A weekend of wedding celebrations on the beach side is a treat in itself. And what better way to start your guests on a high note than a sweet surprise waiting for them when the walk into their room; a welcome hamper with goodies!

Yes. There are innumerable items that can go into the welcome hamper for your Indian wedding. And, to choose them wisely is the most difficult task ahead.

We choose the items that go in with some constraints; it may be financial and/or it may be the items to choose or it may be a mix of the two. The first thing to do is to fix the amount you will be spending on the welcome hamper. Then it becomes a little bit easier. If the guests are more, then bulk purchase of items will get us discounted prices too.

The general items that go in welcome hampers for guests, especially in Indian weddings is the chocolates/sweets that complement the savouries (spicy mixture etc), plus a couple of drinks from the local market.

The variations happen after this.

How about adding a sweet welcome message for all your guests. In the same note, you can also subtly tell them about the facilities available in the hotel for free and what services are chargeable.

If there are many event that will be happening, it is always good to add a note on the schedule, venue and mention exact timings.

If it is happening in a beach destination such as Mahabalipuram, it will be a thoughtful idea to include a short note on the tourist landmarks they could visit. To top it off, you may get your wedding planner involved to patch up with the local cab company to get competitive rates for the tour, which can be useful for the guests.

Weddings, especially beach and destination weddings are fun and fun all the way. A gift is a gift; there is no big or small to it. People love gifts. Your placing of the welcome hamper with sweetmeats itself is a gift. Now, to make things more interesting, we will see the kind of things that we can add on.

We have covered the sleek welcome note and the event schedule. Then there is the basket to choose from. What are you choosing to put the sweets, chocolates, savouries and the welcome drink in. There are small bags or pouches available in cloth, bamboo welcome trays, cane or plastic and metal welcome trays and other kinds of stuff that could be used, depending on your budget and preferences.

Everybody likes perfume. Do you think we can help you with our own customized collection for your guests? Yes, that could be done. A small bottle of perfume will make wonders to the ambience. We can even blend it to the theme. When all your guests wear the same perfume, there is no doubt that the emotions across the event would be the same.

Let us add a bunch of loose mogra in a small pouch for a welcome fragrance. Do you think you need to add a small handkerchief for the emotional moments? May be not needed. That’s a thought though.

How about adding cookies and nuts into the hamper? Or a dry fruit box in it? How about adding a bunch of flavoured premium tea bags from the best plantations of the Nilgiris to top it up? Would your welcome hampers for your guests in the Indian wedding would be complete then?

There is a random thought in one of the hosts that there could be a souvenir that could be part of the welcome hamper, which the guests would carry with them as a remembrance from the wedding. It could be a printed fragrant candle or a small insignia with the initials of the bride and the groom, with a religious symbol on the other side.

How about adding icing to the cake with a personalized gift from the bride and the groom to all the guests, as a way of saying thank you for gracing the occasion and blessing them with all the bounty in this life?

There is a variety of small gift items to choose from for this purpose.

If it is going to be a long party on the night before the wedding, how about sharing a hangover kit with the party animals only. This definitely will be appreciated.

To sum it up the welcome hampers for your guests in your Indian wedding can be small or large. But, it definitely needs planning. We are here right beside you to help you make the best out of it. We have a team that has hundreds of weddings to boast about; from base level to the top of the pyramid; we have seen it all.

Visit Anantmaya at our RK Mutt road showroom and and let all your apprehensions be washed away. Let us script your wedding, be it a destination wedding or otherwise, well in advance and make it a grand success.

Welcome hampers for your guests in your Indian wedding are a breeze with Anantmaya by your side!