OOT Bags - Anyone DISLIKE???

[proti007]

Hey y'all!

 

Am I the only one who thinks OOT bags are tons of work, under-appreciated and a little useless? I am totally for a welcome brochure, letting guests know of the weeks' events, but what the heck is the point of an OOT bag when staying at an AI resort (as most are on this site). The resorts provide almost ALL of the items listed on the master list of OOT bag contents, and many are common sense items your guests would pack. With most airlines beginning to charge for a second bag as of next week (AirCanada, Westjet for you fellow Canadian brides), this seems like it would add up to a huge cost, so unnecessarily! There are many, many other things I would rather put our wedding budget towards. Kudos to all brides that put in the TIME & the EFFORT to put together OOT bags, but I just don't see the point.

[schmizer]

I can see your point, but for me, the extra work is worth it.

 

My closest friends and family are flying thousands of miles, using their vacation time and spending thousands of dollars to spend our special day with us.  I want them to know how much they mean to us, and the OOT bags are just one of the ways I plan to show them that they are appreciated. The couple of hours time, money spent and the inconvenience of getting the stuff there is the least I can do.

 

Also, realize that I have always gotten super excited about surprising others with gifts.  Our OOT bags will have some of the goodies that I have seen in other bags, but will also include items that I know our guests won't bring and things that are personalized for them that will make their day.

 

My two cents:)

[jlarruda]

I agree with you.  I'm not completely against it, but I know if we do it, it will be a last minute thing.  We'd rather put our money towards something else that would be memorable on our wedding day.. cause I can see the OOT bags adding up for all the little things here and there..   when it could be the price of fire dancers/cigar roller/etc on our wedding day that I know our guests would enjoy.

[BeachBridein11]

 

Originally Posted by schmizer 

I can see your point, but for me, the extra work is worth it.

 

My closest friends and family are flying thousands of miles, using their vacation time and spending thousands of dollars to spend our special day with us.  I want them to know how much they mean to us, and the OOT bags are just one of the ways I plan to show them that they are appreciated. The couple of hours time, money spent and the inconvenience of getting the stuff there is the least I can do.

 

Also, realize that I have always gotten super excited about surprising others with gifts.  Our OOT bags will have some of the goodies that I have seen in other bags, but will also include items that I know our guests won't bring and things that are personalized for them that will make their day.

 

My two cents:)

I completely agree with schmizer.  The bags are something unexpected and will definitely make them feel more welcome! If you decide not to do them, no worries!  Like I said, they're not expected.  If you want to save money or use it on something else, go ahead!!  It's your wedding!
 

[mochamakes3]

I think it all depends on what you put in them. Like you, our AI provides most things that others are including. I have made bags with our logo on them but haven't decided what to put in them. I figured if nothing else, it will be nice to have a small tote for day trips. It's also very difficult to decide until I have more accurate numbers. I'm trying to think of helpful items that would be unexpected and appreciated.

 

A couple of items that I want to include; sarongs for ladies, nail files, laundry soap, emergen-C, and aloe. Except for the sarongs, I figure these items may be harder or more expensive to obtain.

[islandbride8]

I completely agree.  I think it's a nice gesture, but not worth it in my opinion.  I can see it now... Guests get their OOT tote and think it's great, then it gets tossed in a corner and takes up space (I'm sure not everyone would do this, but I know my family and this is what would happen).  A lot of my guests are arriving before my FI and I (they want to leave day after wedding) so we would have to ship everything down there and have our WC distribute them (kinda takes the ambiance away from it). I estimated the shipping and it came to $754!!!  Nope, not worth it at all!  I'm doing the welcome letter and giving a couple different favors at the wedding.  I'd rather spend money on upgrading the favors so everyone has one nice thing instead of a bunch of little things.  If it were feasible for me to do OOT bags I may have a different opinion.  I think it's great for those doing it, but I'm on a tight budget and spending that kind of money on OOT bags isn't a priority for me.

[dominiqueamber]

I see iit from both sides....You don't have to do an OOT bag but I think you can put in things that your guests wouldn't think of bringing but benefit from and it will be useful- you don't have to fill a suitcase either just something small (I think that's crazy what the airlines charge and I think everyone should boycott)..I know my family and they forget EVERYTHING when we travel so I know this would be much appreciated and with all the wedding kaos they might not have time to go shopping so local treats would be appreciated as well as treats - people always need snacks cause you never know...I don't think anyone has to do OOT bags if they don't have the budget and time and I don't think the guests will say "Why didn't we get an OOT bag" but because I LOVE giving gifts and because my family and friends are spending a lot of money they don't have lying around I think it's a special treat to them - I can't wait to do my OOT bags!

[Mandy Canada]

Im not doing OOT bags either, as I figure most of my guests will already bring all the essentials and toliettries. I am spending some $ on the Travel Mugs with a logo & maybe the hand painted maracas!

[Vettiebean]

I definitely see both sides to this. I don't think we're going to do OOT bags. If anything, we'd probably use the money toward other special gifts. I do appreciate the time, effort, creativity, and aesthetic pleasure of OOT bags--c'mon, they're friggin cute!!! And, I love all the personalized accents, but I don't know that it's the route we'll take. As a few others have said, I have a feeling that after the trip, the bags will never be used again. I think I'd rather use the funds on a "treat" or something they could reuse easily or an experience. 

 

We're planning on having a small wedding. Inviting about 25-30 and probably only half will show up, if even that. The boys are all mostly cigar smokers, so we may look into getting them nice cigars. For the ladies, possibly sarongs and/or personalized flip flops (I'd be making the flip flops and personalized for the guest, not personalized to our wedding). I'm trying to think of nice things that either won't take up too much space or can be purchased in Mexico. I HATE traveling with extra luggage and loathe the extra baggage fees. 

 

Who knows, I still have a year to think about all this. Maybe in time, I'll change my mind. But for now, that's my perspective. 

[proti007]

I totally agree with what many of the brides have said on here. I think OOT bags are an amazing gesture and show guests how much you care, and in many instances provides them with something that they may not have thought to bring. On the other hand, I am happy to hear from those brides who've decided not to do OOT bags - it makes me feel less inadequate not doing them!