Book your hotel rooms for your wedding like a pro

From blocking off rooms to getting a free shuttle—there are a lot of ways to save your guests money when it comes time to booking them a hotel room.

A wedding can cost out of town guests between $500 to $1,000 per person once you factor in airfare, hotel, car rental, and food—not to mention more time if you have to take time off work. But there are a lot of ways to save your guests money when it comes time to booking them a hotel room. An easy way to start is by blocking off a series of hotel rooms. This way all your guests will receive a discounted room rate.

Have a pretty solid estimate of the number of rooms you will need before you call to make the block. Hotels have a minimum amount of rooms you have to fill, so it is a good idea to know you can at least meet that number.

At some hotels, you can even request a courtesy room block, where you reserve  up to 10 rooms at a time with a discounted rate. Your guests won't have to put down a deposit, and you won't be held responsible for any unused rooms. If you need more than 10 rooms for your guests (and let's face it, most weddings require more than 10 rooms), simply call the hotel manager and have them extend your courtesy room block once you have filled up the first one.

Pro tip: Make sure you know the times for check-in and check-out. If your guests are arriving the day of the wedding and check-in isn't until 3 p.m., have your guests request an early check-in.

Look for a hotel that offers free breakfast and free Wi-Fi. This can save your guests between $30 and $50 per day.

Another great way to save your guests money is to look for a hotel that offers a complimentary shuttle to and from the airport. Some hotels will even offer your wedding guests a complimentary shuttle to your wedding venue.

Pro tip: If you do book a shuttle, make sure you specify the shuttle arrival time and the time the shuttle will pull away. This will save you a major headache moments before the wedding.

If some of your wedding guests are going to the wedding alone, you can also ask them if they are interested in sharing a room. This will cut their hotel costs in half, and if you can fit three or four people in a room—even more.

Drop off several copies of your wedding itinerary at the front desk. This way if anyone comes to the front desk for help, they know where to point them. If your wedding date is flexible, it is a good idea to check to make sure there aren't any major events happening like graduations, marathons and festivals. Hotels offer significantly lower rates when they are less full.

Lastly, don't forget to ask about a complimentary room for the night of your wedding! It's an easy way to save you money!