items. Sign up for Rakuten and purchase your items from sites that offer Cashback. So often, online grocers offer 10-15% off your first purchase so utilize these discounts!
Some folks like to include a keepsake, but my advice is to ditch it. It's an added expense on something that will get tossed. Our most popular add on are Tylenol/Advil packets or our Hangover Kits. Hangover kits are awesome if the contents are practical- keep them simple to Advil, Tums/Pepto tabs, gum and if you want to take it a step further--add in a hydrator packet or Emergen-C. All other items you see in hangover kits are great and all, but unnecessary for a one night stay.
Money Saver: Sign up for Rakuten and purchase your items from sites that offer Cashback! If there's anything out of this that you should DIY, it's the Hangover Kits. People charge A LOT for these and all you really need are the Tylenol/Advil packets at the end of the day.
This is the part that usually trips people up. Do you do bags or boxes? Where do you get that "shredded paper stuff" aka crinkle. If you DIY, you can certainly find bags, boxes, ribbons, crinkle, tissue and tags on Amazon or Etsy so whatever you choose, it's good to pick what goes best with our wedding vibe. Outsourcing to us will allow you the headache of needing to know HOW MUCH crinkle, ribbon, tissue etc is need. We also can determine what size bag or box is needed to fit the contents you choose.
If you DIY: If you are shipping welcome gifts to your venue, we HIGHLY recommend to stick with boxes. Shipping bags will be a nightmare and put all of that hard work to waste.
Money Saver: Sign up for Rakuten and purchase your items from sites that offer Cashback! Crinkle is also very expensive and sold at astronomical prices on Amazon ($25 for TWO lbs.!). My advice is to buy a 10lb box (you'll need way more than 2 lbs. anyway) off of a company like Nashville Wraps for $40 and save any extra for future gifting or sell off to folks that may need it for their events!
My goal is to always be transparent and helpful when it comes to gifting, whether you just need gift ideas or someone to completely take the task off of your list. Offering up useful advice to those that simply don't feel it necessary to outsource or curious minds is why I love doing what I do: Take my experience and share it with you all!
I understand the urge to do it yourself, but trust me when I say, you MAY want to reconsider the DIY route and outsource to an expert the very same way you did your flowers, stationery and all the rest!
Doing it yourself can often lead to just throwing items in a bag which can come out messy and even appear as an afterthought to your guests. People have ordered items too late in the timeline, products were delivered damaged, ordered the wrong quantities, didn't order enough ribbon etc. which just led to wasted money and frustration in the weeks leading up to their wedding day.
To avoid all of that, check out our services: Custom Welcome Gifts and Curated Welcome Gifts. Both were created to fit a certain need and we welcome you to explore how it all works! If you have any questions about welcome gifts, or want to hire us for your wedding, we are more than excited to work with you!
Corporate gifting is a form of relationship management in the workplace that creates a connection with employees, clients, or leads through the act of sending an actual gift--either a physical gift or an experience. Gifts speak to your clients and employee emotions and can serve as a powerful tool in business.
According to data collected from Knack's Business Gift Survey, 89% of C-Suite executives believe that business gifts bring people closer together and 83% believe that business gifts generate a positive ROI.
The question that most people are left with is this: but what TYPE of gift do I give?
Well, the type of gift that is right for your business ultimately depends on what your goal is for you and your recipient!
What do I mean by goals? Ask yourself this: why am I gifting in the first place? how will this help my business and what is the result I want for my recipient?
In our experience working with businesses of all sizes, across many different categories, we have realized there are 3 main types of business gifts:
Appreciation Gifting: is gifting anything that makes your clients feel appreciated and expresses gratitude for doing business with you. Not to be confused with a promotional gift that includes branded items. An appreciation gift is an authentic way to say thank you!
Informational Gifting: great for virtual cohorts, trainings and educational conferences. Informational gifts can include materials and products you need your recipients to use while working with you. Set them up for success by providing materials they will need along the way (vs instructing them to buy anything).
Promotional Gifting: Promotional gifts are described as items used for promotional purposes in marketing. They almost always contain the company logo. Think corporate swag or PR kits. Many people think that a promotional gift is an appreciation gift and this is not the case. Promotional gifts are great for showcasing a rebrand or new product launch and they create awesome brand recognition when done correctly. My advice is to stay away from tchotchkes like fidget spinners with your logo on them. Stuff like that most likely isn't related to the work you or your recipient is doing.
Can there be a hybrid of the above? Absolutely! the below is an example of all 3 types of gifting in one!
Having a strategy in place for your gifting needs is necessary for the results you want to achieve. Whether it's building relationships, keeping your participants engaged or developing a marketing tactic through gifting, not knowing the WHY behind your gifting can lead to money wasted and a failed initiative.
