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I'm definitely planning a post about our parking situation! Interested to see how your poll plays out. 
I don't think it's "tacky" at all. Definitely just give guests a heads up; if most of them will be at the hotel already and the rest can carpool and know the city, providing a warning and a list of possible alternate parking spots should be sufficient.
$50!!! I would definitely include information about parking options in the invitations. You don't want people to show up at the hotel and be shocked with a $50 charge and then maybe drive around in circles for hours looking for cheaper parking! I know my FI hates paying for parking under any circumstances and would rather drive around for an hour than pay even $10. For the quirky people like him, a list of parking options in advance would really help!
Maybe put something like: "Planning on driving? Please see our website regarding the multiple parking and transit options." And then put it on your website?
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I don't think a list of parking options is tacky at all. It shows your concern for your guests about the situation, but isn't going to cost you $50/car. Good luck!
I didn't include it in my invitations, but I posted the parking rates on our website. The great thing about my venue is the fact that they have parking. I'm not so worried about the cost. I think 16.00 is actually good for a downtown venue. I know some relatives will complain but, oh well. I always say, my fiance's family bought plane tickets and hotel rooms, you can pay for parking.
I went to a wedding in Chicago this past September. The hotel gave vouchers so parking was only 20.00. Maybe you can check on that? Also, check with an interpark facility. They may have a discount for your guests.
@bruschetta - I really wanted your venue, so bad for a while, but one of the reasons we didn't go with it was the horrible parking in Old City! I can't wait to read your post.
I'm curious to see how this plays out! A friend of mine is having her reception on a riverboat. Parking is only $5, though. But she doesn't want the guests to pull up and have to pull out cash all of a sudden.
They told her her options were to pay $5/car in advance (i told her she should only do the people who rsvp yes!) or pay after the fact.
Wow, $50 parking? how insanely ridiculous. I think you're fine offering other parking. This is a common issue in big cities, after all! You have to pay to park just to go to the grocery store!!! As I learned in blatimore...seriously, $5 to go to whole foods
I think parking is more imp. than open bar. What if you gave everyone one drink ticket then they pay after that?
Wow, $50 is awful! But by the same token for your guests to have to pay $50 for parking is awful too. So what are the other options? Can they park forfree or much less someplace else? Would it be cheaper to rent transportation (ie. bus) to take folks from say the church to reception? (I truly don't know the difference in costs.)
I think if there is parking close by, say a garage or lot that charges $5 or $10, I think you should be fine. I don't think it's reasonable to expect the 'burbs to take public transportation. First, they'd probably have to use their cars to drive to the public transportation. It seems pretty inconvenient. I don't know about anyone else, but I've been a burber all my life. I've never been on a bus, subway etc, (unless it was chartered.) I certainly don't want to be on one, wearing a nice cocktail dress. But I wouldn't mind walking a 1/2 block or so from as parking garage.
The valetparking for our (hotel) venue was really expensive too-I asked if we could just give them a flat fee for everyone to park and they said no so I am telling guests (in the invitation)to park in the lot down the street which is like $15 for the night. It's kind of a pain but oh well-that's life. I've upgraded the bar for the guests so I'm sure they will be happy.
you should just give options; I gave options for hotel rooms and discounted rates
We're not paying for our guests parking, either. We're paying for their meal, drinks, etc, the entire night, so if they really have a problem with that, that seems pretty ungrateful to me. I am going to suggest on our direction card that guests park in adjacent lots (where parking is much cheaper.. i think $5 or $10 as opposed to $35 in the hotel garage). But I will say that garage parking is available for $35.
I'm trying to think and I really don't think that I've been to a wedding where the bride and groom paid for my parking. I'm sure it's done, and sure, I'd love to do it, but it's just not realistic.
Oh and I also disagree that parking is more important than open bar. Especially when at least half of your guests aren't going to need to park anyway.
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I agree, open bar is top priority on my list; I invited my girlfriends to an all you can eat French restauarnt, they preferred all you can drink!
I bought out a clubhouse suite at a baseball game for our afterparty. I made sure to include the public transportation options for my guests (with specific bus lines!) so they could save the $$ you usually have to pony up for parking at an MLB stadium.
$50!!!! DAMN!!!
