We have lots of ways we are extending the celebration of our wedding. We love our family and we are so excited about the wedding we cannot bear to see it end after only 6 hours.
One of the ways we are ensuring to get more time with our family and friends is by reserving a room block at a hotel near the reception. We had several requirements for the hotel:
1.) Space for guests to hang out after the reception. FI's family for sure will want some time to unwind and chat after the reception. They can talk for HOURS.
2.) Space for a morning after brunch (at a reasonable price.) We would love to see the guests the morning after the wedding and have some time to eat, chat and laugh before we head off to the honeymoon.
3.) Suites available. We have families coming and it is more economical to offer them an opportunity to sleep four or six people in a room.
4.) A fantastic sales person. Speaks for itself. People will be paying a lot of money to stay over, and I will need to be in contact with this person a lot in the next year . . . I want to like her or him!
5.) Perks! Do they offer a shuttle, a free room, a free breakfast, a free one-year anniversary night etc, for reserving a large block of rooms?
5.) Pool, bar or other entertainment near or in the hotel for guests staying a lo
ng period of time. This wasn't a necessity but definitely a bonus.We found the best place - Embassy Suites only 20 minutes from the reception. There are other hotels right next door which is great if people want to choose a different option. They are throwing in a free van to transport 10 people (probably the groomsmen) to and from the reception/ceremony. BONUS: Free breakfasts for all guests - buffet with cooked to order eggs and waffles. Yum! We can rent a room for $300 and have time with all the guests in the morning.
They also hand out OOT bags for free, send you cards with information about the
room block to send out with invitations, and provide you with a personalized webpage for people to make reservations on with the discounted prices. If 25 rooms are reserved, ours is free!How did you choose a hotel? When staying overnight at a wedding what is important to you as a consumer?
Wonderful idea!! We made sure our venue WAS a hotel so that no one had to worry about getting home, etc. We also rented a conf. room for after the reception so people could hang out after & not rowdy be in hotel common areas or their rooms.
ReplyDeleteThat's AWESOME about the perks too!! WOW!
Woah, sounds like you got a great deal!
ReplyDeletesmart thinking!! you're ahead of the ball!
ReplyDelete