One of the biggest challenges in planning a Hudson Valley wedding is figuring out how to handle your out of town guests.
What do they need to make their stay comfortable and get the most out of their time in the Hudson Valley?
I was fortunate enough to sit down with one of my favorite wedding insiders, Margaret Ceccarini, the Banquet Manager and wedding planning expert at the Grandview in Poughkeepsie. Not only is Margaret one of the most helpful wedding pros in the area...she is a Hudson Valley bride herself, planning her own upcoming wedding this September at the Grandview.
As Margaret, Jeff and I were chowing down at the Eveready Diner in Hyde Park, I pulled out my notebook and took advantage of the opportunity to dig up some real Hudson Valley wedding inside information.
"With your wedding insider perspective, what's the best tip you can offer brides planning a wedding in the Hudson Valley?"
Here is my best attempt to deliver the wedding tips that tumbled from Margaret's mouth...if I can only read my scribbling... Margaret's number one recommendation was to make your wedding as convenient as possible for your guests."You want to make it easy on yourself and easy on them," she said.
Margaret's Essentials For Out of Town Guests
1) Give our guests the tools to entertain themselves. If your guests know where to go and what to do, you won't have a family member calling you every hour the week before your wedding for directions or activity suggestions.
- Call the local Chamber of Commerce for events happening around your wedding. They have a detailed itinerary for the year of everything from festivals, arts and craft shows, tastings, etc.
- Suggest both free and paid activities. Hudson Valley locations your out of town guests might enjoy include a visit to Mohonk Mountain House or a wine tour of the Hudson Valley...but these can be pricey for guests on a budget. There are lots of free and cheap options in the Hudson Valley, too, like the Mid-Hudson Children's Museum, Vanderbilt and FDR estates. The Chamber of Commerce can help you find them.
- Keep all your suggestions local to your ceremony and reception location to make transportation simple.
- You might also give your suggestions for great restaurants and bars (both casual and upscale) as well as directions to the nearest grocery store, drug store and liquor store.
2) Create a wedding website your guests can use as a resource.
Margaret set up her wedding website through WeddingTracker. While there are free wedding websites available, she liked this one best because it did all the technical stuff for her. At the cost of only $35 for the year, Margaret could choose from 30 pre-done website templates. All she had to do was add photos and plug in the details. Unlike most free websites that give you a url like, "thecoolestweddingwebsite.com/bettyandbobswedding," WeddingTracker lets you pick your own easy to remember domain name. Margaret's Save the Dates were sent out with only her wedding website address. All the information her guests needed for accommodations, dates, events, registries, the attendants, and access to her photos and other fun stuff was easily available.
For free wedding website options to check out are Google Sites (especially if you're a Google addict) MyWedding.com and Webs.com. All of them are easy to use and customize. Plus, they're FREE!
3) Reserve your hotel accommodation in advance...before you send your invites. With so many events happening in the Hudson Valley year round hotels book up FAST. Again, check with the Chamber of Commerce to find out local graduations and events that draw tourists. Reserve blocks of rooms early so your guests won't have to worry about finding a place to stay. Then I asked Margaret the toughest question I could think of...
"What question should brides ask they they don't know they should ask?"
Margaret thought for a moment, pushing back her beautiful curly hair. "It's especially important during a recession for brides to ask, 'What happens if I don't have enough guests show up?'"
Because everyone is tightening their belts during the recession, more guests are RSVP'ing NO than is normally expected. Rather than assuming 20% No's, 30-40% or more are declining...which means some brides aren't able to make their minimum guest count. Make sure you ask your venue what happens if you CAN'T make that minimum. Can you take the extra food home? Can you apply some of the additional fee as a credit? Can you upgrade your food or drink options? Be sure to ask if you are responsible for paying the upgrade fee for every guest below your minimum.
Many reception halls such as the Grandview will do their best to work with you if you don't make your minimum guest count, but some don't. Always ask so that you know your options.
If you're lucky enough to work with Margaret on your wedding, make sure you pick her brain because she's always got something thoughtful and inspiring to share.
We love you, Margaret! 