reception site... How far is too far?

[Deleted User]

Ok ladies. I finally got a new ceremony site!!!! I am very excited. We are getting married at St. Peters Epsicopal Church in Salisbury, MD. The church dates back to 1850 and the beauty of this church is unreal!  We are sooo excited. Only one problem though, the reception site we love is across the state line in DE. It will take our guests about 45 min to travel from church to reception. Is this too far? I would hate to change my reception venue because we love it so, but I am just thinking that we may be asking too much to have folks drive that far. For you brides having your reception and ceremony two different places, I would like to know your feelings on this. Thanks!

Ms.BriarRose

I personally think it's too far.  I think anything over 30 minutes is too far.  But, there are brides that think that an hour or more is okay.  It's all personal preference.

If you want to move your venue to Salisbury, look into The Fountains.  My friend got married there back in July, and it was BEAUTIFUL.  The food was good, and they had both an outside ceremony space as well as indoor space.  Not sure on pricing, but if you want to move, I encourage you to check it out.

EiDuffy

which reception site in DE do you love? or what are you looking for? perhaps there is something similar in MD...i think 45 min would be the max for guests to drive...

jessilynnwood

Mine is about 45 I live in dover so my reception in here but my ceremony is at rehoboth beach.

paprika28

Mine is about 45-50. The wedding is in Ridley Park, Pa. and the reception is in North East, Md. So, mine is 45 minutes and a $5.00 toll, or 55 minutes and no toll.

Yes, I'm informing everyone of this on the directions which will be included in the invite. And I'm prepared for less people showing up to the wedding.

[Deleted User]

We are using the Bridgeville Banquet Center with catering from Jimmy Grille. The place is wonderful and we just love the food there. My FI and are pretty committed to the idea so I think my guests will be o.k. Its a straight shot up Route 13 for guests ton drive so it is a preety easy drive. So I think we are going to go with our gut and keep it in Bridgeville.

Also, Thanks for the recommendation of the Fountains. It is truly gorgeous.

MarinoRabeno

45 minutes would a max for me too, but it's totally doable. I'd say stick with what you love!

Santorini2011

It really depends on the type of guests you have.  I personally would drive it for my friend and not think twice.  However, I would take into consideration where your guests live because after drinking and having fun would they have to drive an hour home.

We really wanted a venue that was far from the church and ended up changing venues.  One of the main reasons was that we didn't want everyone driving an hour or more home on a Sat. night during a holiday weekend.  Ok, I know, the same applies to not driving after partying in general.  Alot of our guests are also older and we knew that they would leave early to get home at "a decent time"

Ms.BriarRose

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_delaware_reception-far-far?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:77Discussion:f5a20b61-2ab7-4ab3-9ff3-724c894d9239Post:30ed7082-6593-4931-9602-13dd8d962df7">Re: reception site... How far is too far?</a>:
[QUOTE]However, I would take into consideration where your guests live because after drinking and having fun would they have to drive an hour home.

 Alot of our guests are also older and we knew that they would leave early to get home at "a decent time"
Posted by Santorini2011[/QUOTE]

THIS.  If you have many older guests, or guests with kids (even if the kids are not coming), they are going to want to leave a bit early, and driving an hour can be exhausting after a big event.

Another thing to remember is that many older people cannot or don't feel comfortable driving in the dark.  My grandmother is the perfect example.  If they have to go 10 minutes, they may be okay with it, but if they have to drive an hour, be prepared for them to either leave quite early or not come at all.

Finally, be ready for people to not come to the ceremony.  As sad as it is, people are going to choose to not come to both- the distance really does make a difference, and usually they will come to the reception and skip the ceremony (which is especially sad if you are having a religious ceremony- that's the whole point of the day- you can't have the reception without the ceremony!).  Just be prepared for that to happen.