Hotel and Transportation Issues: a Vent.

The hotels are probably full because October is a very popular wedding month and many venues are double and triple booked because of last year’s cancellations.


Did you look into renting a few sprinters or a schoolBus !

Are there any Airbnb’s around?

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That's my thought as well, but there's only one other wedding venue in the area. Ours is a Friday wedding so even if there's a wedding at our venue the following day, plus two weddings at the other venue that weekend, I'm still amazed that two hotels are booked up this far in advance.

We are getting a good deal on our coach bus because my MOH's aunt works for the company. I can easily have the bus pick up/ drop off at two different hotels, that's not the issue. The issue is going to be people who are like "well I don't want to pay $250 for a room I would rather just go home." I 100% do not blame them, I'd make the same call. I'm just worried about them being stranded unable to get an uber at midnight. Even scheduling an uber really does nothing. If there are no drivers out there, there are no drivers out there.

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Yes and no. There's only one airbnb in the hotel area and it sleeps 3. There are others that are farther away and really expensive ($700/ night + fees), but they sleep 8 or more so the price per person is actually cheaper than a hotel. Issue with those is the same as people who want to go home - they aren't going to be able to uber from the venue (or after party, if they come - which is at a restaurant next to the hotel) back to the airbnb. I may recommend this to some family who don't plan to drink much and will have a DD, they would just need to coordinate amongst themselves to get enough people to make it cost effective.

I think you’re making a lot of things your problem that don’t need to be your problem. You set up a room block and are looking to set up another and that’s generous. It’s even more generous that you’ve got a shuttle going back to the hotel. People are adults- they’ll figure it out. I’ve never stayed at a hotel for a wedding an hour away- hubby and I have swapped off being the DD for weddings we’ve gone to. If someone says they’re getting an Uber, let them know that might not be possible in the area.

Adults can figure out where to stay, how to get there, and how to get back. You've been accommodating by getting room blocks and trying to arrange a shuttle service. October is busy wedding month, and with things opening up more and more, is a very big sports month. You can always put on your website the uber an lyft are very limited and may not be available

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I second this. Provide the information your guests need via your website or other communication and then just let them make their own plans. It's naive of people to assume Ubers are readily available everywhere and that should be confirmed before traveling.

The only time I think wedding couples should be more proactive about providing/arranging lodging and transportation is if they have chosen a remote wedding site with very limited options (e.g., a "camping wedding").

View Quoted Comment Honestly, it’s nice of you to think about your guests this much, but it really isn’t your problem. Make them aware that Ubers may be hard to get. People can figure out where they’re staying and all that. You’ve definitely gone above and beyond, I wouldn’t stress it.

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Thank you. Logically I know you're right and this is exactly what I know I have told someone else in the past. But it's harder when it's your wedding and your family and friends. I especially want my wedding party to be taken care of. In hindsight we should have set up two blocks from the beginning, but oh well. Hopefully the second block works out.

We've had an inkling that our block was filling up and I had already reached out to the hotel last week to ask about the status and additional availability. Before I heard back my mom texted me to tell me that her boyfriends brother & his wife (who she insisted I invite - whatever it's fine they're nice) couldn't get a room and therefore might not come and I was like ".......okay." Lol.

Like someone else mentioned, October is a big month for sports, especially college football. If you are located right outside a large metro area, that is very likely why hotels are already full and have increased pricing.

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The closest stadiums (both D1 college and NFL) are over an hour away, so I don't think it's sports, I think it's probably just other weddings. I'm also wondering about the possibility that some hotels might not be filling to capacity because of covid, even though our state has pretty much opened up.

Maybe there is a music festival or something in that area?
Reminds me of the time my FH was having trouble getting a room for a business trip he goes in several times a year - he was so confused there were no rooms and then my daughter pointed out it was a few miles from Coachella ROLF

We had two room blocks and I don't think most of our guests even used them. I know I've never used a room block for a wedding.

Honestly...people are adults and can figure themselves out. I don't think people should have an expectation that the bride and groom are going to get them to or from the wedding.

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That's hilarious!

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Interesting, we always use the room block if we are going to an out of town wedding. I'm curious, did your guests not get a hotel at all or did they just book elsewhere?

Our block of 10 rooms at hotel #1 is already full, and the entire wedding party (some of whom are 3+ hours away) hasn't even booked yet. We also have some guests coming from a state to the north (3 hours) and a state to the south (5 hours) who are definitely going to need rooms. Everyone else is local-ish, but just from word of mouth most immediate family has talked about booking rooms. Hence why we expected about 50% of people to get a hotel.

I agree that it shouldn't be expected that the bride and groom will provide these things, but I also think the bride and groom have a responsibility to make reasonable accommodations. Our families like to drink, and we are having an open bar. Given that cab service is basically nonexistent in the area of our venue, it was important to us to make sure our guests were able to enjoy themselves and still safely get back.

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We got married in a beach town with lots of places to stay - chain hotels, historic inns, VRBOs etc. All but literally 3 people were traveling anywhere from 2.5 hours to across the country. We had 2 hotel blocks for about 15 rooms; I don't know how many of those ended up filled (the hotel didn't tell me/I wasn't in communication with them). Just from word of mouth, most of our guests stayed elsewhere - Airbnbs were popular, as were the inns; one pair of people just straight up booked at another hotel. I only know one, maybe two families who definitively stayed in our room block. We booked two large houses for our wedding party, so they stayed there. Our parents booked cottages as well.

My BIL and SIL got married in a bougie barn in a VERY rural area, no hotels for at least 30/45 minutes and they didn't have any kind of transportation. They did have some hotel blocks but again they were 45 min away. I know of 3 groups of DH's relatives who went to that wedding and they stayed in entirely different towns.

The last few weddings we've been to, we've stayed with family twice (grandma/cousin), and in an Airbnb once. All have been 8+ hour drive. We just pick the cheapest option that's clean and safe, which usually isn't the hotel. I like that the couple makes the effort to reserve some rooms, but they are usually out of budget.