Booking Hotel Rooms for Guests

Call around different hotels in the area and say you're wanting a courtesy room block. Courtesy rooms blocks don't hold you accountable for any rooms not used. Also, just get the maximum amount of rooms they allow you to block.

When I did mine it was about 20 rooms. Most people do about 2 or 3 hotels with different price ranges.

We are not booking rooms for anyone but we did get a block at a hotel for people. Requirements are different for different places. The one we ended up with was a 20 room block (more can be added as needed) and we are responsible for 10, so if 10 rooms don't book for whatever reason we would have to eat that additional cost. There is usually a group rate that they will offer and you usually don't need to have that many rooms (we do it for hockey tournys and sometimes we only end up with like 4 rooms) and if you have enough "room nights" booked you may get a free room or a discount on a suite (we are getting $100 off). Some offer shuttles, others dont, some do it by number of runs based on number of rooms but make sure if you know its going to be 2 guests/room and its 1 shuttle / 10 rooms but the shuttle only holds 14 people you are going to have 6 with no transportation.

I would definitely go look at the hotels if you can and look at ones that maybe aren't on the recommended list from your vendor. All of the hotels in the area were comparable in price and what they offered but we found one that wasn't on the recommendation list that was equivalent in cost but was heads and tails above the rest with what they offered and how pretty the whole place was.

Definitely check out what the breakfast set up is, people are gonna want to eat the next morning.

If you plan on doing pictures at the hotel, make sure 1 they have someplace pretty to do it, and 2 that you are aloud to. We looked at 1 place that was very restrictive as to where we would be able to do pictures.

I would also ask if they have anywhere you can use as like an "afterparty" spot. I know my family will not be done partying at 12 when we shut down so we have a banquet room that is away from guest rooms that we can bring a cooler and keep it rolling.

If its an option I would try to pick something at a couple different price points (like I said, everyone in our area was about the same price so we only have 1) in case anyone wants to opt for a hotel that you do not plan on covering.

Good luck!

Yes, but it often requires a contract. Look at pricing for rooms at a hotel online for this November so you have something to compare when they quote you prices for a room block. If you have a planner or month of coordinator ask them for recommendations too. Also, you can probably get a better deal if a hotel works with your venue. FYI, unless you are getting a lot of rooms (20+ depending on hotel capacity) don't expect a mega discount. I've received a lot of information by going to bridal expos in my area. Since you have a similar date to mine I'd suggest checking out free admission expos if those are available/convenient for you. Unless the expo is really big the paid ones are rarely worth it.

Usually they will give a discount for room blocks, but it's usually not a big difference from my experience.

And no problem

I got married in Charlottesville, VA during football season and was advised to call one year out to get courtesy blocks. Some hotels were already booked up a year out but I was able to get 2 hotels to agree to courtesy blocks of 10 rooms each. I'd start calling hotels this fall to see if they offer this service.

Bridal Expos are SOOOO helpful. They have multiple vendors for everything you would need. Even some that may not be well known so you may not have ever found them. I loved it. Plus you get to feel special! You get cute bags free samples, even free food sometimes.

Even if you don't find a vendor you get free stuff like tote bags, bottles of champagne, small soaps and candles, and they often have free mimosas and food. I live on the SoCal coast so it might be different here, but I doubt it. If you go, take a buddy or your fiance along with a pen and notepad so you can jot down which vendors you like. Often vendors offer special discounts at these events plus raffles. Many will work with you too. One vendor gave us a coupon that expires May 2020, but she said she would still honor it for our date. When it comes to wedding planning and discounts a question unasked is a missed opportunity.

Hey so this whole concept confused me so badly when I first started planning. I originally wanted to have a destination wedding but thought I had to pay for all guests hotel rooms and realized it was cheaper just to get married locally. I didn't realize my misunderstanding for quite a while lol

Guests will and should pay for their hotel room. They will not see this as an inconvenience.. Your loved ones will just be happy to be with you at this joyous occasions

set "curtesy hotel blocks" with 3 separate hotels with varying price ranges. make sure these are with hotels that do not hold you responsible for payment of unused rooms, and try to make sure the rooms will be blocked up until your deadline for RSVP

Post these hotels with their contact info on your wedding website. some people even include them in their details section of their invitations. make sure to remind guests they need to mention they are with your wedding in order to receive a discount.

check back with the hotels you blocked rooms with closer to your RSVP deadline to see if they are full so you can add more rooms.