Wedding planning isn't all cake and confetti! You'll need to arrange practicalities such as travel and accommodation for your wedding guests. Here's how to organise these vital areas...
Travel and Wedding Taxis
If your venue is fairly remote then it may be a good idea to hire a taxi company for the evening to take the guests back to their accommodation at the end of the night. This is an especially good idea if you have out of town guests who don't know the local companies. You may also be able to reduce the cost of the taxi hire if you hire them out in bulk.
Beware though, it may add considerably to your wedding costs as taxis are quite expensive. Your wedding venue may have a taxi company that they usually use and are able to recommend. If many guests are travelling to the same accommodation, then you could hire a minibus to take everyone there.
How do I find taxi companies near me?
Our top recommendation would be to speak to your venue. More often than not, they'll have a list of trusted taxi companies that you can recommend to your guests. We recommend adding the details of any companies to your wedding website or to your details card on the invitation.
Alternatively, you could hire wedding transport such as a bus or multiple cars to take your wedding guests from one central location to the venue and back. Just let your guests know where they need to be and when so they don't get left behind!
What will guests need to know?
In order for your guests to arrange their taxi or transport, they will need to know:
- What time to book their taxi for. Let guests know the start and end time of the wedding on the invitation. Pop the end time for the wedding on your invite. Usually, couples will put the word "carriages" on the bottom of the invite or on the details card in order to politely let guests know when to book their transport for.
- The contact details of local companies. You can list the names of local companies and their phone numbers or website on the details card. If Uber is in your area, you could put a QR code to the app on this too.
- Where they will be picked up from / heading. Put the name and address of the venue onto your invite. If you've arranged accommodation for your guests, you'll need to put the address for this location onto your details card so they can arrange taxis to the right place.
Accommodation
Many guests will want to stay overnight after the wedding, especially if they've travelled a long distance, so it is a good idea to put together a list of accommodation to send out with your invitations. If you are having a wedding website, including a list here too, with links to your chosen accommodation. Unless you are footing the bill yourselves, make sure there are options in a range of price brackets. If you have time, check out the accommodation yourself, so you can make personal recommendations.
If you're marrying in a hotel or a venue with on-site accommodation, then you should be able to book multiple rooms for your wedding guests. Encourage your guests to book their own accommodation rather than block-booking on their behalf, which can leave you liable for the cost of any rooms that are not used. Some reception venues will stipulate a minimum number of bedrooms to be booked for the wedding, so do make sure these are filled before suggesting other accommodation to guests.
Find and book your guest accommodation, and transport online!