Photography: Jose Villa Photography | Planning & Hosting: Laurie Arons Special Events | Floral Design: Honey of a Thousand Flowers | Event Design & Styling: Daniel Tran

13. Something kind - Nothing could be more beautiful than a gift that gives back. Include a gift that supports your favorite cause or charity, and you allow your wedding to become interwoven with an even bigger, more beautiful story. The Grace Case fills a box with handcrafted heirlooms and pays a fair wage to girls and women who create them, along with its sister company, a line of home wares called The Grace Crafted Home. Meanwhile, Nena & Co. supports artisans in Guatemala, Ghana, and Morocco, so each beautifully patterned bag and accessory blends heritage with design and social responsibility. Gifts like these prove that grace multiplies; as we open these gifts, we can both receive grace and give it as a gift to someone else.

Don’t forget this time-saving tip!

Always plan ahead and outsource the delivery of your bags. It is probably safest to leave the bags in the capable hands of your planners, who can coordinate everything from the design to the delivery. If you aren’t working with a planner, then be sure to check with the hotel concierge and arrange delivery well in advance. Ashley of The Graceful Host feels that delivery is part and parcel of a fine art service; in addition to designing welcome bags, “I also do the delivery,” she adds. “My goal is always to let our clients focus on being the bride and groom, and we handle the rest!”

And this design tip!

Hiring your planner to design the baskets is also a huge aesthetic plus, as your planner is so steeped in your design details. Ashley of The Graceful Host explains, “As a fine art wedding planner, I will focus on creating a cohesive wedding design through each detail of a couples’ wedding day, which should include the welcome boxes. I have a heavy hand in the design of our events, so handling the welcome boxes is something I love to do for my couples.”