is guest transportation necessary?

I guess none of the weddings I have been to have had it, most people just ubered, but then again know your crowd. If you know your family will get way too tipsy and attempt to drive I would definitely get one, if your family is very casual drinkers and maybe just going to enjoy some wine with dinner and let their buzz wear off before driving then I wouldn't worry too much about it. We are doing a shuttle from the hotel, it was 300$ for each round trip and carries 12 ppl, but we also know that his family is from the boonies and drinking and driving is very common in the there (many people die in a ditch from it, very sad) so we are trying to prevent them from doing the same in a popular city where they can cause much more harm.

I don't think it's necessary, but if you have room in the budget, that would be a nice surprise for guests, especially since renting a car and keeping it at a hotel is expensive as would be a 20 minute cab or Lyft ride.

Normally I am a firm "no" to this question, but you said this place is in the middle of nowhere. Does uber/lyft operate there? That's how I would typically plan on getting back to the hotel, and it would definitely suck to have no choice but to drive ourselves.

@StPaulGal, I'm not sure if uber/lyft operate there. Is there an easy way to find out?

How do drunk people get back to their hotel? if there is no uber/lyft/taxi service. I would get a shuttle.

We like to think everyone is a responsible adult. We like to think the bartenders will cut everyone off when they are too intoxicated. You hate for someone to get hurt at a party that you sponsored the drinking.

If it's a 20 min drive and a lot of guests are staying at your block I think you should look into transportation. If most of your guests are local you may be on without.

@Corey - pull up the uber/lyft app and put the addresses in. You can see if there are uber/lyfts in the area.

I don't think you need to but if you can make room in the budget it's a nice thing for guests. If there is limited cabs, Uber's/lyfts in the area I'd definitely consider it as well. School buses are fairly inexpensive and a great way to shuttle a large group of people.

We did it for our guests for a few reasons, a) our guests were all OOT and parking at our venue (historical seaport museum) is usually okay, but it was a holiday weekend with a boat show b) given that they were all OOT we wanted them to not have to worry about anything that weekend. We had brunch and a welcome cocktail hour to allow them to fully enjoy the weekend c) my family drinks, so no reason to jeopardize that

Also Uber's were in high demand with the boat show and holiday, so it just worked out best to provide the shuttle.

If there are uber/lyft in your area, you should be fine and not need this. Or, make sure there are plenty of taxi companies nearby.

We are having shuttles. It's totally unnecessary but we just found out that the weekend we are getting married is going to be a huge busy weekend in our city, hotels are at a premium and uber/lyft/etc will be scarce - especially near our venue. I don't want anyone drinking and driving simply because they can't catch a car. So even though it's going to add a decent bit to our budget, we are going to get some shuttles.

Per my FMIL it is.... we are doing the lyft event service (giving people a code and paying for their lyft)

I will say I went to a wedding in a sort of rural area and it took guests 30-40 minutes to get an Uber and they were starting to get frustrated, so maybe a shuttle is a safer bet if you're in a less populated area like the other people said.

I actually haven't ever been to a wedding that DIDN'T provide transportation- but most weddings I've been to also take full advantage of the open bar. One of the main reasons I booked my venue is because it provides round trip transportation to two hotels for the entire night.

It's definitely an appreciated gesture. If you can't afford to provide complete transportation- I've seen Uber/Lyft give out something similar to a wedding discount. I'd personally look into it.

I think it depends on your guests. We have a majority of OOS guests who will be flying in. We don't want people to feel like they have to rent a car, so we will be providing a shuttle service to and from the hotels we have room blocks at.

If most of your guests are local and will be bringing their own cars anyway then I don't think its a big worry about providing a shuttle or service. You can always put the number for a recommended taxi service, or information on uber and lyft on your website.

I just checked both Lyft and Uber, neither of them provide service near the venue

Since uber/lyft don't exist, I'd make sure there is at least a cab company in the area. Maybe get a shuttle if your guests aren't planning to rent a car. I don't think it's required, but you know the area better than we do. If you think it would be easier and less stress for your guests, I'd go for it. Especially if you have room in your budget for it.

I personally have never been to a wedding where they provided transportation, so we aren't.

Personally I don't think shuttles are necessary because as an adult, I plan my travel responsibly. If I'm unfamiliar with the town or area a wedding is in I typically map it out ahead of time to see the distances between the venue and the hotel. FH and I also will determine a DD ahead of time so that one of us is able to. Unless your crowd is notorious for driving under the influence I think most people can plan responsibly. I tend to think of it as an extra and not a need. None of the weddings I've been to out in the country or the woods have had shuttles. I've only been to one wedding with a shuttle but we skipped it because I preferred to be on my own timeline and it was in the city where we could call a cab.

My wedding is rather rural, there are no taxis/uber/lyft and it is not walkable. I felt that it was unconscionable to host a full open bar and not give people options to not drink and drive (drinking and driving is barely taboo in this area, which is awful). I asked guests to rsvp for the shuttle, responses had been positive. I am not sure what the shuttle is going to be due to size. It may be a school bus, which deeply shames my mom, but it is better than a cop car...

No. They are adults. They can figure it out. But, as others have mentioned, make there are other options. My DOC has an arrangement with the local taxi service to take care of anyone who needs a safe ride home.

I don't expect transport when I stay overnight. Recent weddings I've been to have not, with the exception of one where the venue and hotel were a good distance away, like 45 minutes.