Hotel Transportation for OOT Guests

lbamberger · October 2013

The basics:

I am getting married October 11, 2014 in the town my parents live in.

The ceremony and reception are at two different sites in this small town. Parking is between both sites, and the sites are only about a mile apart.

We have blocks of rooms in nearby towns (one hotel is about 15 minutes away, the other about 20).

We expect about 190 guests.

I have already planned for transportation (the same trolley that will be transporting the wedding party, holds 30+ people) to make loops from various designated parking locations to the ceremony location before picking us up, and then it will be bringing guests from ceremony to reception while we take pictures.

Here are my questions:

Can I hire a neighborhood kid with his mom's SUV to bring people from the reception back to their cars in smaller groups, since people won't be leaving all at once?

For OOT guests is it required that I provide a way for them to reach the ceremony without driving? About half will be driving and have their cars with them, and the others that are flying in are family and will probably stay a few days (it is Columbus Day weekend too) and rent cars.

After the reception we will end up at a bar about 1/2 mi away and we have a partying crowd so I think about 70-80 people will end up there. If we do a shuttle back to each hotel after the reception do we have to provide that after the after party at the bar too? Or can those people expect to take a cab home?

What if we don't provide a shuttle and they drive and drink too much to drive home? Then their car is stranded (it's a tiny little town, the car would be fine overnight and it's not a pay to park area).

Thoughts? What is proper etiquette? Can I set up a carpooling website for my wedding? (kidding, kidding...)

kkcaper14 · October 2013

Etiquette wise you don't need to provide any transportation. However I will say that I have had transportation at every single wedding I've attended of my friends unless the wedding was at the hotel we were staying at. I like to enjoy myself at a wedding and won't get behind the wheel if I've had more than 2 glasses of wine. If you have it in your budget I would look into providing transportation. Some hotels include some sort of shuttle so I would definitely find out from the hotels you did room blocks for. If I went to the after-party as long as I had cab information I personally would be fine.

JoanE2012 · October 2013

lbamberger said:

The basics:

I am getting married October 11, 2014 in the town my parents live in.
The ceremony and reception are at two different sites in this small town. Parking is between both sites, and the sites are only about a mile apart.
We have blocks of rooms in nearby towns (one hotel is about 15 minutes away, the other about 20).
We expect about 190 guests.
I have already planned for transportation (the same trolley that will be transporting the wedding party, holds 30+ people) to make loops from various designated parking locations to the ceremony location before picking us up, and then it will be bringing guests from ceremony to reception while we take pictures.

Here are my questions:

Can I hire a neighborhood kid with his mom's SUV to bring people from the reception back to their cars in smaller groups, since people won't be leaving all at once?

For OOT guests is it required that I provide a way for them to reach the ceremony without driving? About half will be driving and have their cars with them, and the others that are flying in are family and will probably stay a few days (it is Columbus Day weekend too) and rent cars.

After the reception we will end up at a bar about 1/2 mi away and we have a partying crowd so I think about 70-80 people will end up there. If we do a shuttle back to each hotel after the reception do we have to provide that after the after party at the bar too? Or can those people expect to take a cab home?

What if we don't provide a shuttle and they drive and drink too much to drive home? Then their car is stranded (it's a tiny little town, the car would be fine overnight and it's not a pay to park area).

Thoughts? What is proper etiquette? Can I set up a carpooling website for my wedding? (kidding, kidding...)

No, I would not hire a local kid to drive people in his mother's SUV. I would also rethink the trolley.....if it holds 30ish people and is going between 2 hotels the wait might get pretty long. Same thing when people leave the ceremony.....are people going to be waiting for a second or 3rd trolley trip? That will get annoying for your guests. And for the end.....won't you just have the trolley doing loops toward the latter part of the reception?

manateehugger · October 2013

Are we the only ones who rent a car or take cabs for OOT weddings? You're totally over thinking this. You don't have to provide transportation at all. You definitely don't have to provide transportation to after party.

No the the SUV kid - that sounds awful, and I agree with Joan about the trolley.

