excursion planning for guests?

LuckyXinNiang

aside from the wedding, I am considering putting together excursion options for the guests. though i can't afford to take everyone on my dime to swim with dolphins or to a rum factory, i would like to alleviate any extra planning for them by researching economical options for them to have fun beyond the day of our wedding.

is anyone else doing this and do you think it is rude to offer up a list of local things to do with tour operator contact info if i am not able to actually pay for 25 people to go diving? (just an example of one activity)

FutureMrs.McC

Not at all!  Lots of girls do a welcome packet with this type of info. 

We did a group excursion.  I just emailed everyone ahead of time with several options and we went with the one with the most votes.  It was totally optional, of course, and everyone paid for themselves.  All but 5 of our guests went and everyone had a great time.

Krysten110

It is not rude at all! It's actually the exact opposite. I think it's curteous for you to take the time out to list out activities and give contact information!

In response to your other question, yes we are doing the same thing. Listing out activities and giving guests the option to join us on our excursions.

Catalina Island Bound

I have a list of excursions thats offered at both of the ports we're stopping at on the cruise on our Wedding Website for our guests to look at.  I know of several people who are taking advantage of several of the excursions.

We've decided not to plan any group activities because we want everyone to enjoy their time and do things at their leisure.

carrieoz_76

I think you can do this in a way that's not rude.  The general rule is that if you're inviting people to do something with you, like it's a more formally planned event that you're advertising as a "group activity" related to the wedding, then you should pay.  

However, there's an easy way to get around this, which is what we're doing.  Just tell them that you're doing X, people can join you if they'd like, and they'll need to make their reservations with whatever the company is themselves.  Another option is to provide a list of activities people can do if they'd want, and provide info on it, but leave organization and participation up to them.  The key components are voluntary participation and not formally inviting people to participate.

alisonpilgrim610

We did a welcome party the first day we arrived in Aruba, which I feel helped the Aruba first timers b/c they didn't really know what to do. The party helped them settle in, get used to their surroundings, and get to know everyone who would be there the whole week. Everyone recieved a welcome packet which had info I had researched about the hotel, things to do, & our recommendations.
We also planned 1 other group excursion. We did not cover the costs for everyone, but I did organize the whole thing and collected the $$ from everyone who wanted to be included to make the arrangements.
These 2 events were in addition to our wedding day.
I wouldn't organize more than 1 or 2 group excursions, so that people can do their own thing and figure things out on their own, but I think the welcome packet info was handy for some!

smilz4milz

Hi!!!
I agree...totally not rude to not pay for everyone to join an excursion with you!

We had a whole day planned for guests that wanted to join us, but then no one (including us) really wanted to leave our resort for a whole day.  So we ended up going to Ricks Cafe (in Negril, Jamaica) for the evening to enjoy the sunset.  And it worked out perfectly!  And no one had any issues paying for their own trip there. 

HTH! 

PS
My bio has a link to our wedding website which lists all kinds of things to do in/ around Negril.  You might find it helpful if you'd like to check it out.

GL!!!!

cameroncurran

AGREED! We are planning options for people but to pay for 175 people to golf would blow our budget out of the water! Not giving guests options is unbelievably rude. We attended a wedding with NO plans or options made and it was THE most miserable time ever. You don't want your guests to be annoyed by the time they get to the ceremony. Provide what you can, they can pay for the rest! Also, suggest where to eat if you aren't hosting every meal. That is also frustrating!