Let’s face it: Being a wedding guest is no small feat. Both the time commitment and cost are considerable. From finding an appropriate dress or suit to booking flights to hiring babysitters, your guests are willing to pull out all the stops to celebrate your love! They deserve the best wedding guest experiences you can give them.
The Knot Guest Study actually surveyed 1,000 US adults in 2024 and found that the average cost of attending a wedding is $610. While it’s safe to assume that most of those guests were happy to spend the time and money, this study highlights the importance of making your guests feel cared for, which begs the question: Why not give your loved ones the same extra special treatment by creating a unique wedding experience for everyone involved?
There are so many interesting ways to surprise and delight your guests, from unique wedding experiences to useful wedding favors and beyond. If you’re looking to go the extra mile for your guests, we’re here to help! Here at Celebration Gardens, we love to help make your guests feel seen by extending our signature hospitality, from the moment they walk through the entrance until the last guest leaves at the end of the night. Whether your guests are coming from near or far, we’re excited to provide a wealth of ideas to go the extra mile for your loved ones on your Orlando wedding day.
Welcome Bags with Useful Wedding Favors
If you’re getting married in Orlando, chances are that at least a few guests will be traveling from out-of-state to see you say “I do.” If you want your guests to feel right at home at their hotel or AirBnB, welcome bags are a great way to give them a warm welcome upon arrival. These can be as simple as a gift bag with some snacks and travel essentials or as elaborate as a basket of luxury goods.
At Celebration Gardens, we encourage our couples to strike a balance between useful wedding favors and fun Orlando-specific goodies. For example, a great welcome basket could include practical items, like Tide To-Go pens, breath mints, water bottles, a printed itinerary of your wedding events, and a map of the local area. You could also include some Florida favorites, like a bottle of fresh-squeezed orange juice, a pair of sunglasses, and a vintage Orlando postcard.
Once assembled, these bags can either be dropped off at your guests’ hotels (with prior notice given to the hotel staff) or passed out at your rehearsal dinner or welcome party for guests to enjoy.
Bathroom Amenity Baskets
Over the past couple of years, our Celebration Gardens team has seen bathroom amenity baskets go from a thoughtful touch to a must-have. Picture a thoughtfully curated basket with anything your guests might need to feel more comfortable and quickly remedy unexpected hygiene or wardrobe mishaps.
Here are our top suggestions for what to include in your bathroom baskets for your Orlando wedding:
- Mouthwash
- Feminine products
- Spray deodorant or deodorant wipes
- Floss picks
- Sewing kit
- Tide To-Go pen
- Lint roller
- Bobby pins
- Hair ties
- Hairspray
- Advil
- Tums
- Wisp toothbrushes
- First aid kit
- Mints
- Makeup wipes
- Lotion
- Eye drops
- Tissues
Additional Events as Unique Wedding Experiences
We have also recently seen an uptick in couples expanding their Orlando wedding weekends to include additional wedding events, such as a welcome party, afterparty, or day-after brunch.
A welcome party is a great chance for you to greet any guests not invited to the rehearsal dinner and treat them to dinner after a long travel day. If you are considering adding this event into your Orlando wedding weekend, we would be honored to host it here at Celebration Gardens! Surrounded by lush greenery and flowers, your guests will experience all the beauty of Florida while enjoying our lawn games and fire pit. Our gardens are truly the perfect environment for guests to relax and catch up with one another before your wedding day!
If you and your guests love to party, let’s keep the fun going! Consider providing another unique wedding experience by hosting a wedding afterparty. This could take place under the stars in our gardens, offsite at a local brewery or winery, or as a continuation of your reception in our Grand Pavilion.
If you’re more of an early bird than a night owl, you might also consider a cozy farewell brunch to say goodbye to your guests before your Orlando wedding weekend is over. Our planning team and catering partner at John Michael Events can help you plan a memorable brunch that everyone will enjoy, from a spread of flaky croissants, scones, and cinnamon rolls to classic brunch favorites, like avocado toast and biscuit breakfast sandwiches.
