Ask yourself how many guests you want to be able host, what hotels are close to you, what your time frame is, what your general credit score is, is your fiancee and other family members willing to participate in this too, etc.

Many of these cards have requirements for a minimum spend, which can be time consuming for the average Joe, so watch out for that.

The special credit card thread is a good place to start:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...er-thread.html

You might spend a few minutes reading some general blogs about points & miles such as

http://www.freefrequentflyermiles.com/index.htm

http://boardingarea.com/blogs/mommypoints/

http://thepointsguy.com/beginners-guide/

Not saying the Choice hotel card is a bad choice, just make sure you can get what you expect for the 24K current sign on bonus:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...signature.html

Priority club (Holiday Inn) might be a good choice too if you are outside the major metro areas

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/inter...ed-1st-yr.html