Collecting money from guests for weekend wedding accomodations....

[Deleted User]

Hello All! My fiancé and I are planning a destination weekend wedding at a lovely camp where my cousin is the director. We have reserved on-site houses for all of our guests, but the way the camp works is that we pre-pay and reserve the houses. So our guests will have to book their accommodations through us, and not the camp. Now, my wonderful friend has taken over the duty of taking everyone's reservations and I can create a form for them to fill out with their credit card information so she can charge their card, BUT my question is where can we charge credit cards online as we are not a business? Any ideas? While we'd love to treat our guests to housing, it just isn't in the cards.

mrsmcgibblets

Op,

My wedding is set up in a similar fashion.  We are renting a gorgeous venue for the weekend in CA wine country, and the property can accommodate our guests over night in multiple upscale cabins.  We also blocked off rooms at a hotel across the street.  No one is required to stay on the property, but the reaction we have received is that everyone is super excited to do so.  Renting cabins for ski trips and summer trips to Tahoe is a common occurrence w/in my group of friends and my FI's friends, so I'm not surprised that everyone is happy to stay together in big houses.  I certainly wouldn't expect such enthusiasm if our guests were made up of friends that didn't know each other.

Anyways, back to the original question--we have been using Venmo, Paypal, and checks via mail for payment from our guests.  I highly recommend Venmo, which is a phone app.  Many of my friends use it.  We are just trying to be as accommodating as possible by offering multiple methods of payment.  None of these methods require you have to obtain anyone's credit card info.  I certainly wouldn't want to be responsible for that.  We are also in a position where the guests are not able to book directly w/ the venue. 

Op, I attended a wedding for a good friend where we all stayed together on a property for the weekend and it was a wonderful experience! Enjoy your wedding, it sounds like it will be a blast!

sarawifenow

Eeeek! You need to give your guests the option of staying on the camp. I personally hate camps and would be uncomfortable staying there all weekend.

 

That said, if you have a wedding website, I would list the camp and then a couple of nearby hotels for options. You can put that info on there. Paypal works for this situation. Still don't know how well it will be received though.

mollyringwald15

Have these guests already RSVP'd understanding that they would be required to pay for overnight accommodations? The only thing I can think of is paypal, but all of this sounds very fishy and is asking for a disaster. When is your wedding? Have you sent invites out yet?

photokitty

This is not a good idea. It will most likely not end well for you.

You should let them contract wight he camp directly. You should not be collecting any money from your guests. What are you going to dow hen you don't have enough people interested in booking lodging and you have to pay for all of it?

Let people contact the camp directly and prepay for their accommodations if they wish to camp out.

LDay2014

Knottie93176139 said:

Hello All! My fiancé and I are planning a destination weekend wedding at a lovely camp where my cousin is the director. We have reserved on-site houses for all of our guests, but the way the camp works is that we pre-pay and reserve the houses. So our guests will have to book their accommodations through us, and not the camp. Now, my wonderful friend has taken over the duty of taking everyone's reservations and I can create a form for them to fill out with their credit card information so she can charge their card, BUT my question is where can we charge credit cards online as we are not a business? Any ideas? While we'd love to treat our guests to housing, it just isn't in the cards.

Quoted...because.

this is a terrible idea...so what happens if you don't get enough? 

You are still responsible for the entire cost - can you afford it?

What happens when people don't want to stay there or NO one wants to stay?

lyndausvi

short answer is Paypal.

However I  would never give my card number on a form to a friend or family.  Nope not happening.   I'm fairly sure you are not securing the information properly.  Not a risk I'm wiling to take.

Direct pay from PayPal is different.  Although I doubt I would stay there anyway.  Not my cup of tea.  I'm not your guest, so it might be fine for you.

Question are these individual cabins or shared?

[Deleted User]

Geez louise guys, opinions flying left and right. Perhaps I should have been more specific before everyone bombarded me with how awful of an idea this is. As I mentioned, they are houses, it's a camp but not a camp site with tents. Of course we are giving our guests the option of staying off site! This is just a gesture for those looking to spend $50 for accommodations vs. $800. This is a very low key, smallish wedding with about 70 guests. All whom are our closest family and friends. We will 100% fill up the houses and may need to reserve a third, which is not a problem, as my cousin is the camp's director. And while I respect the opinions of everyone from hating camps to those who would never give their credit card information to a family member (we're all different after all), my question was just about a website (or any other idea) about collecting money. And yes, the guests know they will have to pay for their accommodations. So if anyone has a suggestion and not an opinion I would love to hear! Thank you!

abbyj700

Paypal.