Working with a gifting service will not only lead you in the right direction, we will execute every logistical detail to ensure your vision is brought to life.
Want to find out more? Work with us on your next gifting project!
I fell in love with cooking and baking when I was a kid-- so much so that I went through 3 Easy Bake Ovens (to my fellow millennials who spent countless hours watching a mini cake cook by lightbulb, you're not alone). When I was finally old enough to help out in the kitchen, the countless memories made with my grandma and mom are completely priceless and are the reason why I love cooking and baking as much as I do today.
These memories are what inspired our Mother's Day Culinary Collection of gifts for moms who love to cook!
Our curated gift boxes are thoughtful, practical and include kitchen tools and ingredients that mom will absolutely love. We've curated gifts to meet all budget needs!
The Culinary Garden is a multipurpose gift for those who love to cook and enjoy herbs from their own herb garden! Included is Magnolia Table, Volume 2 filled with dishes you’ll want to cook in your own kitchen, including: Mushroom-Gruyére Quiche, Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread, Grilled Bruschetta Chicken, Zucchini-Squash Strata, Chicken-Pecan-Asparagus Casserole, Stuffed Pork Loin, Lemon-Lavender Tart, and Magnolia Press Chocolate Cake.
To compliment those recipes, you'll need to snip fresh herbs from your garden to heighten the flavors of all your dishes. Each Seattle Seed Company Herb Garden box includes and Herb Drying Guide and 100% USDA Certified Organic Seeds: Parsley, Sage, Chives, Basil, Thyme.
To top it off, cooking with herbs is made easier with the Modern Sprout Herb Pull and Pinch Dish. Simply place a few sprigs of fresh herbs into this lightweight, green bowl and pull them through one of the four sharp beveled holes. This ergonomic kitchen tool quickly strips the leaves from their stems so the ingredients are ready to chop or add straight to any dish.
Our Mini Chef's Table Gift Box is full of unique kitchen must haves making it the perfect gift for those who love to cook! Between the Himalayan sea salt, Seattle Seed Company Herb Garden seeds for planting, roasted garlic olive oil and a Modern Sprout Herb Pull and Pinch Dish that are all packaged neatly in this multipurpose seagrass basket with easy to close lid makes it an essential for this Mother's Day!
Our Chef's Table Gift Basket is the ultimate gift for the home cook! Full of unique kitchen must haves making it the perfect gift for the home chef in your life. Seattle Seed Company Herb Garden, Magnolia Table, artisan spices, roasted garlic olive oil and Modern Sprout Herb Pull and Pinch Dish are all packaged neatly in this wicker basket with easy to close lid! 
In addition to these Mother's Day gifts for the home chef, we also have more curated gift boxes perfect for Mom, Grandma and any special woman in your life!
With Mother's Day on May 8th this year, there are just a few short weeks left to get something special for Mom, Grandma or any other important mother figure in your life!
Our Ready to Ship Collection covers all of the bases for the mom who has everything, comes beautifully packaged with a gift tag of your choice, and hand written message to show your love and appreciation.
The best part? You can check Mother's Day gifts off your to-do lists now by ordering today and choosing your delivery date. No need to wait until the week of for an on-time delivery, we make it easy!
Below are five of our best selling gift boxes for the mom who has everything.
1.) For the mom who loves to cook: Chef's Table Gift Basket
Our Chef's Table Gift Basket is full of unique kitchen must haves making it the perfect gift for the home chef in your life. Culinary herbs, Magnolia Table, artisan spices, roasted garlic olive oil and a herb pull dish are all packaged neatly in this wicker basket with easy to close lid! Fresh flowers not included.
2.) For the mom who loves a spa day! Luxury Spa Gift Basket
This Relax + Retreat gift basket is made for those that need to take a step back, slow down and unwind. Treat someone you love with this ultimate self care package! y.
3.) Treat someone you love to a virtual brunch! Vanilla Scone Brunch Box
The Brunch Collection inspires those to gather round, whether it be in person or virtually, to enjoy each others company. Perfect for breakfast, brunch or even a mid day snack with tea, the Brunch Box was designed to be shared and enjoyed by you and your loved ones.
4.) Did someone say pancakes!? The Rise + Shine Breakfast box is inspired by my moms love for pancakes and coffee on a Sunday Morning!
What brings the family together better than a delicious breakfast! Whether you're a pancake lover or prefer waffles; this breakfast gift box is guaranteed to please the hearts, and stomachs, of everyone on a Mother's Day Sunday! Prefer coffee with your pancakes? Check out our Sunday Morning Gift Box!
5.) Looking for something simple? Shop the Little Thank You Gift Box!
Looking for other Mothers Day gift ideas? Shop our curated gift box collection to find what you are looking for! Choose a gift, pick your packaging, pick your gift tag and leave a message for us to write for you!
