| The typical way to do it is to call the hotels you are interested in and ask for a "wedding block," or a block of rooms that they will hold for your wedding guests, usually at a slightly reduced rate, until a certain date - for my hotels it was until two weeks prior to the wedding, but I'm guessing it varies depending on the market for hotel rooms in the area. They shouldn't make you give a credit card number to book the rooms, since you won't want to pay for anything that doesn't get taken. But if they do ask for a cc number, be sure that you will be well within a cancellation policy so you won't get stuck paying for anything. Then you can include a note in the invitations, save-the-dates, and/or a wedding website if you make one, with the phone number of the hotels, the code for the discount if they give you one, and the deadline for making reservations. Anyone who doesn't make their reservations by the deadline is on their own. Call around to some different hotels and see what kind of rates you can get. Don't be afraid to negotiate for a better rate and/or better terms. I was suprised to get a MUCH better rate from one hotel than from a practically identical one across the street. Usually it is a good idea to block rooms at two or three different places, so you can give high- and low-priced options. Although some hotels have lots of rooms at different price points. Good luck. |
