To ask for your opinions about who should sleep where? (Allocating rooms to guests)

[GuestCat]

DP and I are getting married soon, having a quiet registry office ceremony (I'm pregnant so don't want stress of big wedding). We want a few close friends to attend the registry office and have a group meal in nice restaurant afterwards. As most of our close friends live far away, they'll all be staying with us for weekend and celebrating. We've narrowed it down to 4 couples who are all keen to come.

Our dilemma is who to put in which room. We have only one guestroom (with double-bed) but can accommodate one couple in lounge on double sofa-bed and one couple in study on floor. There is space for the other couple to sleep either in lounge (sharing it with others) or in dining-room (not very private as you have to walk through it to reach lounge). I feel we need to decide on rooms now, so people have option of getting a B+B instead if they don't like sleeping arrangements. All but one couple have visited previously but they've all had guest room as came individually. All are similar age (30s) and everyone apart from Couple A (and the gf of Couple C) know each other .

Couple A: don't know any of the others and will be bringing their baby. I therefore think they should have the guest room.
Couple B: Quite fussy about where they sleep, privacy, like to sleep early etc, may make a fuss about not having guest room.
Couple C: More laid-back but gf is new to group and very shy.
Couple D: Laid-back and likely to be flexible about where they sleep.

Who would you put where?

Draw lots.

I would put them all in the b+b.

They're all couples in their 30's, presumably with jobs?

It's your wedding and you're pregnant. Let them stay elsewhere and stop worrying!

A guest room
B study
C lounge
D dining room

I would offer couple A the guest room, if they are bringing a baby. Couple B, C and D I would outline the options and suggest a B&B if they aren't sure.

When you say "in the study on the floor" do you mean actually on the floor or do you have a mattress/fold-out bed or anything like that? Likewise for whoever else does not get the sofa bed?

I would send the couple with the baby to a b&b, then couple c get the guest room and the other two, one can take the lounge and the other the study.

Baby will keep whole house up and make you all worry about the noise which isn't what you want at a celebration. New girlfriend if shy might like a room to retire to. Others are easy going and can bunk down wherever.

For gods sake let them go to B and B!! I'm sure they can all pay 20-30 quid a night at a premier inn!

Why the hell would you want all that stress while trying to enjoy your wedding?!

I would even dream of imposing on a pregnant woman who's getting married- who are these people who are quite fine with it?!!

Couple A: don't know any of the others and will be bringing their baby. I therefore think they should have the guest room.
yes to guest room

Couple B: Quite fussy about where they sleep, privacy, like to sleep early etc, may make a fuss about not having guest room.
living room (or b&b if they make a fuss)

Couple C: More laid-back but gf is new to group and very shy.
other private room

Couple D: Laid-back and likely to be flexible about where they sleep.
dining room

but I would also give them all a list of b&b's just in case

I think one of the couples would be more comfortable in a b&b (or let them have your house and book bridal suite somewhere)

Whatever you do it isn't going to seem fair to someone else (no-one's really going to want to sleep on a dining room floor, are they?) - so don't have any of them. It is your wedding weekend, after all - wouldn't you like some privacy? Find the nearest Travelodge/BB - if you book early you can probably get a really good rate.

I'd have the couple with the baby to stay in the guest room and the rest in the B&B.

Explain that you can only put up one couple in comfort so you are offering the room to the couple with the baby.

That way, the others have the option of saying they don't mind where they sleep, in which case you can start allocating floors and then they can't complain as it was their choice

All to B&B. Its your wedding night.

Surely no one is going to expect to stay with you on your wedding night?

I'm sorry its a ridiculous idea- getting married and having 4 couples all crammed into your house. It's beyond lunacy

Agree with everyone else - get them all checked in to a nice and reasonable B&B (maybe barring the couple with the baby?)

Leave them to it, and book a taxi and an hotel for your wedding night.

Couple with the baby in the guest room so they can put up the cot and pop the baby to sleep whilst still enjoying the evening with everyone. They could go to the B&B too, but handy to have somewhere to pop the baby if needed.

Everyone else to B&B. Plus they'll all have en suite rooms, can get ready for the wedding there with loads of space (plus a wardrobe to hang their posh clothes up in). You and your DH therefore get your home to get ready in without a big queue for the bathroom/mirrors.

Thank for replies. Im actually tempted by B&B idea, will speak to DP about it when he gets home. I thought it might be rude to ask them to book accommodation (since its a very low-key informal wedding) but I'd rather have house to ourselves TBH, or just have one couple to stay.

Re beds, we have 1 double (in guest room), 1 double sofa-bed, a single sofa-bed and a double memory-foam mat thing, so one person would be sleeping on floor if they all stayed with us.

In a similar position (not a wedding but several couples staying at our house after an event), I decided not to allocate rooms because I felt I would end up offending whoever got the worst room. So I sent an email saying we did have enough beds / floor space for anyone who wanted to stay, but if they wanted to be sure of a bed they would have to book into a B&B. So I knew that anyone who chose to stay with us didn't mind sleeping on the floor. Then I thought I would let them fight it out between them - but in the end only one couple stayed with us.

How many bathrooms/showers do you have? I think offer the guest bedroom to couple with baby and have everyone else at a B+b or travelodge. I much rather be at a hotel or such given the numbers you are having and the sleeping options. Are they skint or can they afford B+B?

No way should you be putting them up and if they're expecting to stay, knowing it will be EIGHT extra people, I think that's a bit much given it is your wedding night.

B&B for all of them. Simples.

Too many guests it sounds like.

I would give the option of the guest room to the couple with the baby, and offer the others the option of other rooms or b&b, explaining that it will be cramped. I would hope that some/all of the other couples would choose b&bs

I agree with ProudAS second suggestion: book yourselves a nice private room somewhere else and let your friends have the house. That way you get to enjoy a nice, relaxed wedding night without worrying about everyone else, and you're also being extremely accommodating for all your friends, which shouldn't leave any of them feeling left out.

Offer couple A your room (presumably the biggest, so hopefully space for travel cot). Couple B gets the guest room, couple C the study and couple D the living room. Give each couple details of which room you're offering them but without going into detail about why, where everyone else is sleeping etc unless they ask. Also give them all the option of B&B if they prefer.

If you absolutely have to stay in the house for some reason then I agree with mousmous, both about the room allocation and about giving them all details of the B&B just in case.

All to Travellodge or B&B. I do this with my family at Xmas if they all come - therefore no choice or whinging about rooms!