Parking Passes

ahaynes05 · June 2016

I need help with wording my invitations. We have been supplied with parking passes by our venue and have to put them in with our invitations when we mail them out. How do I tell people that they must bring this parking pass with them in the correct way??

bleve0821 · June 2016

I'd be very concerned about guests forgetting, accidentally throwing them away, or even losing the parking passes. Can these be distributed at a time closer to the wedding, like at the rehearsal dinner for the wedding party, as part of a small welcome bag at the hotel, someone hands them out in the parking lot?

banana468 · June 2016

Is it possible to give a list of your guests to the parking area instead of using the passes? Could you have extra on hand in case guests forget them?

levioosa · June 2016

banana468 said:

Is it possible to give a list of your guests to the parking area instead of using the passes? Could you have extra on hand in case guests forget them?

Ditto this. I cannot count the number of times that I've asked SO to grab the wedding invitation off the fridge as we're leaving the house so we can look up directions on the way, only to discover he forgot it. I could see a ton of guests either losing, misplacing, or forgetting the parking pass. I think giving a list of your guests to the security booth in charge of parking is the best bet.

ahaynes05 · June 2016

The venue said to include the passes in my invitation and that some extras would be available on that day.

ShesSoCold · June 2016

I agree with PPs that I would look for another solution.

I got married in a building with a parking garage. When you pull into the garage, you take a ticket, hold on to it, and insert the ticket into a machine when you leave, telling you how much you owe (dependent on how long you were there). My H and I bought pre-paid parking passes for everyone and had them at the reception. When people left, they took one of our passes and put it into the machine (charging them nothing) instead of the one they grabbed on the way in.

SaintPaulGal · June 2016

Is the parking pass the only way to park in the venue location? Or is it a parking validation that just allows them to do so without paying?

If it is the former, and they will not be allowed to park without the pass, I would try to do something that gets the pass to the guests considerably closer to the event so hopefully none get forgotten or misplaced. But if it's a freebie vs paid parking situation, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Your guests are presumably adults, and actions have consequences. By providing the pass you have done (more than) your part; if they lose or forget it, they can cough up the $15 or whatever parking costs.

thisismynickname2 · June 2016

Mention it on your wedding website too, if you have one. "Please note that complimentary parking passes are provided [by your chosen method]. If you try to park without a pass, you'll be charged [$x]."
Then, yeah, actions have consequences.

SP29 · June 2016

Do you have a reception insert? If so, you can include the information on that.

"Please used the enclosed voucher for complimentary parking at the venue".

ETA: This could be made easier depending on if the need the voucher to get in vs. out. If they insert the voucher on the way out, I would leave the vouchers at their place setting. If the insert the voucher on the way in, if there is a person manning the lot, see if you can leave a list of names, if not, put the voucher in the invitation.

I used to work for parking at the university I attend while in school. They had automated lots. Generally speaking, it was take a pass on the way in, pay on the way out (based on time). However, for whatever reason, we had 2 types of complementary passes that could be bought for events. Some were a "use this paid voucher on the way out" and others were a "insert voucher to get in and out" (that was usually for a large event).

Either way, we'd have people using the "Help" function and contacting the office to say, "We forgot our voucher at home", and we'd let them in/out.

jacques27 · June 2016

ahaynes05 said:

The venue said to include the passes in my invitation and that some extras would be available on that day.

I'm confused. If "some extras" would be available on that day, that must mean that it's not needed to get into the parking space, just out (for free)? So if some can be available on that day, why can't they all be? Attach them to name cards if you're doing them or at the table. Or if the ceremony is in a different location than the reception, then have them out at the ceremony for people to grab.

Otherwise, just include them with an insert and hope for the best.

lembaslover · June 2016

My friend sent out parking passes with invites and I totally left mine on the fridge... Good news was I was already planning on riding with another friend so luckily she remembered hers. If it is possible to hand them out at your venue that'd be ideal but if the case was like my friend's (you needed the pass to get in or you had to pay) then I think it's ok to mail it and have an insert explaining they need it for parking or will have to pay $X. If they forget it, it's on them. I certainly wouldn't have been upset at the couple b/c I forgot mine, I should have made a list or packed sooner so not having it was my bad.

MobKaz · June 2016

More often than not, parking fees are paid on the way OUT, because the fee is time sensitive. The suggestion regarding having the passes available to grab at the reception might work, but there is still the possibility someone forgets. I would mail them with the invitations and let adults be adults.

banana468 · June 2016

Is this a state park where you pay to get in?

In CT, there are a couple places where a lovely wedding venue is also a state park. If that's the case, would it also be possible to give the person running parking a list? In our parks, you're paying when you get in.

LtPowers · June 2016

Here's Miss Manners on the topic of parking passes:

DEAR MISS MANNERS - We wish to pay for the guests' valet parking at the elegant center-city hotel where our daughter's wedding and reception will be held. How do we indicate to our guests that they are to inform the parking attendants that they are attending the wedding? We cannot get parking tickets in advance. May we design some sort of enclosure card to be presented to the parking attendants? What wording would you suggest?
GENTLE READER - On the waste-not-want-not principle, Miss Manners has delved into her box of leftover traditional forms and come up with the enclosure card designed to tell the guests that a special train had been hired to take them to the wedding. There was a lot of dust on it.

Here is the new version:

"Special parking facilities will be available.

Please show this card at the entrance."

Powers &8^]

banana468 · June 2016

LtPowers said:

Here's Miss Manners on the topic of parking passes:

DEAR MISS MANNERS - We wish to pay for the guests' valet parking at the elegant center-city hotel where our daughter's wedding and reception will be held. How do we indicate to our guests that they are to inform the parking attendants that they are attending the wedding? We cannot get parking tickets in advance. May we design some sort of enclosure card to be presented to the parking attendants? What wording would you suggest?
GENTLE READER - On the waste-not-want-not principle, Miss Manners has delved into her box of leftover traditional forms and come up with the enclosure card designed to tell the guests that a special train had been hired to take them to the wedding. There was a lot of dust on it.

Here is the new version:

"Special parking facilities will be available.

Please show this card at the entrance."

Powers &8^]

That's all fine and good but the point is that plenty of guests may be forgetful.

LtPowers · June 2016

banana468 said:

That's all fine and good but the point is that plenty of guests may be forgetful.

No doubt. Do you suppose forgetfulness was less of an issue when a card was needed to board the wedding train?

monkeysip · June 2016

We had our comped valet tickets available at the reception, since the guests needed it when they left, not arrived. I also included a note on the reception insert in the invitation that said that valet parking would be complimentary. It was also on my ceremony program (on the back with directions to the reception venue). I figured I covered most of my bases... and if someone didn't get it on the way out, that was it. The venue wouldn't let us just go off of a list because the valet company is a contract company, not their own employees.

charlotte989875 · June 2016

monkeysip said:

We had our comped valet tickets available at the reception, since the guests needed it when they left, not arrived. I also included a note on the reception insert in the invitation that said that valet parking would be complimentary. It was also on my ceremony program (on the back with directions to the reception venue). I figured I covered most of my bases... and if someone didn't get it on the way out, that was it. The venue wouldn't let us just go off of a list because the valet company is a contract company, not their own employees.

We did the same thing. And my mom told reminded people at the end of the receiving line (totally on her own and maybe have been a little overkill). At that point if they didn't remember it was on them.

OP, if there is no way to give them out at the end of the reception (basket near the door, notes in the program/on the website) and you need to mail them out, just use an enclosure note that says valet parking complimentary with ticket, please bring with you to the reception. If you have a website put a reminder on there as well. If they forget, well at that point it's on them.

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