Etiquette
Transportation! Not sure where else this can go
So transportation from the hotel to the venue is not provided, and not currently in my budget for all guests. I was planning on getting transportation for the wedding party.
A few vendors and unsolicited people with opinions mentioned they'd be concerned about liability with guests potentially driving drunk. Is this something I need to find money in my budget for? I would hope that adults know how to be responsible but I don't want anyone getting hurt (or worse) either.
A few vendors and unsolicited people with opinions mentioned they'd be concerned about liability with guests potentially driving drunk. Is this something I need to find money in my budget for? I would hope that adults know how to be responsible but I don't want anyone getting hurt (or worse) either.
Re: Transportation! Not sure where else this can go
ETA: that being said, it is absolutely not your responsibility to provide transportation. The insurance policy isn't cheap and gave us a little More comfort around the subject.
Transportation is not your responsibility for your guests nor wedding party.
I honestly can't think of a wedding I've attended where transportation was provided for all guests from the reception to the hotel. My experience is that the guests decide on a strategy of their own.
Check your state and local laws regarding alcohol liability, then check your catering contract.
I have the opposite experience from @holyguacamole79. Most weddings I've been to in NJ and NY have provided transportation.
We only provided transportation because it was included in both of our room blocks as long as we had 10 rooms booked by a month in advance. Check with your hotel about this - it seems standard in our area.
I agree 100% though, that OP should consult her local laws regarding alcohol liability.
Unless it's something you've seen at other weddings in your region or your group, it's usually not expected! We thought about doing a Lyft event code because our venue was a little tricky to get to, but ended up not doing it. That might be a little more budget friendly, if you're still worried about transportation. You set the drop off location (your venue) and a time range, then set a pick up time frame (from the same location). You can cover up to your choice of amount for each person, and you're only charged for the rides that are used. The only reason we didn't do it was because most of our OOT guests didn't use anything like that on a regular basis so we figured they wouldn't want to use it for the first time for our wedding.
I will check the local laws and check with the caterer, there are also regular cabs available as well. I looked into doing a group code w/Uber but that's not available in my area yet. I think if we offered transportation we would definitely have some takers as many (most all) my guests are OOT but that's not something we will be able to consider until we are close to wedding day, if we have the extra room in the budget.
The club I work out requires transportation. Nonnegotiable. If you want a wedding at our place you must provide transportation. Partly because we just do not have the parking for a lot of cars, but liability also. Even outside of the club, most weddings around here have transportation to/from hotels.
As far as liability. That depends your state's hosting laws. While a lot of the liability is put on the bartender, it doesn't make the host completely in the clear either.
We provided the alcohol to our licensed vendor. We still had transportation (100% OOT guests) AND we had extra insurance just in case. Not all our guests used the transportation (although about 90% did). Sure our guests are adults, but we wanted a party and who the hell wants to be the DD? Not many of my friends. Don't get me wrong, they would pick a DD if needed. We just made it easy for them to not have to draw straws.
All that said, if it isn't in your budget, it isn't in your budget. Although, I would still do your research on hosting laws.
NOTE - transportation helps when parking is a PITA for guests. Or if the venue is far from the hotels and there is no reliable public transportation. I live in a town with no Uber/Lyft or cabs ::gasp:: I personally would use that to sway my choice also. But again, only if your budget allows for the expense.