Asking if transporation will be required on the RSVP?

hmgibb

Hi Ladies! So I am trying to find out the best way (or if it is even appropriate or not) to estimate how much transportation I will need to arrange and provide for our wedding guests. We have invited 220 guests, over half of them are at least a 4 hour drive away, many flying in for the weekend, so they will be needing to stay in a hotel. Even our local friends and family will have at least an hour drive to the Hall. Our reception and ceremony will be at the same location, but it is about 35 minutes away from where we are reserving our hotel block. A few reasons for this...the place we are having our wedding is gorgeous but in kind of a rural/industrial area and there are limited hotel options, most of them are "red roof inn" style. I have so many friends and family that are traveling here for the whole weekend, traveling a long ways, and so we are not going to put them up in a dingy hotel in a tiny city with zero to do for the weekend. Downtown Detroit has gorgeous hotels that we have stayed in for many weddings and plenty of activities to do. Our hotel in Detroit does provide shuttle service but they only go 5 miles. I feel like we have the responsibility to provide transportation to and from the hotel to the hall for our guests because it is so far and we are having a full 6 hour open bar and don't want any drinking and driving! We can afford to do this so cost is not an issue. I just don't know how to plan for this, and what to reserve. So long story short...is it innapropriate to include on the RSVP card a check box if you will be needing/wanting free transportation to and from the hotel to the hall? I have never seen that before so that's why I am thinking it might be rude? I know that I can kind of get a good idea once people start reserving rooms, but that won't be till it gets closer to the date. If it's rude to include something like that on the RSVP card, is there another way you ladies suggest to figure this out? With it being about a 35 minute drive (20 miles) I won't be able to have the drivers make multiple trips...I will probably have to rent two large busses? haha I am clueless! I am planning on reserving a block of rooms that is closer to the hall, at one of the local hotels and providing that information on our wedding website (they will also have a local shuttle so no need to drive either), but myself and our wedding party, will be staying downtown. We will be doing our rehearsal dinner, pictures and other activities as well downtown and I don't want to make people have to keep driving all over...especially with all the alcohol that will be consumed. I hope this made sense. Thanks in advance!

STARMOON44

I've seen this done. Usually something like this:

Transportation will be provided from Hotel X to the ceremony and back from the reception. Please check here if you are interested.

In Detroit I think many of your guests will rent cars (I certainly would) and you might have more than you expect happier to drive themselves and use a DD, so asking the question makes sense.

southernbelle0915

On your info insert (if having) and on your website (if you have one), use @STARMOON44's wording. You can also spread this information by word of mouth. People might rent cars to get from the airport to the hotel, but if I were them, I'd appreciate a shuttle from the hotel to the reception and back.

lyndausvi

We had a FAQ card.    It asked the guests to email us at a special email account we set up for the wedding or to call my mom if they were interested in the shuttle.   It worked out really well. I would say 90% of the guests used the shuttle.  Most used the email, a few called my mom.  Most of them were people she talked to on a regular basis anyway.