Guests who do not RSVP but show up

Also anyone wanting to use any kind of travel points/reward system will be not booking with you either. They will book that separately. Just tell you guests the resort and the date and be done with it. Also as to your day trip.....you are asking these people to plan their holiday around you. You get one day where everyone has to be there. Let them enjoy the rest of their trip as they wish

Canadians to the rescue

Also, when did you send out your invitations? You're asking people to commit to being able to cough up a lot of money 9 months in advance. Plans change and finances change.

DWs are difficult enough for guests. You are setting your expectations wayyy to high.

Canadian bride here...I was invited to a wedding 2 years ago and it was similar to what OP is describing. They needed to know numbers in the summer for a December wedding. Something to do with needing to fill up the seats on the plane in order to get the discount? I think the package had a required minimum and that meant that everyone had to fly same dates and the same flight to the same resort for the couple to get the deal.

@SEF well then maybe the couple should have planned a wedding that didn't require their guests to be inconvenienced for the sake of a discount for the bride & groom... just sayin'.

@SEF the issue with that is that the couple getting a deal is not her guests' problem. They should be allowed to fly on whatever airline and stay at whatever hotel they choose.

So...you are wrong.

I can say this with authority. I did this sort of travel booking professionally, full time, for two years of my life. My territory was the upper Midwest and central Canada. There is no special rule that says Canadians have to book packages with chartered flights.

Back off and let your guests handle their own arrangements. You have air seats and hotel rooms on hold. Cool! If they want to take advantage of those special rates, they will have to make their bookings within the time window you negotiated with the airline(s) and resort(s). But if they prefer to book their own thing on their own, that is fine too. They don't all have to be on the same plane. Unless your wedding is happening at a destination to which there is no commercial travel, they can book whatever flights they want. And if there are no commercial carriers that service your destination (A) why on earth would you pick that place and (B) your question is moot since they couldn't possibly just show up.

Omg! Is this that thing that air Canada has where if you get a big enough group your trip is free?!?!?

OP the problem seems to be that you have given your guests no flexibility in being able to attend you wedding. They have to do so on your exact timeline and at a cost that you have determined. You have given them no other options if they are not able to take that amount of time off work or can't afford a 5 star all inclusive resort. It seems like your only option is to call the guests you have not heard from. Explain that you need their RSVP now. If they are not able to commit to it, you will need to tell them that they will not be able to change their minds at a later date.

Or, talk to your travel agent and change your plans

Whoa guys, I'm not justifying it at all, just letting everyone know that other people have done this. I didn't go to the wedding because I couldn't commit and was offended by the pressure I got from my friends to go...turns out their vacation was free if the minimum was met. It's tacky and rude but apparently it's encouraged by Air Canada.

Invited to two weddings at all inclusives last year where the couples had to get a certain number of rooms booked to get a free/majorly reduced reception and room for themselves. They both missed the minimum and had to cough up quite a bit of cash last minute.

Oh my.

So tacky and so rude.

I just looked up the Air Canada group booking. If you get enough people on an air Canada package you get your flight and room free. That's why it has to be that resort right? That flight? Are you also getting your wedding package free?

@SEF I would've declined also.

Seriously, who the f thinks this is a reasonable way to treat their guests? Yikes.

OP, you sound absolutely ridiculous. This has nothing to do with a "Canadian" thing. I have been invited to many all-inclusive DWs and have never had to RSVP 9 MONTHS before a wedding. Never.

Like others are saying, this is likely a package through the travel agency where a certain number of guests must book seats on the plane and hotel rooms, and then the couple will get their package for free or discounted.

Also just so you know. Your guests can get a day pass to your resort for you wedding. A short cab ride and they are there. There is no reason for them to stay at the same resort

Piggybacking off @Helena. If it were impossible to attend an event at a resort unless one was staying at the resort involved, so many people past, present, and future would be missing out on events. Resorts encourage non-resort goers to come in for events. Why turn away money?

I totally understand that now that Trump is president, the rest of the world just assumes all Americans are idiots, but seriously OP.

This is definitely not a Canada specific issue. This is a "you made a bad choice and now you are freaking out unnecessarily" issue.

If you are requiring your guests to book these specific flights, rooms and days just so you can get a free trip for yourself, that is the most selfish thing I have heard. Our DW package includes perks and some free nights for us if a certain number of guests book at the hotel. But, I would never require it or use my guests just to get myself a free vacation. I have been telling people that if they would like to come, it doesn't matter how many nights they are able to stay or what resort they stay at. We will just be extremely happy if they are able to make it. If that means they stay at another resort and I pay extra to get them a day pass, then that's what I will do. This whole situation you have described seems extremely selfish and like you are not thinking of your guests at all.