Rural Venue...suggestions on what to do about out of town guest!

I am having this same issue as well. I am from Florida and I am actually doing my wedding in Louisiana. My issue is the area where we are having everyone stay is an hour away from our venue. Shuttles and buses are crazy expensive but I also do not want to make everyone drive and rent cars (as well as drinking and driving). I thought about ubers also but because our venue is in the middle of no where, ubers would not pick everyone up at the end. For you, I think everyone will understand that they will need some type of transportation for other things they would like to do or maybe even use ubers to get around. I would just let everyone know ahead of time what you are providing and what they will need. Best of luck!

Most people that travel somewhere plan to get a rental car. So I wouldn't worry about how they are going to get around...leave that up to them.

I think the idea is nice but the reality will be very difficult and expensive for you and your guests. You will need to rent everything to make this happen - tables, chairs, plates, utensils, glasses, linens, dance floor, a big tent in case it rains or is very sunny, sound equipment unless your DJ has this but then consider where they will plug into, bathrooms for your guests, etc. Also, the more rural your venue, the less likely vendors will want to travel there or if they do, they may charge steep travel/delivery fees.

Then, as you are already realizing, where will your guests stay? How will they get there? What is the cost for them to come to your wedding? Where will they park? Even with the airbnb, that means guests will have to share accommodations and many guests will not want to do that.

I suggest looking at a venue that will be easier on you and your guests and more cost effective too.

Have you priced out the rest of the wedding? We planned on doing our wedding at my family's ranch, and it was going to cost more to do that than to just rent a venue. I'd plan your whole budget before providing accommodations for guests. Why don't you like the hotels 45 minutes away? Our venue is 30 minutes outside of Denver, in a small rural community with 200 people. No hotels, no airbnbs, etc. We have two hotel blocks 30 minutes away and we are providing transportation for guests to & from the venue. I gave some suggestions for local airbnbs & vrbos too, and a few other hotels we don't have blocks in.

I am in a very similar situation! My fiance and I live in a rural area and our ceremony and reception venues are very close to our house, but there are no hotels nearby. All of my family will be traveling out of state, and will have to stay in a hotel. I am looking for a hotel that will be relatively close to everything, but still a nice hotel and in a good area. I also don't have it in my budget to pay for transportation for everyone. We have been planning for a while and I am planning on making everyone very aware of the situation, and that they should plan for drive time, rental cars, carpooling, lack of uber, etc.

Thank you! I completely understand what you mean. Luckily those major things I have discussed with my FH and his parents and no longer fear what I was envisioning is too much to pull off. His sister had a similar wedding in the area.. The only reason she did not have this particular dilemma is because her now husband was from Louisiana as well. I may have been a bit dramatic with the term "rural" as I am a city girl, but the area is rather populated, just distant between cities.

Yes, venue is what we are allocating most of the budget towards. Louisiana is a tricky state with the major cities (Shreveport, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Lake Charles) all being pretty spread out. Lake Charles ( the closest larger city) has a few venues but none I really loved plus its an hour away from where most of his family live. The hotels that were closer just weren't ones I would stay in so maybe that is detering me from picking them and booking blocks.

You can do several complimentary blocks, I'd just do that so guests have options. I'd put on your website & insert card about the distance though and mention the cost for an uber/lyft or taxi, or other ways to get there.

Yeah I am thinking of doing the same thing! I think I am overthinking it all and trying to provide an airtight solution for well.. adults. I think making everyone well area is our best bet. With my date far out I feel as though that will ultimately give everyone the proper time to plan and prepare accordingly.

That's a GREAT idea! Definitely couldn't hurt to present the options and allow people to chose.

Very good point about the drinking and driving..I had not even thought of that yet. Yes hopefully they understand and plan ahead of time. And thanks best of luck for you too!

Do you know of any nearby camp grounds? It might be a little crazy but your guests could rent an RV and park it at a campground, or you could offer to let them park on the property if they are ok without hookups. It won't appeal to everyone, so I would still have a hotel block option, but some people might have fun with that.