What to expect when you’re expecting out-of-town guests at your wedding: they’ll arrive on planes and trains, and need transportation, food, a bed to sleep in, and maybe something to keep them entertained when there are no planned wedding activities. And you’re supposed to coordinate that on top of everything else? Relax—we did the hard work for you.
Gift Baskets
Couples often include gift baskets left in the hotel rooms of out-of-town guests, filled with information on the wedding, bottles of water, fruit, sweets, chips, and a little something extra (and local) to make them special. Our suggestions:
| Gifts |
Place | More |
| Anna Shea’s Chocolate-Covered Nuts, $15 |
Anna Shea 4 S Washington St, Tarrytown (914) 631-3333 |
These treats satisfy both salty and sweet cravings and are made right here in the county. |
| Coffee Labs Roaster’s Brazil Daterra Sunrise Ground Coffee, $12.75/lb |
Coffee Labs 7 Main St, Tarrytown (914) 332-1479 |
Why make your guests suffer through hotel coffee when you can get one of this coffee shop’s delicious blends? |
| Goodies from Salinger’s Orchard Farm Market & Bakery, Prices vary |
Salinger’s Orchard Farm Market & Bakery 230 Guinea Rd, Brewster, NY (845) 277-3521 |
Support the locavorian movement by purchasing jam, honey, or baked goods from one of our local farm markets. |
| Millbrook Wines with Custom Labels, $18/case |
Millbrook Vineyards & Winery 26 Wing Rd, Millbrook, NY (845) 677-8383 |
Not only is this vineyard close by, but, for a little extra, the folks here will print a custom label for your bottles. |
| Lots and Lots of Paper, $0 |
The worst thing is for guests to feel stranded, so keep them armed with information. Offer take-out menus from local restaurants and gourmet shops, coupons for cool local boutiques, guides or tickets to local attractions and cultural events, and maps or information about transportation, both to and from the wedding and around the county. Some couples getting married convenient to the Metro-North include train schedules, subway maps, and Metrocards for guests traveling from across the country who may want to see New York City as part of their trip East. You might want to include a copy of a certain regional lifestyle publication here, too. (Ahem.) |
Accomodations
Whether you’re looking for an intimate B&B experience or a big, all-inclusive resort, you can find a place in Westchester that delivers the vibe you want for your guests.
| Place | Rates | No. of Rooms | Discount for Group Reservations | More |
| Alexander Hamilton House 49 Van Wyck St Croton-on-Hudson (914) 271-6737 |
$110 to $350 (includes full breakfast) |
8 | No | No, Alexander Hamilton never slept here—but he should have. The 1889 Victorian—charming and intimate, with only eight rooms—boasts views of the Hudson and has a CIA-trained chef cooking made-to-order breakfasts in the morning. The Bridal Chamber features a romantic wood-burning fireplace and a double whirlpool tub situated under skylights. |
| Castle on the Hudson 400 Benedict Ave, Tarrytown (914) 631-1980 |
$195 to $820 (meals not included) | 31 | Yes; 10 percent off the room rate, if food and beverage ordered. | This medieval-style castle was built by playwright Howard Carroll, so it’s imbued with a festive spirit befitting a high-society socialite. Every detail is meant to impress: the gothic tower, the 40-foot vaulted ceilings, the goose-down comforters and Frette linens, and the award-winning, critically acclaimed Equus restaurant. If you hold your wedding at the Castle, you’ll get a full luxury suite for one night and a 50-percent discount on additional nights. |
| Crabtree’s Kittle House 11 Kittle Rd, Chappaqua (914) 666-8044 |
$147 to $167 (includes continental breakfast) | 12 | No | The 1790s farmhouse is furnished with an eclectic mix of antique furniture and country accents, like four-poster and sleigh beds, and overlooks the grounds of the Mount Kisco Country Club. |
| Doral Arrowwood 975 Anderson Hill Rd, Rye Brook (914) 939-5500 |
$169 to $189 (room only) and $179 to $199 (includes full buffet breakfast for two) | 373 | Yes, if you have your wedding at Doral or select shore clubs in New Rochelle. |
