Who pays for parking

jessicamk302

One of the locations we found to have our ceremony is in the city, but since its in the city, you have to pay for parking. The parking lot costs $6 per person to park. We will be having a shorter ceremony around 15 minutes and have a large guest list. Would we be responsible for paying for everyone to park or is it rude to ask our guests to pay for it?

pantherRN

If you can afford to pay all or part of the valet service, that would be ideal.

[Deleted User]

If you can afford to pick up the tab, I definitely would do so.

achiduck

I may get slammed for this, but I don't think it's a big deal. If you can afford it, I'd cover the cost of parking but I don't think it's necessary given it's in a down-town location and the city would charge for parking no matter if these people were attending a wedding or just parking there to go shopping in the area.

ootmother2

We paid for the valet parking at the reception venue, I think it was $6 a car and we took care of the tips as well.

If you live in a very large city, like NYC, it's not customary.  Most guests use taxis or private car services.  Parking here runs $40+ a day. I doubt anyone expects that you pay that.

pantherRN

If you are not able to pay for all or part of it, you need to notify your guests. A note on your wedding website would be a great way.

Edit: spelling.

NOLAbridealmost

It's not necessary, but it's a nice courtesy. I mean, is it completely impossible for guests who don't want to pay to park to park on the street or walk a block or two to free parking?  If so, I wouldn't pick up the tab for it.

Also,  are you having your reception somewhere in the city too or would you be paying 6.00 per car for just the 15 minute ceremony? That seems like a rip off for just a few minutes.  (Just curious). 

jessicamk302

Another part of the issue was this. We will be having a non denominational service, and paying for the location fee plus parking for everyone in the lot across the street did not seem worth the amount of money for a short 10-15 minute ceremony. i love this location though. its afforadble for a short ceremony but adding in the cost of parking, it seems like a ton of money to waste when all the guests will only be at this location for a short time. BUT everyone I talked to has told me having your guests pay to come to your wedding is not "proper."

jessicamk302

Yes - the reception would be somewhere else in the city, but they offer free parking there. so yes we would be paying $6 a person per car for 15 min. it seemed like a rip off to us too. asking people to pay to park seemed like the only way to have it at this location but im not sure how i feel about that....

pantherRN

Is the location really important to you? Is there a different place to have the ceremony that has free parking or cheaper parking? Can you do the ceremony at your reception location?

I think if you're looking at a 15 minute ceremony, $6 to park is hefty and I would definitely try to cover it for my guests.

niquemel

could guests park at the reception site then you pay to have them shuttled over?

NOLAbridealmost

I was thinking a shuttle might be a good option for you.  It's probably around the same price as paying for a ton of parking and it will be far less annoying to you guests than paying 50 cents a MINUTE to park for the ceremony.

Good luck, OP. I am sure you'll work it out.  You seem like a considerate bride. 

lthom17

If I'm your guest and I know you're getting married downtown, I wouldn't expect you to cover my parking!  A note on the website would be nice for guests unfamiliar with the area though.

Avion22

I wouldn't have a problem paying to park at a wedding.

Does your location perhaps validate parking?  Or can you work out  a deal with the garage to get a reduced parking fee if your guests show their invitation?  Maybe your venue can tell you how other brides have dealt with tihs.

But yeah, I would gladly pay for parking to attend a wedding.

wyney

Nice gesture, not necessary.

Parking is a fee incurred by the method of transportation.  Transportation costs for guests are generally paid by guests.  It's the guests job to get them there. 

Shuttles, paid taxis, trolleys, and paying for parking are all nice.  In remote locations or with DW or any wedding with a lot of OOT guests, I think subsidizing or hosting tranpsortation is nice, and can lead to a more enjoyable wedding.

Do guests have to drive?  Can they take public tranpsortation?  I'm a bus/train traveler myself...and wouldn't expect my bus fare to be covered.

slwager

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_pays-parking?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:68b9dd7d-67be-401d-a00c-9d25b631de76Post:dbbb729a-d644-4c6f-bd4d-9e46bda07a8e">Re: Who pays for parking</a>:
[QUOTE]could guests park at the reception site then you pay to have them shuttled over?
Posted by niquemel[/QUOTE]

this.  my thought too.

Mrs.B6302007

 For a 15 minute ceremony, I would be aggravated at paying $6 to attend.  I would appreciate my parking being covered.

