It's easy to take care of guests who live close. It can be a little more complicated inviting many guests
to an out-of-town wedding.

Housing, Hotel Accommodations

Your options may depend upon where you currently live, and where the wedding is to be held. If you are going back to your home town to be married, and there are many family members and old friends there, they may offer to help put up your guests. This can help your guests to feel more welcome, and should cut back on their expenses. For other situations, it may be a better idea to suggest they stay in a nearby hotel. If you are having your reception in a hotel, that would be an obvious choice. You can either offer to book the accommodations for your guests or leave it up to them. If you make the reservations, make sure you let your guests know all the details about their rooms. If you are planning on having many out-of-town guests, you may ask local hotels if they offer any group rates. The hotel may be able to provide you with pre-printed cards for your guests to use in making their reservations. If so, include these in the invitations.

Transportation

Guests who are not familiar with the area, especially those who are flying in, may find traveling around the city difficult. You may offer to provide transportation for them. This may depend upon the number of guests you have arriving from out of town. It may be best to encourage them to rent a car for use while they are at your wedding. If they don't, you may have to arrange for rides for them on your wedding day. On top of everything else you are trying to coordinate, this may be an additional burden. Or, it may be no problem at all. Each situation is a little different.

Necessary Information

Inside the invitation you mail to these guests, you should include maps, hotel information, and itineraries of wedding events. If a hotel has given you pre-printed cards, include these as well for your guests' convenience. If the distance is great enough that your guests may choose to make it part of a more extensive vacation, consider including information on other things to do in the area, or nearby sights to see.

Entertaining Out-of-Town Guests

You aren't obligated to keep them occupied every second of the day, but it is nice for the wedding couple to spend at least some time with guests who have come a long way to attend the wedding. If many of your guests are from out of town, you may wish to plan an itinerary of events for them to attend, such as luncheons or dinners. If you are planning this, send an itinerary with their invitations. If they know there will be a lot of pre-wedding events, they will be more inclined to travel to your wedding. Keep in mind, they will spend a good amount of money in travel and in accommodations. It might seem to them to be a waste to do all of that, then only see you for a few short moments at the reception. If you are planning on entertaining your guests, setting up an itinerary for them, make sure it is well-organized. As you get closer to your wedding day, nerves may get frazzled, schedules disrupted. If you aren't planning special events for these guests, at least give them some local information. A list of restaurants, nearby movie theaters, or even take-out menus might be greatly appreciated by someone looking for a meal or a way to spend the evening.

Encouraging Them to Come

Traveling to a wedding can involve a bit of time, as well as expense. Your guests may be more willing to come if the wedding can be incorporated into a longer vacation. If they seem interested, try to compile a list of other things to do in the area, or suggest other places they may continue on to, after your wedding.

Do's and Don'ts

• DO make up welcoming or gift baskets for their hotel rooms. Some things to include might be locally baked pastries, local fruit, or wine from a nearby winery.
• DO consider the children of out-of-town guests. If your guests are bringing their children, and you are planning an adult-only reception, what alternatives can you give the? Should you include children at your reception? Could you possibly line up a baby sitter for them?
• DO provide guests with a telephone number, where someone should be most of the time. If you are going to be very busy in the last days, and not at home, give them your mother's.
• DO acknowledge all the effort they have made to attend your wedding. A special breakfast or dinner only for those guests who have traveled may be appreciated.
• DO make sure you send invitations to out-of-town guests first. They may need the time to plan.
• DO ask a relative to act as "Out of Town Coordinator," in charge of transportation, entertainment, etc. This should be someone not immediately involved with the wedding.

© Wedding Planner 2002