Creative Wedding Gift Idea: Honeymoon Bag

Hi strangers!

I finally finished my move into Doug and I’s new apartment this past weekend and have been so busy lately! Definitely a good busy, though 🙂 I just wrapped up a campaign with ShoeDazzle and BeGlammed this week and shared some behind the scenes photos and videos on my Instagram page. Can’t wait to share more about that soon!

But anyways, I can’t believe that February is over. That means spring is right around the corner, and so is wedding season!

I was the maid of honor in my best friend’s wedding last August, and had such a hard time figuring out a good wedding gift to gift the bride and groom on their big day (see my tips on what to wear to a wedding here). Wedding registries and cash are great and all, but I wanted to do something a bit more creative and personal.

In a search for personalized wedding gifts, almost everything I found was a little lackluster. Enter: the honeymoon bag! A honeymoon bag is a bag/basket/tote filled with “essentials” for the newlyweds to enjoy on their honeymoon. The great thing about this is that you can make it as personalized as you want, and spend as little or as much as you want! It’s also a gift that the bride AND groom will enjoy.

Since I was the maid of honor, I definitely went a little overboard, but this could be a very affordable gift…especially if you split it with a group of girls in your bridal party (would also be a great bridal shower gift)! 

A few things you should know about the couple before venturing into this honeymoon bag business:

1. Where are they going on their honeymoon (for instance, this honeymoon bag is for newlyweds heading to Cancun, Mexico)?
2. What is the bride’s favorite color?
3. What is the groom’s favorite color?
4. What is the bride’s new monogram?
5. Are they checking a bag to their honeymoon destination? (Read all about my packing list essentials here)

Once you know this info, you’re good to start building your honeymoon bag for the lucky bride and groom!

How to Make the Perfect Honeymoon Bag

1. The Bag

I chose a burlap tote because it’s lightweight, folds easily, repels water, and won’t attract too much sand. This bag (under $20) will serve as the honeymoon beach bag + hold all the rest of your goodies, so you want to pick something sturdy! You can also add a  pom pom tassel for good measure, which the bride can use to add some fun to other bags throughout the year (also love this tassel, and this one).

• Monogrammed burlap bag, $19.98 
• Monogrammed canvas tote, $14.95
• Monogrammed burlap tote, $23.95
• Mesh beach bag, $10.99

2. Beach Towel

 For a tropical destination honeymoon bag, a towel is a must! You want to make sure it’s high quality, durable, and not too bulky. This gorgeous monogrammed towel here checked all the boxes and then some! The groom’s favorite color is purple, hence all the purple stuff 🙂  You can also do a set that is less personalized like the ones below. 

The bride and groom that I gifted this to said this was one of their favorite pieces in the bag!

• Striped floral monogrammed towel, $34.95+
• Colorful embroidered towel, $39.99 (in purple, blue, green and pink)
• Striped monogram beach towel, $20
• Mr. and Mrs. towel set, $45.99
• Cabana beach towel set, $18.99 (comes in many colors)

3. Passport Covers

Are your newlyweds going on an international trip? Passport covers are a great way to make the bride and groom feel extra special (this was another one of their favorites)!

They’ll be able to use these on all of their first trips together, so make sure you find durable options that will last them at last a few years. There are some super affordable options, too!

• Personalized leather passport cover + luggage tag set, $55 (these were gorgeous + come in a bunch of colors)
• Mr. & Mrs. passport cover set in black and white, $35
• Mr. & Mrs. engraved leather passport cover set, $30
• Mr. & Mrs. passport cover set in black and white, $13

4. Special Treats for the Bride

I know this is a joint gift, but it’s always nice to give the bride a little something extra to make her feel like the queen she is!

I wanted to make sure the bride had an Instagram-worthy honeymoon, so the “just married” hat and white floral beach coverup were a must! 

• Just married floppy hat in tan, $17.99
• Just married embroidered floppy hat, $19.99
• Just married floppy hat in white and black, $19.99
• Floral beach coverup in white, $14.99

5. The “forgettable” items

This category encompasses all the extra items that the bride and groom will be way too busy to remember to pack in their suitcase! Because ain’t nobody got time to buy SPF chapstick or hair ties when they’re busy planning a wedding. If you want to get all of this for less, try the 99 Cents Only Store or the Dollar Tree!

PS- you definitely want to find out how the bride and groom are traveling to their honeymoon before buying any of the items below!

• Sun Bum sunscreen lip balm, $4 
• Sun Bum Cool Down Hydrating After Sun Lotion, $9
• Spray-on sunscreen-$7,  $9, $10
• Advil, $5
• Waterproof iPhone case (2-pack), $8– The newlyweds will be able to take their phone in the pool, and take underwater photos with these! The couple said these were the most useful thing in the entire bag. 
• Hair ties, $4 (get bobby pins too and you’ll be crowned an official saint)
•  20 ounce Brita water bottle 2 pack, $15- $30

Making this honeymoon bag for my best friend and her husband was so fun! They loved it too, which made it all worth it 🙂 

As I mentioned before, it’d be a great group gift from all of the bridesmaids, and can be as cheap or expensive as you want it to be. 

I hope this post was helpful and got your creative juices flowing, thanks so much for reading!

What items would you want in your honeymoon bag?