Mrs.B6302007

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_pays-parking?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:68b9dd7d-67be-401d-a00c-9d25b631de76Post:d162932d-ed7b-4067-8bbe-d0c26ebbd0db">Re: Who pays for parking</a>:
[QUOTE]Another part of the issue was this. We will be having a non denominational service, and paying for the location fee plus parking for everyone in the lot across the street did not seem worth the amount of money for a short 10-15 minute ceremony.<span style="font-weight:bold;"> i love this location though. its </span>afforadble for a short ceremony but adding in the cost of parking, it seems like a ton of money to waste when all the guests will only be at this location for a short time. BUT everyone I talked to has told me having your guests pay to come to your wedding is not "proper."
Posted by jessicamk302[/QUOTE]

So the parking expense is because it's a venue you love and is budget friendly?  To me, that's inconveniencing the guests and that's the same thing that shows up here all the time in different circumstances.  Brides say "I found the perfect venue but it won't hold all my guest but I'm in LOVE with this site! "  or  "There's no where to sit but I REALLY love this venue!". To me it's the same thing.  An inconvenience is an inconvenience.  Can you  find a different affordable venue that won't make guests pay for parking?

MCRM22011

as a guest at a wedding, i factor in all costs when deciding to attend a wedding -- gift, gas, tolls, parking. that is to be expected. you have no obligation to pay for their gas or tolls, so why should you have to pay for parking? 

millkn2

We almost picked a venue because we liked it a lot and the price was right, until we found out about parking. Guests would have to pay $5 each to park. If we had picked that venue we would have paid for our guests, but we decided on a different venue which does not have any parking related costs.

I wouldn't be upset as a guest if I had to pay, but $6 for 15 minutes is a little crazy.

shanaea87

I wouldn't expect for you to pay for my parking. Also, if you think about it the entire time that the car will be parked will probably be longer than 15 minutes. I normally show up at least 15 min before start time so that makes it 30 min and then probably add an additional 10 min just in case it doesn't get started on time. Therefore, the car would be parked for atleast 30 minutes.

Irishcurls

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_pays-parking?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:68b9dd7d-67be-401d-a00c-9d25b631de76Post:dbbb729a-d644-4c6f-bd4d-9e46bda07a8e">Re: Who pays for parking</a>:
[QUOTE]could guests park at the reception site then you pay to have them shuttled over?
Posted by niquemel[/QUOTE]
Took the words out of my mouth. OP, this might be a more affordable option?

mica178

I wouldn't expect the B&G to pay for parking, although it's always nice if they do (going with the theme that guests shouldn't have to pull our their wallets during the wedding).  I considered parking issues when picking my venues and was able to find places with parking lots attached.

beckys67

I don't think your guest will have a problem with paying it. I would however let them know in advance. I think it's pretty common when you have things in a city but not everybody will know that. We've been to one that cost more and didn't mind paying.

Ljacks87

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_pays-parking?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:68b9dd7d-67be-401d-a00c-9d25b631de76Post:db4e7304-c885-412c-af3d-e15a89fe3fc5">Re: Who pays for parking</a>:
[QUOTE]If we attend a wedding at a hotel or downtown location, I never expect parking to be covered.  It's just part of attending an activity downtown.    It would be a nice gesture if you can cover it, but I don't think it is necessary. I don't expect to have to pay for anything at the actual event (drinks, etc), but I have no issue paying for my own parking.
Posted by ILoveMilkDuds[/QUOTE]

Ditto. As a guest, all I would ask is having the courtesy of knowing how much it will cost and if I will need to bring cash (as I generally only carry credit cards). And I know $6 seems like a lot for 15 mins of parking, but in the grand scheme of things, it's nbd. ..maybe this is just because I live in DC and it costs $20 to park anywhere lol.

hcontreras3

Traditionally the guest are not supposed to pay for their own parking. However, it doesn't mean that it is neccesarily affordable to buy parking for everyone. Free parking with our venue is something we put into consideration for our venue selection, because our budget doesn't allow us to pay for everyone to park.

jemmini6

My sister had her wedding at a state park that had a $7 per vehicle fee.  I had to pay that for both the RD and the wedding.  It was annoying, but I dealt with it.  As a guest, I would be mildly annoyed at having to pay $6 to park for 15 min.  It would be nice to have that covered if you can afford it, but if you couldn't, I'd understand and suck it up and pay the $6. 

daddysgurl1189

I agree with niquemel-- see if you can find a shuttle.  Have guests park at the reception, and then be shuttled to the ceremony and back.  They don't have to drive and risk getting lost.
If that is not an option, ask the parking garage for a discount for your guest if they show their invitations.  If they dont, pay half the fee yourself and then guests the other 3 (ask for proof that that many guests came so they don't "rip you off" by adding additional people that were not actually there!). 
As a guest, if I want to go to the wedding, I'm going to pay tolls, gas, parking fees etc.