Destination inspired welcome gifts are all the rage and for good reason! Why not get excited about the location you are saying “I do” to your forever? Plus, it gives your guests a souvenir to take back home as a forever reminder of the trip, the fun times they had with you and the birth of your new union. I’m sharing a little bit about Maptote on this blog because, after trying out some products myself, I feel in love with the company and the adorable designs!

If you aren’t already curious to check out Maptotte, the story behind the company will, no doubt, make you hop over to the site ASAP. It all started with Rachel and Michael, the owners and founders of Maptote and their vacation to Germany back in 2006. They noticed every city sold themed cotton reusable totes in the grocery stores, so they purchased a few and gave them to friends and family as souvenirs… Their loved ones when crazy over them! That’s when the couple had the idea for a tote bag for their own beloved city: Brooklyn. “We’d been toying around with the idea of starting our own company, but we weren’t sure what it would be. Then this Brooklyn tote idea came into play, and voila – Maptote was born,” the two say.

The company started with a single product that Rachel and Michael poured their heart and soul into and it grew from there. Now, you can order anything from a rad 100% soy California candle (smells like the ocean, mint, cucumber and watercress) to a 100% cotton NYC makeup pouch (featuring all the staples of life in the Big Apple). “We try to have fun with the design. It’s more about the feel of the city and a local’s perspective, rather than being a completely accurate, technical map. And it’s for locals and visitors alike,” the couple says.

If you love sustainable products like me, you’ll be happy to hear that Maptote sources their fabric from US cotton, and it is cut, sewn and printed all in Brooklyn, New York. That means fewer carbon emissions in transportation versus if you were to purchase a product made in China. Not to mention that your guests will have a tote to take with them on grocery runs – that’s one less plastic bag used. And, all the while you are stimulating the American economy one little tote at a time.

Maptote can also custom design totes for your destination wedding! Check out some of their past work on custom-designed here.

Grab your honey and get ready to do some welcome bag shopping – first stop: Maptote. Your guests will love you, and you’ll love that you contributed to a small business in the process!