Have you ever attended a wedding out of town? I don’t mean like neighboring cities or states. I mean really OUT of town like another country. Chances are you’re not familiar with the area or local custom, and will rely heavily on your friend who’s getting married. We will try our best not to bother the couple on their wedding weekend with little things.
So, here’s my story as an out-of-town guest. Last fall, my family and I went to New Delhi, India, to attend my husband’s friend’s wedding. We had a ton of fun and experienced various authentic Indian wedding ceremonies. We started with the engagement and blessing ceremony at the hotel (same as the one we stayed). Everything went well, no issues there. The groom’s family hosted a party at a different hotel about 15 min away. We joined other out-of-town guests and shared an Uber to get there. All was fine, until we got lost taking another Uber back to our hotel. WHAT!? The driver drove around for 30 min and ended up at a completely different hotel. He was so lost even with the GPS, like he couldn’t read the map. To make things worse, he didn’t speak English. We were scared to death at 12 AM with 2 kids along with our two American friends. We didn’t have anyone local to call for help, so we had to call the Groom. The groom and his brother came to rescue us by leading the Uber back to our hotel. Crazy right!? You haven’t heard it all yet. Apparently, most of the weddings in the area were held at night, starting at 8 PM and the party continues until 4 AM. WHAT!? Oh and the wedding venue was 3 hours away from our hotel. The groom chartered a bus to drive all of us Americans as a group. We left at 6pm and didn’t have a chance to eat before we left. Cue “hangry” kids. Luckily, I brought snacks for them. The groom also booked a separate hotel room for us to rest and refresh for the wedding night. We did not know that and was not prepared for the overnight stay without our things. I think our experience could’ve been better if there was better communication about all the customs, events, and locations.
If you’re getting married and have wedding guests from out of town, there are many logistics and accommodation you should consider providing to make their visit more pleasant. We’ve put together some pointers for you and if you need more details, head over to one of our favorite wedding advice sites apracticalwedding.com.
- Have guests stay at final gathering location, so after the last event they can just go back to their rooms, especially if the event will run late.
- Group out of town guests so they have a buddy system and not feel alone, especially if they don’t know your family or other friends.
- Reserve a block of rooms at hotels nearby your wedding venue or your home. (http://apracticalwedding.com/2015/04/hotel-booking-wedding-block/)
- Provide point of contact for each group in case assistance is needed.
- A welcome basket is awesome in that it can provide basic necessities to your guests upon arrival. It can be difficult to figure out where to get water, food, medicine, etc. with a jet lag. (See Wedding Welcome Gift/Basket Ideas)
- Provide local taxi or public transit information, so guests can get around on their own.
- Provide hotel address and map on a handy card or digital image to be saved on their phone, preferably in both local language and English, so guest can show to taxi driver and not get lost. GPS are great, but for some rural town, sometimes GPS can misguide you, or take you through a bad area. Make sure the guests have the correct hotel address, especially if it’s a hotel chain with multiple locations nearby.
- Provide wedding weekend itinerary so guests know which part they need to participate and when they are free to go sightseeing. (http://apracticalwedding.com/2013/04/how-to-have-a-wedding-weekend/)
- Provide shuttle service to guests to get them between venues and events. (http://apracticalwedding.com/2014/09/wedding-transportation/)
- Provide nearby drug store, bank, shopping center so guests can pick up necessities with ease.
- Provide recommended (licensed and insured) tour companies for guest arriving early before the wedding or staying longer after the wedding.
- If party runs late into the night, it’s great to have a midnight snack for guests to take back to hotel.
Sounds like a lot of work? You bet! This is when a wedding planner or coordinator can help you organize everything. Check if your planner offer these services and take advantage of their expertise. You’ll save time and sanity letting a professional handle it.
