Out-of-Town Guests

When planning your special day, take a few minutes to think about those special people in your life who will travel from far away to be with you on your wedding day. You will want to make their stay an enjoyable, as well as memorable, experience.

Most out-of-town guests prefer not to impose on those involved in the hectic wedding schedule. Make this easy for them by negotiating a group rate with a local hotel. If you are holding your reception in a hotel, you should definitely request a room block at your host property. Many times, couples will have two different blocks at a nearby hotels to accommodate guests with different budgets.

Let the hotel know approximately how many rooms your guests will need. Then, send an email (or add to your wedding website) to inform your out-of-town guests with the hotel’s special room rate and reservation number so that guests can arrange their own reservations. Be sure to inform your guests that they need to contact the hotel at least two weeks prior to the wedding. By doing so, any rooms that are not booked can be released and you will not be held accountable for them.

Remember, hotel accommodations are a special service you can provide your out-of-town guests. While allowing your guests the privacy of their own room, hotels also enable your out-of-town guests to spend time together and to easily coordinate transportation to your wedding and parties.

In addition, the hotel concierge can arrange tours, shopping visits, dining reservations, or almost anything else your guests will love doing while visiting. This service lets your guests continue to enjoy their stay while you are off on your honeymoon. South Central Texas has an endless array of locations to sight-see and/or experience for the whole family!

In the great city of San Antonio, y’all will find many exciting activities like Six Flags Fiesta Texas, SeaWorld & Aquatica San Antonio, iFly, Andretti Indoor Karting & Games, TopGolf, Schlitterbahn Waterpark & Resort Natural Bridge Caverns, and Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch to list just a few. If y’all are looking for things to stimulate your artistic, historical and factual minds then definitely plan to check out the McNay Art Museum, The Witte Museum, The DoSeum (for the kiddos!), San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, The Alamo, San Antonio Museum of Art, Mexican Cultural Institute, Institute of Texan Cultures, Brisco Western Art Museum, narrated Riverwalk boat tours, Hemisfair Plaza, and without a doubt, you must check out the Historic Pearl.

For over ten years now, Pearl has partnered with many outstanding leaders, entrepreneurs, and restaurateurs. The Culinary Institute of America Texas campus welcomes students seeking careers in culinary or baking and pastry arts. They even offer a fine dining restaurant, Savor, that showcases the phenomenal talents of the CIA student chefs as a culmination of two years of rigorous study.

Moving on to another delectable dining “must-try” inceptions while visiting the Pearl is Cured, owned by award-winning Chef Steve McHugh; specializing in hand-crafted cured foods, from charcuterie to pickles. We also have Brasserie Mon Chou Chou, known for its strong heritage of French cuisine featuring many dishes directly influenced by the trio of owner’s respective grandmothers, as well as the many inspiring cities and direct regions of France. In this part of Texas you will find so many types of Mexican food but at La Gloria, Chef Johnny Hernandez has taken it to a different level of flavors by bringing his extensive travels throughout Mexico which has influenced his menu bringing authentic and accessible interior Mexican cuisines.  For all you foodies, there are many, many other delicious eateries in the Pearl district and all throughout the city of San Antonio, so definitely do your research before you come visit! Make reservations and come hungry!

We haven’t even mentioned all the amazing cute boutiques you will find all around the downtown, Riverwalk, and numerous areas of this diverse city. We highly recommend browsing through these great shops and take home some unique gifts home to remember your cultural experience in this great city.

As you make your way north for a short drive up to the Texas state capital city, Austin, be sure to plan for stops in our quaint but highly sophisticated Hill Country towns like New Braunfels, Fredericksburg, Comfort, Kerrville, and many, many more. In all of these small towns y’all are going to find the best southern hospitality; infinite boutiques, delicious and eclectic food, winery and spirit distillery tours, tubing/rafting excursions, and serene bed & breakfasts too. While spending time in this area, definitely take a look at the places to visit while in our beautiful Texas Hill Country.

When y’all make your way up to Austin be prepared to be blown away with the immense assortment of things to experience in this beautiful state capital city of ours. We don’t know about y’all, but food is always on the top of our minds so be prepared to look for places that will make your taste buds extra happy! YES … Texas is known for their mouth-watering BBQ, Tex Mex and so many other cuisines too. Check out what Stiles Switch BBQ, Terry Black’s Barbecue, and the ever so famous Stubb’s Bar-B-Q has to offer!  Leaning towards some seriously salivating Tex-Mex flavors – head to Casa Chapala or Matt’s El Rancho – y’all won’t be disappointed with all of those layers of flavors. The latest foodie trends out there is the establishments that work with fresh farm-to-table ingredients. Odd Duck is at the top of the must-try list along with Emmer & Rye who features a daily menu change designed around the farmer’s haul.

So enough about food … let’s talk about all the exciting advertisers y’all can experience in and around Austin. Lake Travis Ziplines, Cota Karting, Amazing Scavenger Hunt Adventure – Austin, Lone Star Ranch (Texas Trail Rides) all sound like a blast! For more relaxing, historical type visits look into Zilker Botanical Garden, Austin Zoo, Blanton Museum of Art, Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum, and the Austin Aquarium.

There really is just so much to do in South Central Texas. Your main reason you’re coming is to attend a loving couple’s wedding … but also take time to enjoy some adventures for you too!