Our Mother's Day gifts are thoughtful, have everything you need and deliver fast for every type of mom out there!
Happy Mother's Day to all!
There's a lot of information out there surrounding wedding client gifts and it can be overwhelming for those who don't know where to even begin.
You want to elevate your clients experience but...how?
There are so many things to take into consideration when thinking about adding gifting to your workflow: budget, how many clients you book a year, if you are working with the couple, their parents or someone else, your list of services, do you do onboarding, offboarding or both, what should you include..the list goes on.
Luckily, our experience working with countless Wedding Planners, Wedding Photographers, DJs, Florists and even Venues across the country has helped us compile the most frequently asked questions to help you in your gift service search:
How much should I spend on client gifts?
My advice is to assess the financial health of your business first and see if client gifting is something you can take on at the moment. It's an investment, albeit a valuable one, but it's great to weigh your options. Outsourcing is meant to help you, not cause you stress so when in your search for a gift service, ask questions! Transparency is important. Also, don't feel the need to deep dive into spending $100+ each on a gift right off the bat and if you feel pressured to spend more than you are comfortable with, then take a step back. On average, we see client gift spending around $75-$125 per gift however sometimes it's less, sometimes it's more! Do what is best for you and your business (not what someone else is doing!).
What kinds of services are offered for client gifting?
There has been a huge uptick of gift box companies and gifting platforms over the years and we are all different in our own ways. Our products, style, customer service and gift services offered vary across the board. With that said, do your research- client gifting becomes an extension of your workflow and you want that professionalism to be reflected in all aspects, including the style of gifting to reflect your brand. On demand and automated gift services are a great way to really implement into your workflow and save you time so as soon as your client signs their contract with you, a gift goes out, you get tracking and boom-done! Some pros start off by DIYing and some start off outsourcing right away. Again, once you determine what's best for you, we offer gift ideas and solutions through our curated shop, semi-custom gifting or full custom design. Note: semi-custom and full custom do come with additional fees for the services.
When should I send a client gift? During onboarding or offboarding?
Desirée Adams is a Business Owner, Wedding Planner and Podcast Host. Her business, Verve Event Co., is based in Rochester, NY working with couples to design the most stunning heirloom events from the ground up in the Finger Lakes and Upstate NY regions and beyond.
We both share the same love language of gifting and Desirée actually used to do her own! When she realized the time it takes to source, assemble and ship client gifts, she made the decision to outsource the task.
The goal for her client gifts were to be fun, celebratory and practical for her couples to enjoy together. She wanted the message to her clients to be that she was thinking of them, and they can truly rely on her to get this job done--which her proven track record is nothing short of 5 star service.
The level of personalization for her client gifts includes Desirée her own custom stationery and branded gift tags by Brittany Lilly Designs.
Let's talk about The Gift:
Let's just take a minute to swoon over this gift, shall we!?
Getting to know Desirée has been both wonderful and inspiring. She goes above and beyond to make her client experience seamless and stress free in addition to turning wedding dreams into a reality!
If you haven't done so already, check out her work and see for yourself!
Client Testimonial: "I cannot stress how much time, stress, and headaches working with Lavender & Pine has saved me. Now, I can focus on delivering an amazing client experience from the minute a new client works with me until we hug goodbye. I'm able to wow them with a thoughtful gift almost instantly, which is priceless." -Desirée Adams, Owner, Verve Event Co.
Let's talk about The Gifts:
On-boarding Gift
Renewal Gift
Product Photography by Alex Healy Studios
You know when you meet someone that just gets you? I had that instant connection with Cora Jane when we met to discuss her client gifts. There was this mutual understanding of people, relationships and a sincere appreciation for her clients which made a perfect recipe for this new working partnership. The goal for her custom client gifts was to create a warm, romantic and luxurious gift for the couple to enjoy together. Cora provided her own black and white branded stationery to maintain that on brand luxe feel and we worked one on one with Brittany Lilly Designs to create custom branded gift tags.
Let's talk about The Gift:
As you can see, the bold stationery gives the gift a beautiful contrast and breaks up the white space from the minimalist packaging. Curating this gourmet client gift for Cora Jane also allowed us to get creative when we knew the whisk wouldn't quite fit in the box since the pancake mix and syrup are full sized products. We opted to tie the whisk on the outer packaging which not only elevates the gift but creates a level of excitement when her recipients open their gift. Lastly, we adorned the gift box with a beautiful bow and custom gift tag.
Not shown: Cora's branded packing tape to seal her packages! It truly makes for the perfect final touch for her gifts.
We love sharing our experiences we've had with our clients. Cora knew exactly how she wanted her clients to feel when receiving such a thought-out gift and was open to suggestions on how to get there. The result? a cozy, delicious, and luxurious gift for her couples to enjoy together.