And I'm of the opinion that if you're an adult of legal drinking age who can't plan your way home before you start drinking, you deserve whatever repercussions you get (including parking fines and trudging a distance to pick your car up in the morning). Do you have a licensed bar tender/venue with liability insurance?

lbamberger · October 2013

Thanks for the input everyone! The trolley would not be used for picking up from the hotels. It would be a separate service for that (and yes, I will be putting calls into the hotels about shuttles). The trolley will have to make a few trips between ceremony and reception, but the reception is a really scenic area that many have not been to so I doubt people will mind waiting. There is extremely limited parking at the reception site so we have to get them there SOMEHOW. The trolley also won't be around at the end of the night. It's only for 3 or 4 hours. Honestly, we can just walk to the bar if we want to, but what about the other guests that are just going to their cars? Is a half mile too far to have them walk? Any other options you can think of?

The bartender is fully licensed and insured (traveling liquor license).

And PDKH - good point about adults of legal drinking age!

mysticl · October 2013

lbamberger said:

Thanks for the input everyone! The trolley would not be used for picking up from the hotels. It would be a separate service for that (and yes, I will be putting calls into the hotels about shuttles). The trolley will have to make a few trips between ceremony and reception, but the reception is a really scenic area that many have not been to so I doubt people will mind waiting. There is extremely limited parking at the reception site so we have to get them there SOMEHOW. The trolley also won't be around at the end of the night. It's only for 3 or 4 hours. Honestly, we can just walk to the bar if we want to, but what about the other guests that are just going to their cars? Is a half mile too far to have them walk? Any other options you can think of?

The bartender is fully licensed and insured (traveling liquor license).

And PDKH - good point about adults of legal drinking age!

In heels at the end of the night? I probably would not be happy about that. Is it an easy walk (well lit, sidewalks) or a difficult one (dark, walking along the edge of the road, no sidewalks)? Why did you pick a place that doesn't have parking?

SlothGoals · October 2013

Every OOT wedding I've attended I've taken cabs between the hotel and ceremony/reception site. As a responsible adult I know that in accepting a wedding invitation it is my responsibility to make my own way there.

lbamberger · October 2013

It's a residential side street for a 1/4 mile, then the other 1/4 mile is a main road with a sidewalk. There aren't really venues that go above 160 guests (bare minimum was 185 for us) in the area and we have a family member who observes the Sabbath and will only walk to the locations. In addition, the reception is in a field that a family friend owns so we are not paying for a venue.

kkcaper14 · October 2013

I just re-read your post. How far is the parking from the ceremony and reception site? If I am reading this correctly everyone will need to take transportation regardless of if they drive or not? If so, I don't think the trolley is going to be sufficient to shuttle 190 guests back and forth if everyone needs a ride. You may want to look at renting a school bus or something larger so it won't have to make as many trips.

mysticl · October 2013

kristbot said:

Every OOT wedding I've attended I've taken cabs between the hotel and ceremony/reception site. As a responsible adult I know that in accepting a wedding invitation it is my responsibility to make my own way there.

That's great if the wedding is somewhere that has cab service. The town I grew up in didn't have any public transportation at all, including cabs or car services.

What do you do if the ceremony and reception aren't at the same place? Sit around for up to an hour or more waiting for a cab to get you and transport you to the reception?

When I travel OOT for a wedding I either drive my own car there or rent one at my destination. I fully expect to provide my own transportation to and from the wedding, however, I also expect to be able to park at the wedding and reception. The way the OP is describing it people will have to walk half a mile from where they park to the ceremony, then walk a mile to the reception then walk half a mile back to their cars at the end of the night. I do not expect to have to walk that far. If it rained that day I might forget the wedding all together.

lbamberger · October 2013

Definitely true about the rain, although I think our guests would just be bummed and not skip altogether.

Thanks for all your input. Conclusion is I will have to provide transportation between the reception and the parking areas. I think I will not provide transportation from the hotel to the ceremony/reception because I don't think it would be enough for everyone, and I think people will be on very different schedules returning from the reception/after party. If I provide transportation there I think the expectation will be that I provide a return trip and with the different schedules that gets messy.