But I'm going to echo - I wouldn't stay in a house with like 20 other people for a wedding (hello bathroom situation for getting read??), nor would I give my credit card information to a friend of say a cousin who is the bride. Nor do I believe another hotel room is going to cost $800 for a night or two. 

sarawifenow

Knottie93176139 said:

Geez louise guys, opinions flying left and right. Perhaps I should have been more specific before everyone bombarded me with how awful of an idea this is. As I mentioned, they are houses, it's a camp but not a camp site with tents. Of course we are giving our guests the option of staying off site! This is just a gesture for those looking to spend $50 for accommodations vs. $800. This is a very low key, smallish wedding with about 70 guests. All whom are our closest family and friends. We will 100% fill up the houses and may need to reserve a third, which is not a problem, as my cousin is the camp's director. And while I respect the opinions of everyone from hating camps to those who would never give their credit card information to a family member (we're all different after all), my question was just about a website (or any other idea) about collecting money. And yes, the guests know they will have to pay for their accommodations. So if anyone has a suggestion and not an opinion I would love to hear! Thank you!

Sorry but that isn't how it works. You posted on a public forum. People are going to respond to all parts of the post.

 

Are the houses shared or is it divided based on families? Note: People who know and love you will often times tell you something is a great idea whether or not they actually believe it.

sarawifenow

abbyj700 said:

Paypal.

But I'm going to echo - I wouldn't stay in a house with like 20 other people for a wedding (hello bathroom situation for getting read??), nor would I give my credit card information to a friend of say a cousin who is the bride. Nor do I believe another hotel room is going to cost $800 for a night or two. 

Truth

theartistformerlyknownas

I would not do this. As you said, you/your wedding is not a business.

Inform your guests that accommodations are available in these cabins at this reduced rate, and they may contact the venue directly to reserve their space. Then have the venue deduct those payments from what you've already paid. Since your cousin is the director, this shouldn't be a problem.

Keep in mind though, that anything that goes unbooked is still your responsibility.

levioosa

Knottie93176139 said:

Hello All! My fiancé and I are planning a destination weekend wedding at a lovely camp where my cousin is the director. We have reserved on-site houses for all of our guests, but the way the camp works is that we pre-pay and reserve the houses. So our guests will have to book their accommodations through us, and not the camp. Now, my wonderful friend has taken over the duty of taking everyone's reservations and I can create a form for them to fill out with their credit card information so she can charge their card, BUT my question is where can we charge credit cards online as we are not a business? Any ideas? While we'd love to treat our guests to housing, it just isn't in the cards.

JIC.

I also would never release my CC info to someone through a form.  There is the Square for the iPhone and also paypal.  The camp should be able to arrange payment, not you.  

@Mrsmcgibblets change your username so it's not your name.  Internet privacy is cool.  If you can't change it yourself ask KnotPorscha.  

Edit for name change

mrsmcgibblets

@Time2strtliving, I noticed immediately upon clicking submit, and changed it.  Stupid mistake on my part.

Could you kindly edit your response to remove my name?

[Deleted User]

mrsmcgibblets - Venmo is a good idea. We use that all of the time too. Thanks!

And of course everyone can voice their opinion, but when you don't know me, my family or friends that's not really the point of this post. This is our closest friends and families and they will be celebrating with us and are pumped. So to point out and attack that you'd never want to stay on a camp in a house is fine, but really I just wanted some advice. To ask what the room situation is like really isn't of concern (it's separate bedrooms for the record).  As for the gals claiming the $800 is an exaggeration for a hotel, I assure you it's not. Insane, I know. Check out hotels on Shelter Island, NY. It's craziness. Anyway, I think we've got it all covered. Thank you for your responses!

KatieinBkln

Knottie93176139 said:

mrsmcgibblets - Venmo is a good idea. We use that all of the time too. Thanks!

And of course everyone can voice their opinion, but when you don't know me, my family or friends that's not really the point of this post. This is our closest friends and families and they will be celebrating with us and are pumped. So to point out and attack that you'd never want to stay on a camp in a house is fine, but really I just wanted some advice. To ask what the room situation is like really isn't of concern (it's separate bedrooms for the record).  As for the gals claiming the $800 is an exaggeration for a hotel, I assure you it's not. Insane, I know. Check out hotels on Shelter Island, NY. It's craziness. Anyway, I think we've got it all covered. Thank you for your responses!

I am never sure what the point of these kinds of comments is. "Thanks for the advice, but I was annoyed that I had to sift through things that I found irrelevant." Um, okay? But lurkers come here too. Not everything is about the OP, actually.

I'm glad you found good answers, but people responded based on the info you gave--you didn't say right away that other options were allowed/available, nor did you say that the venue is Shelter Island (yep, totally, insanely expensive, I get you). So how can you be annoyed with people for not reading your mind?

slothiegal

Knottie93176139 said:

mrsmcgibblets - Venmo is a good idea. We use that all of the time too. Thanks!

