You already picked the date and the destination for your wedding, and that’s great! But here comes the tricky part. As if organizing the wedding of your dreams didn’t take up enough headspace, now you also have to turn into a travel agent and get all your guests settled in a city they don’t know.
Good news though, you’re not on your own. There are plenty of services built to make a couple’s life easier. Take a wedding room block, for example, which lets you find and reserve hotels at better rates, in the best spots, all online.
You’re going to be a busy couple, no way around it. But the goal is for your biggest headache to be the wedding itself. So here’s a complete guide to sorting out your guests’ lodging the simple way, that allows you to focus on what matters most.
Why Bother with a Wedding Room Block?
Okay, honest time. A destination wedding is amazing, but it also comes with a ton of extra work. The paperwork you need to get married in another city, your guests’ availability, all the downtime in between, not to mention transportation and lodging. It’s a lot for a busy couple, and it’s a lot for your guests, too.
Flying in for a wedding runs the average guest more than $1,500, and plenty of people have turned down an invitation for exactly that reason. They simply can’t afford it. When you line up a few hotels at different price points, you make it easier for the people you want there to say yes, the second most important “yes” of the wedding.
Keeping everyone in one or two nearby hotels also makes the entire wedding weekend run more smoothly. Welcome parties, rehearsal dinners, brunches, and transportation all become easier when guests aren’t scattered across town.
How Many Hotel Rooms Should You Reserve?
These are probably the next two questions running through your head, and you’re right to ask them.
Don’t base your room block on your entire guest list. Instead, count only the guests traveling from out of town. A good rule of thumb is that about half to two-thirds of those guests will use your room block. Then divide that number by two, since couples and families usually share a room.
For example, if you expect about 90 out-of-town guests, you’ll likely need approximately 25 to 30 rooms. Think of this as a starting point rather than a strict rule. It’s usually much easier to add more rooms later than to reserve too many upfront.
When Should You Reserve a Wedding Room Block?
Timing is one of the biggest factors couples underestimate.
Booking your room block 9 to 12 months before your wedding is generally ideal. If you’re planning a destination wedding, getting married during a holiday weekend, or expecting most guests to fly in, you’ll want to reserve even earlier since hotels fill quickly.
Also pay close attention to your room block’s cutoff date. Once that deadline passes, any unused rooms are released back to the hotel and your discounted group rate may disappear. Missing that date can end up costing your guests significantly more.
Or Skip the Work Altogether
You don’t have to handle all of this yourself.
You could spend hours calling hotels, comparing rates, and negotiating contracts, or you can let a dedicated service do the heavy lifting. Room Blocks by Engine simplifies the entire process by assigning you a trip manager who compares hotel proposals, negotiates rates and contract terms, and remains available while your guests book their rooms.
Group rates can often be lower than standard online pricing, and the service is free for couples. Guests book and pay the hotel directly, so you don’t have to collect payments or keep track of reservations yourself.
You accidentally became a travel agent while planning your wedding. Fortunately, you don’t have to stay one.
A wedding already has enough moving parts. Your guests’ accommodations don’t have to add to the stress. Setting up a courtesy wedding room block allows everyone to stay together while saving time, money, and headaches, so you can get back to the most important part of planning: saying “I do”.
