Do we need to supply transportation for guests?

mooncusp22

90% of my guests are OOT. I am not sure who is renting a car or not. We gave 3 hotel recommendations, 1^st one is 4 miles away (which is the higher end, so far just 4 guests there), then a mid level which is 1mile from our venue, and the 3^rd is basically next door walking distance. My question is, do we need to supply transportation for the hotels that are 4 miles and 1 mile away?? It’s going to cost us almost $1,000 to have a shuttle drive 5 miles there total and then at the end of the evening. Seems like such a waste of money. Anything else we can do that won’t cost so much for such a little amount of service?

cmeyer3946

Yikes this is a toughy.  Is there not a shuttle service at the hotel that can help?  If there is only 4 people at the 4mile away hotel, just pay for a cab to pick them up.

I would say you should provide their transportation if it's a destination wedding and they are staying at a hotel you recommended to them.

g8rbride2010

nope

TTnoles

I agree with cmeyer...but also, get in touch to see if they are renting cars.  Also, if the 4 people know each other maybe you can pay for a car service to pick them and take them back (generally about $60 an hour, so $120 for there and back).....

Melis1273

I am in the same boat as you- 98% of our guests are OOT. 
We decided to offer a shuttle service for anyone staying at the hotel we suggested /had room blocks for.  We also thought since many people didn't know the area and drinking would be part of the night, it was worth the money.
Defenitley do what cmeyer suggested - generally the guests can use them to get to places within a 10-15 mile radius.  We were able to utilize the hotel shuttle (for free) for all the guests to take to and from the welcome party the night before the wedding which helped keep the cost to only the day of transportation.
If you go with a service see if they will do multiple stops: Like 3 pm hotel A, then 3:20 hotel B, etc if they are all on the way to the venue.

Jeni35

I would try and work with the hotels if possible. The 4 people that are staying at the 4 mile away hotel- you can probably get cab service to pick them up and drop them off. I agree with a PP that you don't want to worry about anyone with drinking and you or your family do not want to worry about driving someone.

mooncusp22

I spoke to both hotels that are 4miles away and 1 mile away. The one that is 4miles away has a shuttle that could take the 4 guests TO the venue, but not home. The one that is 1mile away does not offer anything (even if I paid). I spoke to the limo company that we are using and got a quote for a mini-coach bus (which was about $600). Again, we would only use it for maybe 30min, but have to book it for 6hrs (to get guests TO venue and back to hotel). I will look into the car service. I may just have 10-15 people at most I would imagine that would need it (I know a lot of people are staying walking distance). Is it ok to just offer transportation BACK to the hotel at the end of the night to avoid drinking/driving? It’s just crazy to me that the pickups will probably take 30 min in the beginning and then 30min at night.

NicoleB331

This may sound crazy but do you have a non drinker that could drive a van. Maybe you could just rent a large cargo van for the day and have a person drive them back and forth.

Kristin789

Nope.
We go to probably two weddings a year every year (DH and I are both teachers) and I haven't been to a wedding yet that has provided any kind of transportation for the guests.
It's really, really unusual.  So no, you don't NEED to do that.

Melis1273

Kristy - I am really thinking outside the box on this one....

If you are only talking 5-10 people that would need to get back & forth from the hotels to the wedding, could you include a "cab cash" envelope in the OOT bags (if you are doing them) and put $10 bucks in it? 
If your not doing the OOT bags maybe just supply the envelopes to the hotel for the appropriate guests that need it?  It would be about $100 and alot less stressful on you worrying how they will get there. 

Transportation and who would go was a concern of mine when planning a destination wedding. My MOH did put it in perspective for me ..."If they want to go, they will go and they will figure out how to get there."  Anything extra you provide is just a curteousy and not expected...well, unless your last name is Rockefeller!  LOL

mooncusp22

hmmm... good idea on the 'cab cash'! Fiance said we should just order cabs in, but I was thinking 'how the heck do we know how many we need and I don't want to be calling cabs up on my wedding day!".... THen I was thinking, if I gave my CC number the the cab company and they could just charge whoever for our wedding, but then I was thinking that they could totally overcharge too.

thx!

aallenba

I would try to find out who is going to which hotel, if a large portion of people are going to the 4 miler than if you can, budget wise, get a bus to take people to/from the wedding. However if a large majority are going to be a mile away than I feel that they can manage on their own.

You could also include local cab company information in your welcome bags or do what I do and include a sign near the bar at the reception:





It's hard to read but it says:


Last Call

 THE BAR WILL CLOSEAT 9:30 THIS EVENING 



Please Don’t DrinkAnd Drive 


YELLOW CAB(813) 253-0121 

United Cab(813) 253-2424