Making Sure Your Guests Get There On Time

Unless your ceremony and reception are being held in the same spot, you’ll need to make sure guests have proper transportation for the second half of your big day. Whether the reception is held across the street or across town, guests need to know where they’re going and the best way to get there. Read on for handy tips.

Generally, the reception-transportation information is sent out with the wedding invitations, or in a later note. These days, people also put the information on their personal wedding web sites, and guests can check at any time. A map is also often included in guests’ lodgings. You should list a contact number for guests (not your own; find a trusted friend or relative), so people have a person to call in case they get confused or lost.

The last thing you want at your wedding is confusion, so the easier you make transportation for guests the better. At your ceremony, you should assign someone to make sure guests know where they are going, and to rally them into cars, buses, taxis, or whatever the transportation requires. It’s a good idea to have extra maps handy, especially if the reception site is far away or difficult to locate.

Make sure there are proper parking facilities at your reception site, and that guests don’t have to pay any fees. If valet service is required, either hired or on-site, it’s your responsibility to pay all costs, including tips. (The same rule applies to coat check and bartender tips.) Discuss and make those arrangements when you book the site.

If it’s in your budget, it’s recommended that you hire a van or limo service, and have (non-driving) guests taken to the site and, if possible, taken home. Should your wedding be on a weekend night, your drinking friends will thank you. The price of car services vary tremendously, depending on where you live, the size of your wedding, and the distance traveled. You can pay anywhere from $500 to $1,000 to provide cars for all your guests. (Remember that some transportation companies will give you a discount if you’re also using their services for your personal wedding-transportation needs.)

The transportation costs are not your responsibility, however, so if you’re not paying for guests’ reception travel, your only goal is to make sure they get there with the minimum amount of fuss. Car-pooling is a great idea, as long as you plan it ahead of time. Coordinate with guests from the same hotel, if possible, or if people are all over the, er, map, arrange the pooling with trusted drivers who you’re comfortable asking to take on the job. Never let a drunk guest drive himself home. Make sure there are plenty of cabs for anyone who needs one at the end of a long night of partying. This way everyone’s healthy, happy, and home sweet home.

-David Toussaint

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