Must Have Items for Wedding Welcome Baskets

Every good Mississippi girl knows that welcome baskets are important.  Hospitality is something we are taught from birth so your out of town guests will be in for a treat.  There are a few basics to include in a gift basket but you can choose a few special items that are meaningful to you and your future hubby to help your guests get to know the area and see Mississippi through your eyes.

• Welcome note (including restaurant suggestions and pharmacy locations)
• Local map
• Bottle of water
• Bottle of wine or small pint of brandy
• Salty snack
• Sweet treat
• Fruit
• Sunscreen or chapstick (depending on the season)
• Local delicacies (go wild here – pastries from a bakery,  Mississippi cheese straws, pecan log)
• Souvenir from your Alma Mater
• Paper back book from a local author (John Grisham, Williams Faulkner, Eudora Welty)
• Postcards from a Mississippi artist (Walter Anderson, Wyatt Waters
• Local pottery (McCarty’s, David Johnson)
• Travel size pain meds (Advil, Tylenol, Alka-Seltzer)
• Notepad, pen, deck of cards or crossword puzzle

Great Wedding Ideas in Burlap!

Every good southern wedding will have a touch of burlap somewhere.  Here are a few great ideas to show your heritage at even the most elegant of weddings.  You could wrap votive candles in burlap for your reception tables or wrap a vase of flowers for the centerpiece.  My favorite is the evergreen sapling wedding favors wrapped in burlap, but you might be more in to the burlap “Love Sack”.

Reception Table Numbers in Burlap

White Ranunculus Centerpiece Wrapped in Burlap

Burlap Chair Decor

Wedding Favors - Saplings Wrapped in Burlap

Burlap Table Runner with Monogram

Burlap Wedding Favors - The Love Sack

Wedding Program – It’s Also a Fan

This is a great idea for outdoor weddings.  The wedding program can pull double duty as an elegant fan.  You can have them printed and made professionally or this could be an excellent opportunity for some DIY.  These are some great examples but I think the sky’s the limit with the design.  You could paint the popsicle stick with some shimmer spray paint or use cascading ribbons instead of bows.  These can be as formal or casual as you want them.  We think they are a great idea for an indoor wedding also – we’ve all been there, a  crowded Mississippi church in our fancy clothes can sometimes get a little stuffy.

Wedding Favors Your Guests Will Want to Take Home

Your wedding has been sensational and now it’s time for your guests to leave. You want them to walk away with a little memento as a way to say “thanks for coming” and so they can remember this special occasion. Now, you could just give them life-size cutouts of you and your new hubby, or you could try some of the following more fun and creative wedding favors.

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