Out of Town Guests

fallbride57 · January 2014

My fiancé and I are planning a destination wedding in California (we live in AZ), but many of our guests will be coming from the Midwest (family and friends). Any suggestions on how I can be accommodating to the out of town guests? I feel bad they will have to travel to attend and I want to make sure they know they are appreciated.

Thank you!

BlueBirdMB · January 2014

Hosting a well planned, thoughtful wedding is step #1. I'd suggest using STDs so that they can plan ahead. Getting room blocks well ahead of time and adding it to the STD (maybe a little excessive, but my in laws insisted on it and it was appreciated) or the website/invitations, is good.

Not needed, but I always like a welcome bag at the hotel. We did them and our guests really liked them.

mimiphin · January 2014

BlueBirdMB said:

Hosting a well planned, thoughtful wedding is step #1. I'd suggest using STDs so that they can plan ahead. Getting room blocks well ahead of time and adding it to the STD (maybe a little excessive, but my in laws insisted on it and it was appreciated) or the website/invitations, is good.

Not needed, but I always like a welcome bag at the hotel. We did them and our guests really liked them.

I agree, I traveled (11 hrs) for wedding I was a BM in and I was given a welcome bag, by the hotel... not the bride/groom. I travel a bit for work and am a preferred customer. It was really nice but I felt kind of snubbed, like I was more important to the Hotel than to the Bride and Groom.
The hotel was where the ceremony/reception was held so its not like they didn't know I was there.

Honestly I would have been happy with an envelope with a welcome note from the couple telling us some local restaurants, what to do, thanks for coming, that type of thing. With me and I am sure with most people it's the thought that I am the most concerned about, and I felt like I was forgotten about.
For my wedding it will be a "DW" between a 4-10 hr drive for everyone and there will be something when they check in, even if it is just a note.

Side note, I personally hate getting bottle water, it makes me second guess if the water where I am staying is safe to drink or not, silly I know

fallbride57 · January 2014

Thanks for the tips ladies! Any suggestions for welcome bag items? I originally thought a bottle of water was a good idea but I never thought of it from that perspective before!

JCbride2015 · January 2014

zervanbr said:

Thanks for the tips ladies! Any suggestions for welcome bag items? I originally thought a bottle of water was a good idea but I never thought of it from that perspective before!

I love getting bottled water, I think it's handy when I'm in a new city and will be walking a lot.

List of local activities

A map

Sunscreen if appropriate for your location

Snacks that can be easily carried around (bag of popcorn would be cute)

A small candle tin to make the hotel room smell nice

Fuzzy socks for walking around the hotel room, but that's just me

Chapstick

Tickets for a local walking or trolley/bus tour

All of these things would be just as budget allows, and obviously don't ALL need to happen. There might not be time or budget to send OOT guests on a local tour, or your guests may not like that sort of thing. But I think a simple welcome letter and suggested activities, water, and snacks would be sweet.

ei34 · January 2014

My hotel welcome bag included a water bottle, can of ginger ale, a mix of healthy and fun snacks, small packets of advil and Tylenol for guests with hangovers, a highlights map with hubby and my recommendations for pizza, happy hour places, and fun free sight seeing ideas, and a pre-paid one-day metrocard (the pass used on NYC's subways, so guests could explore the area).

Properly hosting OOT guests also includes giving them ample notice so they know where and when they're expected to travel, and hotel blocks at hotels with varying price points to suit different budgets. Good luck and happy planning!

BlueBirdMB · January 2014

Ours included:

2 bottles of water

1 bag of microwave popcorn

Peanut butter crackers

2 chocolate lollipops

Directions to the venue from the hotel

A note thanking everyone for coming

A list of things to do in the area

There might have been something else that I forgot about.

Jen4948 · January 2014

I've seen:

Driving directions
Wedding event schedules
Welcome letters from couple
Sunglasses/sunscreen
Magazines/events re local things of interest
Bottled water
Popcorn
Candy/snack/granola bars
Other snack foods

jessicabessica · January 2014

We did:

2 bottles of water

Assorted snacks (sun chips, trail mix, granola bars)

Mint lifesavers

Map

Coupons for outlets within walking distance of the hotels (I got these from the chamber of commerce)

As a guest, I have enjoyed receiving:

Snacks that are local to the area

Area postcards

Small (TSA-approved) hand lotion from local place

Small (TSA-approved) sunscreen

I like getting bottled water. I really only drink it when I am in hotels (usually I have my reusable water bottle and refill it), but I often find that hotel water isn't always the best tasting/smelling, and I appreciate having something that I can grab if I feel like I'm getting dehydrated, which often happens while traveling.

jessicabessica · January 2014

Also, on the bigger question, if it's in the budget for you to host additional events, that would be nice for your OOT guests. It hosts another meal for them, and you get to spend more time with them in a more relaxed setting.

We had a BBQ the day before the wedding, and we both really enjoyed seeing our guests who traveled in to attend the wedding and getting to actually talk to people, which is a little harder to do at the reception (aside from a quick hug/TY for coming). I attended a family wedding where they rented a room in the hotel where everyone was staying and hosted a hospitality suite where we could go for breakfast or afternoon snacks. I don't think the couple visited it that much, but it was really nice to have a casual place to get to see the rest of the family.

ETA: The additional events don't have to be pricey. You could have donuts from your favorite bakery in an area of the hotel lobby on the night when guests arrive, or anything like that just to spend a little extra time with everyone.

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