Who pays for valet parking at venue?

To me, and I am not up on etiquette on this one, if they have no choice but to use the valet then you must pay. If the valet is merely a perk and they could choose to park elsewhere reasonably close then it could be up to the guest. I would highly suggest paying it if possible.

It’s in an area where public parking is about $10. Valet at the venue is usually $25 but is discounted to $15 for guests of our event. I’m pretty sure there is no free parking within a few blocks.

Is your wedding formal? If so I think you should pay.

I just went to a wedding with valet parking (no free parking nearby) and we were family of the bride so her dad gave us money. But he only gave it to family members. The other 130+ guests had to pay and it was also discounted to $15/car.

I did pay for the valet parking at my wedding. My venue required that I offer it. However, it sounds like a bit different situation as there was a large free parking lot very close for people to use (or they could use the valet). The weather was nice so the majority parked themselves. I also didn't pay by the car but a flat fee of like $150 (plus service charge, tax, tip).

If there is no free parking anywhere then valet is basically mandatory and you should pay. I don't think guests should have to open their wallets at a wedding. They're already spent enough of travel, lodging, dresses, and your gift that it would be nice to cover that expense for them.

I agree with PP, if there's no option for free parking, you should pay for it. If it's optional the guests can choose to pay for it if they want it. Our venue provides valet or self park so we won't be paying for it.

I would be really annoyed if I was forced to use a valet service because of no other parking options and had to pay for it. You should pay for this expense.

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I would definitely pay for it then, especially if your wedding is on the more formal side. People shouldn't have to pay to attend your wedding.

Can you not offer valet, and just let guests park for free? If there is no free self parking, you should pay. If it's a black tie event, you should also pay regardless.

My concern is that it will be in the snowy winter and I don’t want guests to have to walk in the snow or ice. I’m pretty certain there is no free parking within 2 blocks. Love him, but I think I’m more right on this one - I think we should pay for valet.

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Agree. This happened to us at my cousins wedding and it was super annoying.

Hi there!! This is such a great question and definitely something to think about! When considering whether to pay or not, you want to factor in a few things. Are there any other parking options for your guests? Or is there nearby free parking? If not, you may want to consider paying for valet! Most venues have packages so you can work out a deal, whether you pay a flat rate or they provide discounted rates based on your guest size! If you do decide to go the route of paying for valet I'm sure your guests will greatly appreciate it!

We got married in a major city and paid for valet parking for our guests. There were other garages around but if they were not familiar with the city I wanted it to be as easy as possible. I think we ended up with 6 cars to pay for.

View Quoted Comment I agree with this.

However, regardless of what you pick, please let your guests know that CASH is needed. I am SO annoyed when I go to an event and need cash but wasn't warned ahead of time to bring any.

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I think you are correct. Esp since many guests may not come prepared with cash to even pay for valet. We rarely have cash on us so if we suddenly had to pay for valet we'd be searching for free parking and walking pretty far in the cold.

View Quoted Comment Agreed!!! I almost never carry cash anymore.