Many were really concerned whether the actual wedding date/time/location
would be comfortable AND convenient for their relatives. They also brought up
issues related to the venue location, hotel accommodations, and ease and/or
expense of travel for out-of-town family/guest.
Brides have a right to be concerned. While it’s your day,
your family is still an important part of what makes your wedding day so
special. So, here are just a few things to consider:
Size
matters. After you determine how many people you plan to invite,
research venues that fit. Seems elementary, right? But, I’ve seen so many
people try to SQUEEZE an event into a location that isn’t properly prepared to
handle a certain volume. Brides will pick a location so they can “save their
date” and then make up their guest list. Later, call the venue and become irritated
if they can’t accommodate higher numbers. Forcing
the issue only puts your wedding in jeopardy. You run the risk the venue staff
will be overwhelmed, the layout of the wedding space altered, and the food
quality comprised, because you’ve taken the venue out of their element. You
will have to “marry” your desires for a dream location WITH the number of
family/friends expected in order to make sure everyone is comfortable and you
have proper support from the venue to keep the quality high.
Lighten
the load. When family members travel to attend your wedding, some
do so at great cost because they love you. While that is often understood and
unavoidable, selecting a wedding venue/hotel that offers some standard amenities
can lighten the load such as complimentary shuttle service to/from the airport
and the wedding venue. But also check to see if you can incorporate any hotel
parking fees into the hotel room rate…any discount is an asset to guest. If
your wedding will be held at a different location than the hotel where guest
are staying, try to hold other wedding activities (i.e., rehearsal dinner, family
meet-and-greet, wedding day brunch, etc.) there to add to your negotiating power
with the hotel. From the value of your business, you increase your leverage to drive
down room rates for your family. Also, ASK
about any resort fees, maid/bellman gratuities, and environmental taxes from
the city or state that can be added to the hotel bill before you contract with
any property. You may not be able to eliminate all the “extras,” but negotiate price
breaks where possible. All these suggestions might yield minimal return, BUT
your family will appreciate it. They want to be there for you and any savings
helps!
Breaking
tradition isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Many traditional weddings are held on
Saturday. Usually those dates go fast and are priced at a premium because of
it. If you are fine with “going against the grain,” you can keep cost down for
your family/guest AND yourself by having your wedding on a weekday or Sunday.
Business is usually slower for hotels and event facilities on those days so
they are generally more likely to reduce rates on those days. The same is true
with many wedding suppliers. On certain days of the week, airline travel is
less expensive as well. Some family might prefer to use a few vacation days to
attend a weekday wedding than pay huge amounts in travel fees for a traditional
Saturday wedding. So if you’re not particular about the “day,” you might achieve
a budget friendly wedding for yourself and your family.Weddings are a happy occasion to bring family together. Taking certain steps in the planning process can keep it a comfortable and convenient occasion too…don’t lose sight of what matters!
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