And of course everyone can voice their opinion, but when you don't know me, my family or friends that's not really the point of this post. This is our closest friends and families and they will be celebrating with us and are pumped. So to point out and attack that you'd never want to stay on a camp in a house is fine, but really I just wanted some advice. To ask what the room situation is like really isn't of concern (it's separate bedrooms for the record).  As for the gals claiming the $800 is an exaggeration for a hotel, I assure you it's not. Insane, I know. Check out hotels on Shelter Island, NY. It's craziness. Anyway, I think we've got it all covered. Thank you for your responses!

THEN WHY ARE YOU ASKING STRANGERS FOR ADVICE.

levioosa

Knottie93176139 said:

mrsmcgibblets - Venmo is a good idea. We use that all of the time too. Thanks!

And of course everyone can voice their opinion, but when you don't know me, my family or friends that's not really the point of this post. This is our closest friends and families and they will be celebrating with us and are pumped. So to point out and attack that you'd never want to stay on a camp in a house is fine, but really I just wanted some advice. To ask what the room situation is like really isn't of concern (it's separate bedrooms for the record).  As for the gals claiming the $800 is an exaggeration for a hotel, I assure you it's not. Insane, I know. Check out hotels on Shelter Island, NY. It's craziness. Anyway, I think we've got it all covered. Thank you for your responses!

I'm pumped for my best friend's wedding, but that doesn't mean I'm not side eyeing some of the stuff she's doing.  But I love her and want her to have a great time, so I'm not saying anything.  I doubt anyone would tell you to your face that they hate your idea.  We're just trying to help you see things from your guest's point of view.  

[Deleted User]

slothiegal - asking a question because maybe someone has rented houses before for their wedding and could tell me what they've done. Makes sense right? 

KatieinBkln

Knottie93176139 said:

slothiegal - asking a question because maybe someone has rented houses before for their wedding and could tell me what they've done. Makes sense right? 

The point is, you don't get to ask strangers for opinions and then get mad when "they don't know you." That is what a stranger is, and they have no obligation to assume that you are perfect in all ways. No one is.

slothiegal

KatieinBkln said:

Knottie93176139 said:

slothiegal - asking a question because maybe someone has rented houses before for their wedding and could tell me what they've done. Makes sense right? 

The point is, you don't get to ask strangers for opinions and then get mad when "they don't know you." That is what a stranger is, and they have no obligation to assume that you are perfect in all ways. No one is.

Exactly this.  You can't post a paragraph, get responses on those few lines of information provided, and then get offended because we "don't know [you, your family or friends]".  Obviously we don't.  All we know is what you gave us.

Want info about rented houses?  Fine.  But don't go all "you don't know me!" after opening yourself up on a public forum on the internet.

MGP

A few months back there was a similar post to this where a bride wanted to collect money from her guests to stay at the campground where she was having her wedding. It came out that she was planning to "round up" and actually overcharge her guests. Which is beyond shady.

I will definitely give this OP the benefit of the doubt and trust she is not doing this, but every time there is a post of a situation like this it just gives me a feeling the couple is trying to subsidize their wedding or their venue in some way. Honestly I see no reason why a couple should be in charge of payments for this. If it's necessary it's probably not the right place for your guests.

lc07

Another thing to consider is I really wouldn't want the responsibility of being "the hotel" to my guests. What if hot water isn't working in one of the rooms and someone wants a refund? Or there are some other key problems, etc. Do you really want to be dealing with that on your wedding weekend? Or ever? As your guest I wouldn't hesitate to ask for a refund of my money from a hotel if my hotel experience was unsatisfactory but it would put me in an uncomfortable situation to have to ask the couple for a refund or for help with room problems.

lc07

Square Cash is free, I'm pretty sure and runs off debit cards.

levioosa

lc07 said:

Square Cash is free, I'm pretty sure and runs off debit cards.

I think Square does charge a fee.  It's been awhile since I used it though.  

lc07

Time2strtliving said:

lc07 said:

Square Cash is free, I'm pretty sure and runs off debit cards.

I think Square does charge a fee.  It's been awhile since I used it though.  

Square has credit card processing which costs $, but square cash is free.

msuprincess04

Paypal is by far the best option.

At my wedding in May we asked the wedding party if anyone was interested in getting a beach house. A group did and we got a great house that DH and I paid for upfront. We collected the payments via Paypal so we didn't have to worry about having anyone's personal information. It was super easy and everything was quickly transfered into our bank account.

badbnagdway

I went to a wedding where the Bride and Groom rented a large ski cabin for the weekend and gave the option to the WP to stay in the cabin. They also showed us some cabin options to let the WP help determine the level of spending. They collected checks from everyone. PayPal would probably also work.