Please Help! Advice about charging our guests to stay at our destination-ish wedding?!

Here's how I would set-up the payment method: PayPal. I would see if you can default to a "friends/family payment" (no service fee) vs. "goods and services" (service fee added). I would check out some websites about how to set up honeymoon registries on PayPal and instead of adding honeymoon stuff, add "2 nights at the campground". Add a link to the PayPal "registry" to your wedding website and/or add it to an invitation insert. Here's a how-to guide: http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/11/23/our-diy-wedding-website-part-3-paypal-honeymoon-registry/#axzz30PpJPXZb

How many people are you inviting? I would probably try to get a head count before booking just to make sure there's enough interest.

I think it's totally fine for people to pay for their own rooms. You shouldn't be expected to pick that up.

I would also suggest that you build into your budget that certain people will just not feel comfortable staying in a cabin with a whole bunch of other people and you'll have to make up the difference. One thing to consider: back issues and other health concerns that could keep your guests from wanting to stay on the campgrounds. Today I think I'd be totally cool with the campground, especially for the comradery aspect and the cost savings. However, I had a freak accident a few years ago that messed up my back and had to get physical therapy for a good part of a year to help correct what had happened to me. Staying in a camp bunk bed just wouldn't have been possible at the time. As a hostess, you want to make sure your guests are comfortable, so having options is important.

One more thing: snorers! UGH, snorers. I stayed in a cabin with about a dozen of my cycling friends before a big ride, and OHMYGOSH there were at least three awwwwful snorers in the group. I ended up getting up and sleeping in a common area room, but then the cabin manager guy brought out a cot to this area and one point and HE started snoring super loud, too! It's kind of a common affliction today, unfortunately. I'm not sure how you handle something like this at a campground. I would have been exhausted and upset by the end of the weekend ... so I would be either super picky about who I'd want to share a cabin with, or I'd want to stay at a hotel.

For all the reasons others brought up, I would find another venue/ idea for your wedding, unless you're comfortable with getting stuck with the $4k in "venue fees" if people don't want to camp. You'll see on WW that you can have a nice wedding with just about any budget, so I wouldn't let this discourage you.

So in order for you to book the venue, do you have to pay for a minimum of 75 guests to stay for two nights?

ETA: this sounds really cool for a family reunion or something. Not sure how it would work for a wedding.

My FSIL just had her wedding in CA, and we all paid for our own travel arrangements and rooms. You should be okay.