Too long travel between ceremony and reception sites?

KimberAnnP · January 2013

I am having my wedding ceremony at a small church that my fiancee's parents and grandparents were married at. The only problem is that it is in a small town and the only available site for the reception isn't large enough or anything that I envisioned for my wedding. I have found several reception sites in another town 27 miles away, plus most of my guests are from out of state and the smaller town has no lodging for them, whereas the other town does. I am taking the bulk of my photos taken prior to ceremony and then approximately 10 photos after, with a cocktail hour prior to the wedding party entrance. So is this too long of a distance to ask my guests to travel between sites?

mlg78 · January 2013

27 miles equates to how many minutes of driving?

From what you'd said, it does sound like quite a hike. Will you be okay with a bunch of people not attending your wedding and just showing up at the reception? Is there a church that is acceptable near the other reception sites even though it won't have as much meaning?

My fiance and I decided to not have our wedding in the Armenian church that most men in his family have been married at because it's nowhere near reception sites we liked. Instead, we found a church just one mile from our reception site. I guess you have to determine what's your priority.

JaxInBlue · January 2013

Agree with PPs. 27 miles is how much driving time? I drive 27 miles each way to and from work, so for me I guess it would come down to is this a 27 mile/27 minute trip or a 27 mile/could be a hour each way trip.

On one hand, if this other town is where you can provide hotel accomodations for OOT guests, it would sort of make sense to have then reception there. On the other hand, will your OOT guests be familiar enough with the geography between small town and the other town to feel comfortable driving themselves? Would you be able to provide a shuttle? Would you feel comfortable not having a rehearsal in small town to save guests two trips in a short period of time? Do you have guests who may not be interested in a hotel stay?

AddieCake · January 2013

I, too, agree. I would generally not travel more than 30 minutes between the two unless for some reason the reception site ended up putting me closer to home.

gymbugmj2k · January 2013

i agree with the others..... i dont enjoy driving any more than 30 min between the two. i do like the fact that the reception site would end up near the lodging.... so that works.

i'd say go for it, and just realize that many people might skip the ceremony.
also, you could provide a shuttle/bus if you're worried about people traveling between the venues. have them meet at the reception site, hop on the bus, and go to the wedding.

GoodLuckBear14 · January 2013

How long is the drive? Nobody measures in miles when deciding whether to go somewhere. They measure in time.

QueerFemme · January 2013

I would look at other churches closer to your reception site. I know it has family history, but 27 miles will likely be 40 60 minutes. That is too far, in my opinion.

itzMS · January 2013

I've been to a wedding exactly like this.

Ceremony was at the bride's familiy's small country church. Reception was at a golf club 45 minutes away. It was too much, but no one said anything to the bride and groom, of course. We all just(somewhat begrudgingly) made the trek.

Definitely not ideal.

lyndausvi · January 2013

The wedding I went to in Austria was like that. They had a bus drive all of us around. Not ideal, but the bus helped.

alithebride · January 2013

can you charter a bus or transportation for the guests? if so that will make a huge difference esp since they're out of town. but i see your dilemma-no lodging where the venue is, no venue where the lodging is. either way you're stuck. it doesn't seem like you have an option.
only have a break in between long enough to drive from one to the other.

OliveOilsMom · January 2013

Could you make the ceremony private and just have your immediate families and WP? That would cut down on the amount of people that have to make the 27 mile trek in between the church and reception hall.

Amanda1443994 · January 2013

Personally, I don't think this is too far at all if it is under an hour of driving time. I would esp. not sacrifice the church for something closer to the reception if it were my wedding only because a family church is more important to me than a party venue. I went to a wedding two years ago where the ceremony was at a Catholic church the bride grew up in and the reception venue was an hour away (the reception was one and a half hours from where I live). I didn't mind and due to timing of the Catholic church, I was glad the reception was farther away because then I would have been sitting around doing nothing for the infamous gap.

MyNameIsNot · January 2013

I probably wouldn't drive more than 30 minutes to get to the ceremony, especially if I were staying (or lived) close to the town where the reception is. I would probably just go to the reception. It's not just 27 miles in the car. Realistically, guests will have to leave 60-90 minutes before the ceremony, get to the ceremony and be there for an hour, then get back in the car for another 40-50 minutes. That's asking guests to devote 3-4 hours to attend a 30 minute ceremony.

If you chartered a bus with a toilet and refreshments, I might be more inclined to attend the ceremony, but only if I know other guests and want to hang out with them.

dtbluv · January 2013

I'd have to decline the invite (at least the ceremony part) unless we were really really close if I had to drive an hour to the ceremony, then an hour back to the reception. Especially if the ceremony site wasn't incredibly easy to find. (Like, directions are less than three steps after getting onto a main road.) Getting all dressed up, driving an hour, sitting through a ceremony, then driving another hour, and then trying to beat a line to the bathroom to freshen up sounds miserable to me. I'd be ready for a nap, not a reception. And that's not taking into account that I get lost ridiculously easily or that I get carsick on any road that has curves or hills or that driving in unfamiliar territory makes me extremely nervous and anxious and stressed out.

But, if the drive was closer to 30-45 minutes, or there was a bus or shuttle I'd be much more inclined to go.

Are most of the guests flying in, or driving in? If they're flying, does the town 27 miles away from the ceremony put them closer, or further from the airport?

I'm really not sure of all the logistics, but would something like a private ceremony at the church with family only, then a large reception in the bigger town with everyone work for you? That way you could get the sentimental benefit of the church, but without the inconvenience for a lot of your guests.

CallaLily25 · January 2013

Anything over 20-30 minutes would personally annoy me as a guest. It also depends on how "easy" it is to get to the location. For instance, if it's a straight shot down a highway for 30 minutes, I'd be pretty okay with that. If it's a lot of backroads and confusing turns, etc, for more than 30 minutes, I would definitely get frustrated on the drive over.

kaos16 · January 2013

What about maybe doing the actual ceremony at a bigger church closer to the reception venue or at the reception venue itself, then just going to the church at a different time with your husband, or even some close family members to have the priest/clergyperson there do some sort of blessing. Is that an option? I'm not great on the specifics of most religions. . . . so i'm not sure if it's even permissable, but it could maybe be a compromise.

Too long travel between ceremony and reception sites?

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