In the midst of wedding season here at Great Northern, two of our oldest friends tied a knot of their own elsewhere in the mountains of Montana, and — lucky us — we were able to sneak away to be wedding guests for a weekend. It was divine (really, who doesn’t want to spend a gorgeous Montana summer evening celebrating fabulous people in love?). I was reminded — again, as I am so often reminded — how rare and extraordinary a thing it is to have so many people pause their regular lives and come together to demonstrate their love and happiness for two members of their village. Weddings are such primal rituals.
As I am so rarely a guest at weddings these days, this weekend also reminded me, very refreshingly, of how a wedding looks and feels from a guest’s perspective. When we arrived at the little cabin where we stayed for the wedding weekend, the sweetest welcome gift awaited us — and that token of thoughtfulness from our hosts set the tone for the entire weekend. We love when brides and grooms spoil their guests a little, so we assembled these ideas for welcome gifts for a destination wedding in Montana.
1. Give your guests something to eat and drink!
A very welcoming basket.
Treats with local flavor.
What more could a guest want, after a long drive or day in airports, than a little treat? Rather than loading down their carry-ons with foods to take home or liquids they won’t be able to get through airport security, consider something refreshing they can sip and nibble on the spot.
2. Give your guests what they’ll need to enjoy the area!
A personalized water bottle and trail mix for a Montana wedding.
A local newspaper and a bunch of flowers.
Put together a list of your favorite restaurants, a map, perhaps a local newspaper to read with their morning coffee. Include a gift that they could use during their stay (a stainless water bottle for your group hike?) and then take home to remember it by. Include an itinerary of the weekend’s events, with locations and directions too.
3. Give your guests something to recover from the party!
Door hangers for the morning after the big day.
After a couple nights of celebrating at a destination wedding, your guests might love a good pot of coffee, an ibuprofen or (and?) a bloody mary.
4. Give your guests something to remind them to relax and enjoy themselves!
Ingredients for a cozy fireside drink.
Destination weddings are most fabulous when everyone remembers that they’re on vacation.
5. Make the packaging so pretty it’s a gift in itself.
A welcoming message to your guests.
A sweet little tag to top it all off.
A pretty stamped box tied up with string.
Wedding Chicks has a lovely suite of place-specific totes for welcome gifts.
A spectacular setting for a Montana wedding. 
