The ultimate out-of-town gift bags will help your guests…

1. …stay hydrated.

Water is a critical element to any welcome gift. Voss (sparkling is my fave, but it is also available in still) is not only great H20, but it’s packaging is also very sleek.

Voss water

2. …fight back a snack attack!

To satiate those late night snack attacks, be sure to include some treats — both salty and sweet — for your guests. To reflect your wedding location, consider including snacks with local flair (e.g. Virginia peanuts, Maine blueberries, etc.).

Kettle Chips are a great option for a salty snack.

Lightly salted Kettle Chips

For a sweet snack, consider these options from two of the best artisan chocolatiers.

Knipschildt's chocolate-dipped pear slices

Recchiuti's Black Box

3. …keep their breath fresh.

Jila gum and Choward’s mints are not only a refreshing treat for guests, but the smart packaging will be visually appealing, as well.

Jila Sugar Free Gum available through CandyDirect.com

Choward's Spearmint Mints

4. …know where they are going.

One of the most important things to include in a welcome gift is information about the timing and locations of the weekend’s events. Three great options for wedding maps include:

• Beautiful hand-drawn maps by Laura Hooper Calligraphy
• Custom wedding map designs by Snappymap or Weddingmaps

5. …feel even more comfortable during their stay.

Help guests make their hotel room feel more like home with thoughtful touches like travel diffusers or monogrammed slippers. For beach weddings, consider adding flip flops or a beach towel. For cooler climes, a cashmere throw, ski hats, or monogrammed scarves would be a nice treat. Guests will also appreciate other small items like asparin and a mending kit.

Travel Diffuser from Archipelago

Hermes printed beach towel

Williams-Sonoma Home Cashmere Throw

6. …capture the moment.

Yes, your professional photographer will be there to capture the key moments of your wedding. But don’t miss those behind-the-scenes moments that only your guests can capture. Single use cameras can be fun for guests; those cameras with black-and-white film are particularly cool. A luxurious option for capturing moments on film would be to provide guests (or even just your wedding party) with Flip cameras. You can even personalize the camera with a picture of the bride and groom or the bride/groom with that particular guest.

Kodak's Black & White Single Use Camera available through Amazon.com

The Flip MinoHD camcorder

7. …feel welcomed and honored.

A welcome back is not complete without a personalized note from the bride and groom thanking the guest for coming and for sharing their wedding with them. While personalized notes do take time to write, they will make each guest feel even more honored and welcomed and know how much you appreciate their presence and friendship.

8. …pack it all up.

Once you’ve assembled all of the special welcome treats for your guests, you’ll need to present the items to them in lovely packaging. This is a wonderful chance to incorporate your theme (e.g. gifts at a beach wedding could be packaged in canvas beach bags). Keep in mind that your guests will have to pack up these items and to take them home with them, so try not to make the packaging too bulky or awkward.  Fun tote bags like the ones below or beautiful Kolo boxes can be good options.

City Out-of-Town Totes available at Blissweddingsmarket.com

The cookies would also make a thoughtful hostess gift when staying at a friend’s beach house.

Beach Party Cookie Assortment from Eleni's New York

A gracious guest always brings a gift for his or her host to show their appreciation. There are infinite options for host gifts, but above all, the gift should be something that is in keeping with the host’s taste and preferences. And, of course, just use common sense — don’t buy a bottle of wine for someone who does not drink wine; avoid perfumed items for those with allergies to perfume.

With warmer weather approaching that means trips to the beach and shore homes. When invited to a friend’s shoreside vacation home, consider some of the following shore-inspired host gifts:

A gift certificate to the host’s favorite local restaurant, spa, or boutique – Is there a restaurant your host loves to frequent, a boutique that just opened that you know he or she would like to try? One can rarely go wrong with a gift certificate.

Beach House Guest Book — this is a fitting gift for those that may have just purchased their vacation home.

Beach House Guest Book from Nautical Luxuries

Barometer — when you really want to splurge, a barometer from Tiffany’s will do the trick.

Tiffany's Chelsea Barometer in Nickel

Serving Tray — I love the idea of filling this serving tray with culinary goodies: chocolates, specialty crackers, locally roasted coffee….

Beachcomber Tray from Pottery Barn

Smart Cooler Bag — for the technophile and picnicker alike! And be sure to have it monogrammed.

Smart Cooler Bag from Pottery Barn

Recycled Tote — What could be more nautical than a tote made from recycled sailboat sails? Fabulous.

Recycled Sail Tote from Reiter8 on Etsy

Rope Knot Doorstop — One doesn’t see doorstops very often these days (why is that?) which I think makes this gift even more unique. It can also be used as a bookend.

Rope Knot Door Stop from CS Post & Co

Bowl/Coral – Coral is very “in” at the moment. This is a tasteful way to share the trend.

Michael Aram Large Black Coral Reef Bowl, available at Barney

Bacce Ball Set — what’s wrong with a little fun and games… Italian style?!

Bacce Ball Set from Restoration Hardware