Late November Start Time?

I had this same concern— 3:30 start time. 3pm check in. 20 min from hotel to ceremony, shuttle service starting earlier. I did shift start time from 3 to 3:30 to allow for the possibility of someone maybe doing a quick turn around check in, but for other reasons we really couldn’t start much later, so 3:30 it was! We spoke to the hotel about early check in options and they just said it would be a first come, first served as available, but they couldn’t make any guarantees.

guess what? It was a total non issue. Everyone sorted themselves out. Honestly, most people ended up coming in the night before! Those that didn’t , I presume either: just parked and left their stuff in the lot (make sure this is okay with the hotel?) and hopped on the shuttle, or got in touch with someone they knew and asked to borrow their room for a few, either to store bags or freshen up. Most hotels will hold luggage and let guests use the common restrooms if their rooms aren’t ready yet.

My start time is 3pm and I’ll have a shuttle too, but honestly I just can’t and won’t even worry about this. I’ve done the best I can to make accommodations, including inviting everyone to the rehearsal dinner the night before, so they’re going to have to be adults and figure out their travel plans.

I would push your start time. I'm glad you posted this because I didn't even think of check in time. I'm already going to be pushing everyone getting here the day or night before. 95% of our guests are out of state. Also the venue isn't local to those of us here.

Hey Anita! Welcome to the WeddingWire community!

Congratulations on your engagement!

It’s so thoughtful of you to worry about check-in time for your guests but personally, I feel like everything will work out fine. I was recently at a wedding where the check-in time was after the ceremony had ended. It meant that I had to get ready at home and drive 2 hours in my dress, but that wasn’t really an issue when it came to it. I left my bags in my car and then checked in after the ceremony. It was fine because all of the other guests were doing the same thing.

Your decision should really come down to what suits you and your SO better. Would you prefer to have your photographs taken before your ceremony so that you can attend the cocktail hour? Or are you really hoping to catch some Golden Hour photos?

It all comes down to what you feel is better for you.

Thanks everyone!