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Wedding Etiquette Forum
Room block release/invite timing
Hi Everyone,
I'm a long time lurker but first time poster... My fiance and I are getting married in Northern CA this October (10/7). Everyone but one family (including us) is flying in for the wedding. October is high season for wine country so we quickly secured hotel blocks at three different hotels and sent out our save the dates a few months ago with our wedding website on the back that has info on accommodations. My concern is that we have to start releasing our rooms fairly soon. One hotel has a cut off of 6/6 and the other two are 8/6. We planned on sending our invites out 8 weeks in advance so no one feels B listed but at that point, we won't have any rooms held. Two of the hotels we have blocks at are already completely booked outside of the rooms we have and I know the other isn't far behind. We have talked extensively to our family/friends about booking early, and I don't want to nag them, but I'm not sure the best way to proceed with our invite timing. I'd hate for someone to get our invite, want to come, and then not have anywhere to stay... Also, our wedding website was on the back of our save the date and I have heard from several family members that the didn't ever flip the STD over to see it... Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
I'm a long time lurker but first time poster... My fiance and I are getting married in Northern CA this October (10/7). Everyone but one family (including us) is flying in for the wedding. October is high season for wine country so we quickly secured hotel blocks at three different hotels and sent out our save the dates a few months ago with our wedding website on the back that has info on accommodations. My concern is that we have to start releasing our rooms fairly soon. One hotel has a cut off of 6/6 and the other two are 8/6. We planned on sending our invites out 8 weeks in advance so no one feels B listed but at that point, we won't have any rooms held. Two of the hotels we have blocks at are already completely booked outside of the rooms we have and I know the other isn't far behind. We have talked extensively to our family/friends about booking early, and I don't want to nag them, but I'm not sure the best way to proceed with our invite timing. I'd hate for someone to get our invite, want to come, and then not have anywhere to stay... Also, our wedding website was on the back of our save the date and I have heard from several family members that the didn't ever flip the STD over to see it... Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Re: Room block release/invite timing
You can casually mention to family that the hotel blocks end soon and that they should start planning travel now because of the peak of the season. Most people don't wait for an invitation to plan out of town travel (which is the purpose of the save the date). At the end of the day, they are adults and should start planning travel and don't need you to nag them (even though I can see why you are worried).
I also, however, talked to the hotel who was able to let us know if someone canceled their room so we could give it to someone else instead of releasing it back to the public. And the hotel was also able to add a few last-minute rooms at the rate after the deadline (even though they seemed booked up!). So my advice is make sure you're in good with the hotel people. :-)
(He still wound up waiting and not getting rooms nearby, but at that point I had to step back and let him figure it out himself....another lesson learned.)
No harm in sending out an e-mail though letting guests know it is high season, many rooms out of the block are booked and your block is releasing soon.
At the end of the day, your guests are adults and are responsible for their own accommodations.
A few years back, DH and I were invited to a friend's out of town wedding that had a room block. I had never used a room block before, so the release date passed before I booked our accommodations. Sure enough, the rooms at the hotel were all booked including every hotel in that town because there was a dragon boat competition that weekend! I booked a hotel room in the next town over (20 min drive). I learned that lesson! But I also adulted and figured out alternative arrangements myself.
This is exactly what we did. We got married on a holiday weekend, where there is a huge race held two days after our wedding. We put the room block info on the STDs, told VIPs directly (who then spread the word to family/friends) and emailed when the block got close to full and the deadline approached.
Guests are are free to make their own arrangements so give them the info and let it be.