Our venue has valet only, so we've prepaid $8/car for like 50 cars...that being said, if parking was $50/car, I wouldnt pay for it. Thats a HUGE chunk of change. Somewhere, you gotta include a heads up for guests. Maybe not on the actual invitation, but include an enclosure card that directs guests to your website for parking information...
$50...hands down you win...I officially give up my right to complain how expensive stuff is...
I agree, just let them know what their options are ahead of time. The worst scenario is where they show up and unexpectedly have to shell out $50.
There's no reason to pay for parking, I don't think. I would definitely make it clear on the invite or website what the deal is though. My concern would be that people would not otherwise know to bring cash with them.
Mich Ave will have options, so I think you just make sure they circulate. I never would have thought that the couple would pay for parking, because I would mentally lump that in with personal costs like hotel, plane, babysitter, etc.
No offense, but I also have to disagree with the comment about parking being more important than drink tickets. In Chicago, public transit is easily available. Driving your car into the city is just a luxury. Paying for the few who do drive and cutting back on drinks just provides a luxury for a few people at the cost of a pretty basic staple for everyone else.
I don't think it's tacky at all to not pay. It's a big city people should expect that they will have to look/pay for parking. We went to a friend's wedding in Midtown Manhatten and it never crossed my mind to worry about parking. We drove to Manhatten and kept our eyes peeled for parking lots near the restaurant. Not a issue at all if they are used to going into the city.
And honestly I don't think parking is important enough to put on your actual invite. Just put it on your site if you have one and forewarn them to valet is $50 and consider/give other options. I guess I grew up in a big city so I'm use to looking for parking for a LONG time and it's not really a issue?
$50 seems unbelievable!
That being said, I think you can tastefully connect it back to your website (something like "For travel information, including directions and parking, please see our website at ....). Most of the weddings I have gone too--many of which had parking that guests paid for--handled it on the website. A great place to stick information that's too complicated for the invitation!
That being said, are you also considering offering guests an alternative, such as shuttles from the hotels? Normally (the $5-$10 parking), I wouldn't think of it. However, considering your parking is such an extreme expense, people might like to leave their cars behind, whether they're staying at the hotel or can just drive there instead. Plus, it's always safer for after the party, too!
Any big city person would expect that if they drive in they will have to pay for parking.
Unfortunatly, I've paid more than $50 on occasion. A couple options would be nice as a lot of times the rates aren't posted in front. You know, you drive down that ramp, then bam $60.00!
I'm usually late for weddings so being able to go directly to a decently priced spot would be great. In NYC, there are websites that list parking rates. There must be some for chicago too.
Thank you for this post!!! I am thinking about the same thing. We found a pubic lot that the venue has a deal with for parking. Its cheaper than $50, but we still can't afford to cover it.
Anyway, people should take public transport or carpool! In the end most of the people we thought were driving in from the burbs now plan to spend a night in the hotel to avoid driving home late at night.
My husband and I attended a wedding last fall in Boston where we had to pay for the parking ($25 for the night), it was no big deal since we new ahead of time.
Include it in your invitation (and your website), but for sure your invitation as that will be the only way you can insure that every guest that is invited is informed!
Good Luck!
If you are doing an open bar, I would also appriciate public transport options if I were from out of town so I didn't have to worry about a designated driver, especially if most OOT guests are not staying at the wedding hotel.
I think it is ok to consider this cost on your guests the same way out of town guests don't expect you to pay their airfare and hotel costs. If you have a direction card in your invite, I would include this informaiton there. If you have directions on your website, put the info there too. It would be great to scout out a few cheaper options in case some people want to use them.....If it is a small group of people you can also just let them know verbally....
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Hello Hive
So my FI and I are getting married right in Michigan Ave in Chicago at a hotel. Everyone from my side of the family is either flying in (and will not be renting cars) or live in Chicago already and will either cab or bus it. My FI's family is from the suburbs and they will all likely drive.
The hotel where we are getting married charges $50 for valet parking (yikes-I know). My FI is investigating other parking options near by. I was planning on including parking options/locations/cost on an infomration card in all of the invites.
Will the guest think it is tacky that we are not hosting parking? I have never had a driver's license in my life so parking is never a concern of mine. At $50 a car we cannot afford to cover it for everyone, so I am thinking that atleast spelling out options will help guests find cheaper options (or maybe encourage them to take public transportation as well).
Thoughts?