Guests can stay at Doral Arrowwood without ever venturing off the hotel grounds. The campus is outfitted with an indoor/outdoor pool; a sprawling golf course; courts for tennis, racquetball, squash, basketball, and even paintball; rooms for spa treatments; organized entertainment for children; and three different on-site restaurants. Arrowwood’s award-winning buffet brunch is perfect for the day after the wedding. |
| Doubletree Tarrytown 455 S Broadway, Tarrytown (914) 631-5700 |
$139 to $600 (no meals included) | 247 | Yes, typically 15 percent off the rates for 10 or more rooms. | The grand, exposed-beam, stone-and-slate lobby here gives the impression that you’re walking into a grand lodge. But don’t hole up: the hotel’s central location in Tarrytown makes it great for exploring nearby destinations like Lyndhurst, Kykuit, Sunnyside, and the Hudson waterfront. Warm weather means outdoor dining at the on-site Bistro Z. |
| Hilton Rye Town 699 Westchester Ave, Rye Brook (914) 939-6300 |
$159 to $189, based on demand | 446 | Rates come down to about $129 to $169 if you reserve 10 or more rooms on peak, which works out to savings of about 20 percent. | Guests here have been known to have more private, intimate family gatherings right in the dining room of the hotel’s massive Presidential Suite. If you don’t mind mingling in public, more casual, family meals usually take place in the Tulip Room, while the Den Lounge has more of a clubby feel to it. When weather permits, outdoor dining is offered at Penfield’s Terrace, which overlooks the garden. |
| The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester 3 Renaissance Sq, White Plains (914) 946-5500 |
$189-$5,000 (no meals included) | 118 | Yes, on blocks of 10 or more. | The Ritz’s third New York location features luxury in everything: dining (at either famed BLT Steak or posh 42); spa services (at the 10,000-square-foot spa with rooftop swimming pool); shopping (Diana Heimann’s gorgeous jewelry and fine crafts); and, yes, even sleeping. Its location leaves it steps away from White Plains’s nightlife center on Mamaroneck Avenue. |
| Tarrytown House Estate & Conference Center 49 E Sunnyside Ln, Tarrytown (914) 591-8200 |
$159 to $299 King Mansion rooms range from $199 to $375 |
212 | No. | This is a conglomeration of nine historic buildings, including the picturesque 1895 Biddle Mansion. If your guests want to keep the party going after the wedding, there’s Cellar 49: A Tavern at the Mansion, a bar/restaurant open only to guests of the Estate. Reserve one of the 10 guestrooms in the 1840 King Mansion and get a view of the Hudson River. |
Airport Car Services
These car services will get guests to the church on time. We’ve provided their rates from local airports to the approximate center of White Plains (rates may change based on the specifics of your trip).
| LaGuardia | Westchester | JFK | |
| Armonk Limousine Armonk (914) 273-4466 |
$113 | $63.50 | $125 |
| DLC Ground Transportation White Plains (914) 946-6664 |
$113 | $24 | $131 |
| Lero’s Point to Point Hawthorne (914) 846-1214 |
$101 | $58 | $109 |
| Red Oak Transportation White Plains (914) 694-2222 |
$84 | $60 | $96 |
| Settembre Limousine Peekskill (914) 788-9198 |
$105 | $70 | $110 |
| Silver Star Limousine Yonkers (914) 476-3311 |
$90 | $75 | $100 |
Entertainment
Afraid your guests will have too much time to kill?
Clip this list of nearby cultural and entertainment venues and tell them to get lost (in a good way).
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts
Katonah (914) 232-5035
Hear classical music, enjoy high tea and gardens
Emelin Theatre
Mamaroneck (914) 698-0098
Great for popular music, movies, theater, and film
Historic Hudson Valley
150 White Plains Rd, Tarrytown
(914) 631-8200
See historic properties, including those owned by the Rockefeller family and Washington Irving
Hudson River Museum
Yonkers (914) 963-4550
Impressive collection of Hudson River School art
Jacob Burns Film Center
Pleasantville (914) 747-5555
Screens independent, foreign, and art-house movies
Katonah Museum of Art
Katonah (914) 232-9555
Broad selection of exhibitions not affiliated with any permanent collection
Neuberger Museum of Art
Purchase (914) 251-6100;
Collection of 20th-century and African art
Paramount Center for the Arts
Peekskill (914) 739-2333
Popular music, dance, and film
The Performing Arts Center
Purchase (914) 251-6200
Popular music, dance, film, and children’s theater
Tarrytown Music Hall
Tarrytown (914) 631-3390
Music, dance, film, and children’s theater.