Thanks for the help other brides! I didn't want to bore my friends/family with such trivial details and my fiance has been working for four straight days on about 8 total hours of sleep... this would not have even registered on the priority list! lol

tammym1001 · October 2013

So your guests have to park 1/2 mile from the ceremony location and walk there. Then walk 1 mile to the reception, but you will provide transportation for them back to their cars after the reception? I wouldn't be very happy about that. I think if guests have to park that far from your venues then you should provide transportation from parking to ceremony, ceremony to reception, and reception back to parking. I realize transportation is usually never required, but if your guest have to park that far away then you should provide transportation. What about your guests that can't walk that far?

mysticl · October 2013

lbamberger said:

Definitely true about the rain, although I think our guests would just be bummed and not skip altogether.

Thanks for all your input. Conclusion is I will have to provide transportation between the reception and the parking areas. I think I will not provide transportation from the hotel to the ceremony/reception because I don't think it would be enough for everyone, and I think people will be on very different schedules returning from the reception/after party. If I provide transportation there I think the expectation will be that I provide a return trip and with the different schedules that gets messy.

Thanks for the help other brides! I didn't want to bore my friends/family with such trivial details and my fiance has been working for four straight days on about 8 total hours of sleep... this would not have even registered on the priority list! lol

You said your reception is in a field. Are there any buildings in this field? Or will you be under a tent? Are there bathrooms? Do people have to outside to get to the bathrooms? I just have this vision of people trekking through the rain to your ceremony and being wet and miserable there, plus a huge line at the bathroom to try to dry off with paper towels and repair hair and makeup. Then walking another mile to get to a place where they have to slog through mud to get to shelter and not have anywhere to try to clean up. Then going out in the rain every time they need to go to the bathroom. So you have a bunch of cold, wet, miserable people sitting around complaining about your wedding. It does not sound like a fun reception at all.

lbamberger · October 2013

Tammy, we were always providing transportation from the parking to the ceremony and from the ceremony to the reception. It was from the hotel to the ceremony and reception back to the hotel that was in question.

lbamberger · October 2013

mysticl said:

lbamberger said:

Definitely true about the rain, although I think our guests would just be bummed and not skip altogether.

Thanks for all your input. Conclusion is I will have to provide transportation between the reception and the parking areas. I think I will not provide transportation from the hotel to the ceremony/reception because I don't think it would be enough for everyone, and I think people will be on very different schedules returning from the reception/after party. If I provide transportation there I think the expectation will be that I provide a return trip and with the different schedules that gets messy.

Thanks for the help other brides! I didn't want to bore my friends/family with such trivial details and my fiance has been working for four straight days on about 8 total hours of sleep... this would not have even registered on the priority list! lol

You said your reception is in a field. Are there any buildings in this field? Or will you be under a tent? Are there bathrooms? Do people have to outside to get to the bathrooms? I just have this vision of people trekking through the rain to your ceremony and being wet and miserable there, plus a huge line at the bathroom to try to dry off with paper towels and repair hair and makeup. Then walking another mile to get to a place where they have to slog through mud to get to shelter and not have anywhere to try to clean up. Then going out in the rain every time they need to go to the bathroom. So you have a bunch of cold, wet, miserable people sitting around complaining about your wedding. It does not sound like a fun reception at all.

Again, there was always going to be transportation from parking to ceremony, and ceremony to reception. I just know a lot of people won't be going back to their cars after the reception and will be going out to the bar with us, but for those that aren't they will have a ride back to their car. There are no buildings in the field, but there will be a really nice restroom trailer with the possibility of a marquee tent if it rains and a huge tent for the reception. The wedding is in New England next October so the chances of it not raining should be pretty good (I hope I didn't just jinx myself!).

Also, invitations, save the dates, and everything else are making it clear that the wedding is outside. Our friends and family aren't the fussy types and I think everyone will love (weather permitting) taking breaks from the dance floor to sit around the bonfire.

lbamberger · October 2013

mysticl said:

kristbot said:

Every OOT wedding I've attended I've taken cabs between the hotel and ceremony/reception site. As a responsible adult I know that in accepting a wedding invitation it is my responsibility to make my own way there.

That's great if the wedding is somewhere that has cab service. The town I grew up in didn't have any public transportation at all, including cabs or car services.

