Booking hotels?

You get a courtesy block. You do not need to be financially responsible for their rooms. Also some may find cheaper rooms elsewhere. A block is helpful in high tourist areas/seasons where hotels fill up fast with few options.

Most who live nearby choose not to stay in a hotel. Especially if the hotel is expensive.

Normally at popular hotels (Marriott, Holiday Inn, etc) room blocks are free. Guests just have to book by x date (normally 30 days out) otherwise the rooms go back to the hotel to sell. I don't think you can get a discount link without reserving a block. Personally, if I lived an hour from the venue, I would get a hotel since I'd be drinking and wouldn't want to drive an hour at night. But if the only option is paying for a room block, I'd skip it and let guests pay for hotels on their own as needed.

I live 25 minutes from my venue and I'm staying at the hotel the night before and getting ready at the venue. I prefer the option of being able to spread out and being on site to see everything being set up and decorated instead of stuck in a hotel room.

Ask the hotel(s) for a courtesy room block. Most hotels I talked to were willing to hold 15 room nights in a courtesy block and will add more once those are filled, or release the unused rooms 30 days before.

We live less than 45 minutes from our venue but we're getting ready in our venue's suites. That way we don't have to worry about running late, hitting traffic, our clothes getting wrinkled, etc. If your photographer is doing detail (flat lays of invites, rings, attire, etc.) or getting ready shots, they'll thank you for the extra space in the venue's suite! Both photographers and hair/makeup artists need to work in natural light and there just won't be enough space for everyone in a hotel room. Team venue suite all the way!

We are getting married the same weekend as one of the biggests events in our town. I was so worried hotel rooms would be $500 a night for our guests by the time people got around to booking that I got a courtesy block. However, out of the 4 hotels I talked to only 1 was willing to NOT charge us. Our out of town guest have started booking and it seems because of Covid quarantine people are wanting to splurge. They have been locked up for a year and want to make it a weekend. LOL so none of our block rooms have been booked. I wouldn't do a block if they are charging you but it won't hurt a thing to have an option for the few out of town guests if it's a courtesy block. As for people driving an hour, some may decide to stay so it would help them too. I used WW to get the quotes. It was super easy once I accepted the price the managers of the hotels contacted me. I posted the block info on our wedding website for guests info.

Thanks for sharing! I like, panicked out of the hotel bidding process because I honestly had no idea what I was doing. If I talked directly to a hotel manager I'd have no idea what to ask or what I was looking for or anything.

I don't know what our out-of-town guests' plans are right now. I might start asking some of them whether they are looking for hotels and ask if they need any suggestions. My fiancé's entire family is traveling from out of state so they're going to need the most assistance I think.

After talking more to my sister, I realized I'd misremembered what happened with her wedding. Her friends and bridal party hung around my sister's hotel room before and after the wedding, but no one actually stayed at the hotel other than me, my sister, and my mom. Since everyone was local, there was no real need for hotel rooms. I think the situation with my wedding will be mostly the same.