Product Photography by Alex Healy Studios
Working directly with our incredible bride, Alexis, the goal for her custom welcome gifts was to create a gift box full of the couples' favorite snacks for their out-of-town guests after postponing their 2020 October wedding to November 2021 due to the pandemic. Alexis also worked one on one with Bella Giornata Paper Co. to create beautiful gift tags and itineraries that included sweet nods to the couples' love of music which played a HUGE part of their wedding: Alexis and Michael, who are both incredibly talented, serenaded their guests, and each other on the big day....talk about romantic!
Let's talk about The Gift:
We knew just what to do to create an awesome welcome gift for Alexis and Michael. In an effort to keep the gift elevated and cohesive, we repackaged the cherry gummies, that came in plastic packaging, into glass jars with gold lids that complimented the gold in the Perrier cans.
(Pro tip: When repackaging food, ALWAYS make sure the ingredients are visible and exact)
Next, we included Lukes Truffle Chips that I may or may not have ordered an extra case for myself--yes, they are THAT good. The final touch included two fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, from The Sugared Almond Company, packaged in a clear cello bag and tied with a music note charm to include a sweet musical element!
For packaging we used a disposable white tuck top box, tied with a beautiful, satin burgundy ribbon, gift tag and an everlasting floral bundle that included boxwood and miniature roses (we didn't snag a picture of the florals but trust me when I say they were gorgeous!).
I just love sharing the same enthusiasm about gifting with our couples and working with Alexis on these was a dream--she knew what she wanted, was open to suggestions and we were able to create really beautiful welcome gifts for hers and Michaels guests.
From Alexis: "Alexandra, thank you for adding that extra special touch for our wedding day. Everyone loved the boxes!!! They were beautiful and delicious."
Congratulations Alexis & Michael!!
Product Photography by Alex Healy Studios
So, you REALLY want to add wedding welcome gifts to your list of "Wedding Must Haves" but not sure if you should outsource the job or DIY?
Below are 4 reasons why you may want to seriously consider hiring an expert to handle your wedding welcome gifts:
1. Expert Curation
Sure, you know the products that you want and can easily head over to Amazon to buy in bulk, but if you are a sucker for consistency and want your welcome gifts to be "on brand" with the whole vibe of your wedding, finding products that not only look nice but are great quality AND go together, is no easy feat. Another detail that's often not thought about while curating are the dimensions of the products! To us, curating is like a game of Tetris but to most, finding products that you want, look nice, compliment the other products while all fitting nicely inside a bag or a box--can be a total headache!
2. Packaging
It goes without saying that welcome bags are way easier to assemble than boxes, but we have a very particular way of curating both so that your products don't get crushed, are not just thrown inside and don't compromise the packaging (meaning that your gift doesn't look like it's busting at the seams). Welcome Boxes will triple your assembly time because of the filler aka crinkle you need to hold products in place and the bow tying will take just as long.
If you don't know how to tie bows, not sure where to even get boxes, ribbons or bags then I recommend you quit while you're ahead, save yourself a huge headache and just fill out our inquiry form now ;)
3. Saves You Time
So often I hear how gifting "won't take long" and my response is this: if you're going to keep it super simple and throw 2 bottles of water, bags of chips and a chocolate bar in a gift bag, then sure..I'd say you won't spend a lot of time assembling. But if you are looking for details, clean and sturdy product placement, perfect bows and packaging that WOWs---it's going to take hours, sometimes days depending on how many we are building and the details of the gift. Our service partners QUALITY with QUANTITY that will completely relieve you of that time suck during the week leading up to your wedding day!
4. Delivery and Hotel Coordination
Part of our service is to handle the coordination with hotels where room blocks are secured and it is our job to schedule a delivery date and time that is in line with your wedding guest check in, the hotel staff, traffic implications and time of year due to weather (on the East Coast we do have snow!). We also have the means to transport anywhere from 24-100+ gifts just days before your wedding. If you have someone that can handle this for you, I recommend giving them detailed instructions about a month before they have to do the job so they are prepared!
To DIY or not to DIY?
If you are ready to outsource the task, fill out our inquiry form to schedule a call and we can talk through the fun details of what you are looking for and how we can potentially work together! Working with a Wedding Planner? We are more than happy to work 1:1 with your Planner to build the perfect welcome gifts for your wedding.
If you made it this far and still up to the DIY challenge (that's what I did for my wedding!), WE ARE ROOTING FOR YOU! We are not only cheering you on but also sharing our free welcome gift checklist to help keep you organized! Check it out here and don't forget to tag us @lavenderandpinegifting on Instagram to show us your creations, we LOVE to see our couples getting creative and having fun with it!
Grab your free welcome gift checklist!