What do you do if the ceremony and reception aren't at the same place? Sit around for up to an hour or more waiting for a cab to get you and transport you to the reception?

When I travel OOT for a wedding I either drive my own car there or rent one at my destination. I fully expect to provide my own transportation to and from the wedding, however, I also expect to be able to park at the wedding and reception. The way the OP is describing it people will have to walk half a mile from where they park to the ceremony, then walk a mile to the reception then walk half a mile back to their cars at the end of the night. I do not expect to have to walk that far. If it rained that day I might forget the wedding all together.

The area has easy cab service. Also, I think you missed this in my original post:

"I have already planned for transportation (the same trolley that will be transporting the wedding party, holds 30+ people) to make loops from various designated parking locations to the ceremony location before picking us up, and then it will be bringing guests from ceremony to reception while we take pictures."

lbamberger · October 2013

This is the bathroom trailer:

http://www.luxury-loo.com/galleryb.html

tammym1001 · October 2013

lbamberger said:

Tammy, we were always providing transportation from the parking to the ceremony and from the ceremony to the reception. It was from the hotel to the ceremony and reception back to the hotel that was in question.

Yeah I must have missed that in all the back and forth on the other information. If you are transporting them from the ceremony to the reception then you need to provide them with transportation to get back to their car. People shouldn't have to scramble to try and bum rides with other people to get to their car and they definitely shouldn't have to walk.

To me this is an all or nothing deal. You can't only provide transportation part of the way. You're essentially leaving your guests stranded at your reception site.

mysticl · October 2013

tammym1001 said:

lbamberger said:

Tammy, we were always providing transportation from the parking to the ceremony and from the ceremony to the reception. It was from the hotel to the ceremony and reception back to the hotel that was in question.

Yeah I must have missed that in all the back and forth on the other information. If you are transporting them from the ceremony to the reception then you need to provide them with transportation to get back to their car. People shouldn't have to scramble to try and bum rides with other people to get to their car and they definitely shouldn't have to walk.

To me this is an all or nothing deal. You can't only provide transportation part of the way. You're essentially leaving your guests stranded at your reception site.

Exactly, I took it to mean that either you were providing transportation or you weren't. As a guest I would assume that if you get me from my car to the ceremony and from the ceremony to the reception you will also get me back to my car.

October in New England, I think I'd be worried about snow too. Hope you have portable heaters.

kkcaper14 · October 2013

Is the trolley going to make 5+ trips to take guests from the ceremony to the reception site? That would be my only concern even if it is a short distance.

Jen4948 · October 2013

If you're going to provide transportation between the ceremony and reception venues and the parking area, I'd also provide it between the hotel and those venues. Hotels often have shuttle service, so you might look into that-or have your existing transportation also cover the hotel.

[Deleted User] · October 2013

DO NOT hire a friend, a kid or adult with an SUV to transport people around. Spend the money to hire an actual company or taxi service to do that. It's a liability issue. If you pay someone to transport people from one location to another they are then qualified as a livery for hire service (Limo/taxi service). No personal auto policies will cover this. If one of your guests were to get hurt getting out of the vehicle or worse in an accident, the vehicles owner well their insurance will deny the accident claim. So that means the vehicle owner will have to pay for all the damages/injuries out of pocket & will lose their insurance. Which then opens up them for being sued and possibly you because you hired them & provided the service.

MrsAitch · October 2013

I agree with everyone who said not to hire a friend with an SUV. I went to a wedding once where they stated they would provide a shuttle and this was what they did...it didn't really work too well. The kid was driving with like 15 people packed in the SUV and had to make a lot of trips.

It's not required that you provide transportation, but if you really want to, you should look into school buses as a cheaper option. First Student is one company I know of that does chartered school bus rides.

tabathafaye · October 2013

lbamberger

I just wanted to say hi! We share wedding dates!

lbamberger · October 2013

@tabathafaye

Congrats! We've been dating since 3/4/10, got engaged on 7/20/13! Lots of similarities

tabathafaye · November 2013

WOW! We are like kindred spirits! lol

Hotel Transportation for OOT Guests

Re: Hotel Transportation for OOT Guests

Choose Another Board

Search Boards