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Destination Weddings Discussions
Wording to let guests know they have to stay at our hoteL?
I have a tricky etiquette situation. We're having a very small (about 35
people) destination wedding (it will be destination for everyone) on a
private island. Rooms on the island are inexpensive, especially for the
area - they start at around $99. The issue is, our venue will only allow
guests of the hotel to be on the island - we can't get day passes for
people not staying at the hotel. How do we word it on our wedding
website so that people know they have be guests at the hotel if they are
coming to the wedding?
Re: Wording to let guests know they have to stay at our hoteL?
ETA: I got married at a mountain resort that typically charges an entrance fee if you're not a guest of the hotel, or have a spa service booked. The resort waived that for all of my guests. All I had to do was provide them with a list of names. Can your venue do something like this?
That is the only solution bar finding a whole new venue.
Yeah I am with the others here, this situation is not working. I would think that you could arrange some kind of day passes for your guests. Even if you have to cover a smaller cost, guests should not have to pay admission/be forced to stay at a specific hotel to attend your wedding.
As an FYI $100 for a single night is more than I could spend on any accommodations right now...so never assume that something "is inexpensive". This is only made worse by it being a DW that includes additional travel costs. I am not saying this is or isn't a good price, just something to think about. No one likes to be reminded about a lack of money whether that was your intention or not.
I went to a DW in Jamaica a few years ago and the bride reserved the whole resort (it was small one with a bunch of bungalows). Some people offered to pay for their rooms which she accepted, but she didn't ask to be reimbursed.
I was invited to another DW in Jamaica after that and found out it was at some stupid exclusive resort that wouldn't allow guests who didn't stay there to attend the wedding. It would have cost me $1200 for 3 days....so I didn't go. The bride was PISSED that hardly anyone went, so also be prepared for that.
So...it's like $100 cover for your wedding? That's not cool.
If someone is your guest, they should not have to pay: to park, to drink, to dance with the bride, and especially not just to walk in the door.
I like the solutions suggested above, because as originally written, this is a pretty crap deal for your guests.
This is like a cruise ship wedding. If your guests have to pay and go on a cruise to witness you wedding, then you are asking too much of them. You cannot invite people and then tell them how to spend their money. Do not charge admission to your wedding.
Also, if rooms "start around $99," what happens when those "cheap" rooms are sold out? When grandma goes to book and the only room left is a $750 a night presidential suite? Then she has to choose between spending a month's social security on a lavish hotel room she doesn't even want or missing her grandkid's wedding?
Finally, as someone in the hospitality industry I agree that $100 is a bargain rate if the hotel is of good quality. But as a traveler, I never pay that much. The 4-star hotel in a fantastic location that I booked for our upcoming trip to Barcelona is a splurge at $70-something a night. I booked my parents an entire pristine 3-story apartment for $85 a night in Paris, a city known for being crazy expensive. Abroad I tend to look for accommodations in the $30-40 range, and domestically I usually get an AirBnB for $70-80. The only time I can ever recall having spent $100 or more on a room was a huge splurge on an internationally-famous 5 star hotel chain for a special occasion, and even that was under $200. I would not be at all pleased to hear that you had made the conscious decision to force me to choose between paying a bunch of money for something I probably didn't even want and missing your wedding.
Just as charging guests for drinks, valet parking fees, etc. would be inappropriate, so is charging them for admission if they're not staying at the hotel.
Unless you cover the admission charge yourself, you need to find another venue.