When you’re planning a wedding, choosing a venue is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make — one that can affect every other aspect of your special day. For years, hotels have been one of the most popular choices for wedding venues worldwide. A hotel wedding is classic, coming with several benefits that help you create your dream wedding in the easiest way possible.
Let’s dig into the top hotel wedding pros and cons and all of the reasons to get married at a hotel.
Pros of Hotel Weddings
From being able to book rooms for everyone on-site to making a straightforward choice for catering, hotels offer engaged couples many notable benefits for planning their weddings. Overall, hotel wedding venues are simply more convenient in various ways. Here are some of the top pros of a hotel wedding:
1. Planning Assistance
A wedding involves factors beyond just the venue — the catering, decorating, cake, music, dance floor, seating and linens and so much more. At other types of venues, you may have to plan for each of these factors separately.
One of the biggest benefits of a hotel wedding is having your choice of wedding packages to simplify planning. These packages usually include options for meals, decor and amenities all in one, and often have the option for other add-ons.
Many hotels will also have an on-site wedding planner who’s experienced and knowledgeable with all things weddings and can help you through every step of the process, ensuring your special day is everything you wanted.
2. On-Site Catering
After choosing a venue, deciding on a catering team and menu are arguably the next biggest decisions you’ll make for your wedding reception and overall budget. When you have your wedding at a hotel, you have the benefit of using on-site catering, which means less hassle for you.
At the Hancock Hotel, our exclusive caterer is Mancy’s Steakhouse, our on-site restaurant. Here, you can create your ideal wedding menu from our selection of world-class, fine dining choices and avoid needing to find your own catering service.
3. Blocks and Discounts for Guest Rooms
When planning a wedding, you want your guests to be well cared for. One of the best hotel wedding advantages for your guests is the ability to reserve room blocks and provide discounts on overnight stays. Therefore, your guests won’t need to worry about finding their own accommodations and can enjoy the convenience of staying right at the wedding location.
Often, when you book a wedding at a hotel, you’ll get a complimentary night’s stay for you and your spouse, as well.
4. No Guest Transportation
With most of your guests spending the night at the hotel, you won’t have the added expense of providing transportation for guests. Plus, you can rest assured your guests have a safe, convenient place to stay at the hotel, whether they’re local or from across the country. When your guests don’t have to plan their own stay or way home on the night of your wedding, they can enjoy the day’s events more.
5. Fewer Weather Concerns
While outdoor weddings are beautiful, they come with added weather-related concerns. Adverse conditions like temperature extremes, rain and wind can put a damper on your special day, and sometimes force you to go with a last-minute plan B that isn’t what you dreamed of. On the other hand, weddings at hotels are in a safe, climate-controlled environment, so you don’t have to worry about what the weather will be like on your wedding day.
6. Overall Convenience
Hosting your wedding at a hotel provides overall convenience. It gives you the option to have everything in one location — the ceremony, the reception, overnight stays and even additional events like rehearsal dinners. There are no worries about providing complicated directions or providing transportation in between events.
Cons of Hotel Weddings
While there are many benefits to having your wedding at a hotel, it isn’t for everyone. When making your decision, consider a few of the negatives:
1. Less Flexibility
The flip side of hotel weddings being so easy and convenient is you may have less flexibility when it comes to certain options. For couples who are more creative, have certain specifics in mind or like to plan every detail themselves, hotel weddings can seem like more of a challenge. There may be limitations on using certain vendors or the available menu and decor choices.
However, remember that hotel wedding packages are designed for convenience, meaning planning your special day is meant to be as straightforward as possible. If you have any concerns about customizing your options, your on-site wedding planner can help you select options that fit your needs.
2. Possible Event Restrictions
Some hotels impose certain restrictions on weddings held on-site. This could include time limits on using the event spaces or requirements to utilize guest rooms and room blocks. While these restrictions are also designed for convenience, some may find that they clash with their desired plans. No matter where you plan your event, though, there will be restrictions of some kind, whether it’s at a hotel, outdoors or another venue. Usually, the restrictions at a hotel are minimal.
3. Privacy Issues
Unless you’ve reserved the entire hotel, it’ll remain open for other guests staying the night. Additionally, if there are multiple event rooms, there may be other weddings or events taking place simultaneously. For some people, this can mean a lack of privacy for their event, but for others, it isn’t a concern. If you plan on events or photos in any common spaces on the property, you may be running into hotel guests who aren’t your wedding guests. However, rest assured that your ceremony and reception spaces will be secure and private to your guests.
Book Your Wedding at the Hancock Hotel
If you’re planning a wedding in Findlay, Ohio, the Hancock Hotel is the premier destination for an elegant, sophisticated wedding with access to unparalleled services and amenities. Our wedding packages are designed for ultimate convenience and luxury, so you can plan the hotel wedding of your dreams.
Get in touch with our on-site wedding coordinator today to start the planning process for your special day!
