Congrats on the upcoming wedding.
I wouldn't request quotes online, but would call each individual hotel. I've found that often, most hotels will end up calling you to discuss your requirements anyway, so it's a waste of time to input everything into the website.
Make a list of hotels that are acceptable. Factor in distance from the wedding and/or reception, amenities they already provide at no cost, etc. Call each hotel on the list, and ask for the group sales manager. Explain your needs, ask what they can do in regards to rates, amenities, welcome gifts in rooms, and things like that. Be sure you give them your contact information. Ask how long their offer is valid, and let them know that you are contacting multiple locations. If another location has already given you a better deal, don't hesitate to tell them that.
Once you have all of the rates, you'll want to evaluate them. For example, your guests might be willing to pay $5/night more at hotel A rather than hotel B, because hotel A is closer to your venue and offers free wifi and parking.
Other things to consider:
- Inquire if they will give you a free room for every X number reserved for your block, or if they can give you bonus points based on the number of rooms booked.
- If you are going to have a brunch the day after the wedding, you might want to inquire about reserving meeting space for that, and having that included in the room rate, or at least receiving a discounted room rate because of the brunch and such.