After the brunch, you might even consider hosting a post-wedding theme park day to give your guests the true Orlando experience!
Personalized Useful Wedding Favors
If you are giving out wedding favors to your guests but don’t want them to end up in the trash, our greatest piece of advice is to make them both personalized AND practical! Everyone loves a souvenir to commemorate a special occasion and it’s even more meaningful when it’s personalized with either your names and wedding date or their name or initial. And when the wedding favor is something guests can actually use in their daily lives at home, they’ll be much more likely to keep it long after the celebration is over. These thoughtful touches are a wonderful way to make your family and friends feel extra special and loved!
Here are some of our recommendations for personalized, useful wedding favors:
- A personalized mug to use at your coffee or hot chocolate bar before bringing it home
- A coaster or koozy with their initial on it
- A packet of flower seeds guests can plant in their own gardens
- A dog-themed goody bag filled with treats and a small toy for your loved ones’ fur babies
- A mini jar of local honey or jam for guests to enjoy at home
- A mini candle in your favorite scent
- Your favorite candy for guests to take home
- Hand fans, especially for spring and summer weddings!
Unique Wedding Experiences: Surprise Vendors
Another way to gift your guests with a unique wedding experience is by hiring an unexpected vendor to surprise and delight!
Our team is continually blown away at the unique Orlando wedding vendors our couples source for their weddings. Some of our favorite ideas include:
- Walking cannoli or caviar servers
- Live screenprinting
- Silent disco
- Ice cream cart or truck
- Liquid nitrogen ice cream
- Glambot
- Beer burros
- Live wedding painter or sketch artist
Handwritten Thank You Notes
Even if you verbally thank each guest on your wedding day, it’s still a timeless tradition to also write out your appreciation! Many of our Celebration Gardens couples love swapping out traditional place cards (which often get thrown in the trash after the event) with handwritten thank you notes (which can be treasured for years to come)!
Handwritten notes are a great way to not only go the extra mile for your guests, but also take a step back during the wedding planning process and reflect on all the people who love you! You can incorporate this useful wedding favor into your big day by ordering stationery that coordinates with your wedding decor and begin filling out the cards several months before the wedding day. Be sure to include each individual guests’ name on the front of the envelope so that they can still find their seats with ease.
Let’s Plan Your Unique Wedding Experience!
Celebration Gardens is Orlando’s premier botanical garden wedding venue, located in Winter Park, FL. Our Wedding Gazebo, Intimate Pavilion, Grand Pavilion, and lush gardens provide a seamless flow from ceremony to cocktail hour to reception. We also offer all-inclusive wedding packages to make wedding planning as simple and stress-free as possible!
Are you interested in having your wedding at our beautiful outdoor wedding venue? Contact us today! Our friendly team members would love to chat with you and provide you with a customized quote.
Unique Wedding Experiences Q&A
What should I put in the welcome bags for my wedding?
We recommend a mix of useful wedding favors and local goods for those traveling from out of town. For your Orlando wedding, this could include travel essentials, like Tide To-Go pens or water bottles. We also recommend including some Florida favorites, like a bottle of fresh-squeezed orange juice, locally-made snacks, sunglasses, and a printed itinerary for all the unique wedding experiences you have in store.
What items should be included in a wedding bathroom amenity basket?
We recommend a mix of hygiene products (i.e mints, deodorant wipes, feminine products, a sewing kit for any wardrobe malfunctions etc) and items to make your guests feel luxurious (i.e. your favorite hand cream).
What are some fun ideas for unique wedding experiences?
Keep your guests entertained for the whole wedding weekend through additional events such as a welcome party, afterparty, or farewell brunch. You might also hire out-of-the-box vendors to surprise and delight your guests, such as live entertainers, a next-level photobooth, or live screenprinting!
How can I incorporate handwritten thank you notes into my wedding?
Our favorite way to go the extra mile for your Orlando wedding is to use handwritten notes in lieu of place cards. Simply order the stationery of your choice several months before the wedding, write a kind note to each of your guests, and make sure to clearly label the envelope so your guests can find their seats!