It’s such a nice little touch to add a basket full of toiletries in both the men’s and women’s restrooms, especially when the restrooms are reserved for just your guests. These baskets are full of those little necessities both men and women seem to need throughout the evening to make sure they have the best time possible! If you would like to include a bathroom basket as a wedding detail, here are steps for putting together two stellar toiletry baskets for next to nothing.

1.     Plan ahead! To save the most, give yourself ample time to buy items for the baskets. If this is something you throw together two days before the wedding, you’ll be limited to the sales of that week, rather than buying each item on sale over the course of several weeks.

2.     Make list of needed items. Some of our favorite things to include: First aid kits and extra band-aids (for all of those dancing blisters!), Listerine strips, gum and/or mints, hair spray for women, hair gel for men, bobby pins, safety pins, tampons, pantiliners, pads, body spray for men and women, lotion, small scissors, Shout wipes or stain remover, and some basic medicines like Advil, Tums, and Benadryl.

3.     Start clipping those coupons! Check your Sunday paper for coupons and clip all for the items above, then hang on to them until you can match them with a sale for the best prices. Check the deals on the Belles Blog for the best match-ups!

4.     Visit the craft stores? For items like safety pins, bobby pins and small scissors, you may be able to score the best prices at fabric and craft stores like Michael’s, A.C. Moore, Jo-Ann, or Hobby Lobby. Each of these regularly have coupons available on their websites (usually for 40% off one item), so print off a coupon, buy an item at a time, and spend mere pennies for these additions!

5.     Score cheap baskets. The baskets in which to present these toiletry items should be low-cost—a few dollars for each at most, since they are just small details and may just be used once if someone forgets to pick them up at the end of the evening. The Dollar Tree usually has baskets perfect for this purpose, or check out Target or Walmart, or any of the craft stores mentioned above (with coupon in hand of course!).

6.     Assemble. Artfully arrange the items in the basket and write or print a small card that explains that the items are for your guests and a cute little explanation like “all the necessities to keep you dancing the night away”.

7.     Appoint a friend or relative to place the baskets in the restroom at the start of cocktail hour and take them home at the end of the reception.