Should I worry about making things convenient for my guests?

edellis

I am originally from MD and have lived in FL for 3 years.

We have to have our wedding in a Greek Church to honor my father (who is paying for our wedding and who has always wanted to see me married in the Greek Church b/c I was also baptized Greek Orthodox).

However, they are 2 Greek churchs in central FL, and the priest at Holy Trinity in Orlando was not very kind and welcoming.

So, we are going to speak to the one in Melbourne (which I've heard nicer things about). The problem is I am very unhappy with the majority of the reception venues in Melbourne/Cocoa/Palm Bay. They are not my style since I would like something more elegant.

Anyway we have family coming from Maryland, Indiana, Orlando, and Melbourne. I was kind of concerned about having a ceremony in Melbourne and the reception in Central Florida area b/c ppl will be driving a hour or so distance.

Should I really be concerned about this? I have found many locations in Orlando where I would like my reception to be, but I know some people will probably complain. I doubt everyone in limos will care, but should I really give a crap about all the other guests?

meghanmcadams

2 years ago we attended my god brothers wedding outside Philadelphia and it was an hour + between the church and reception. And although it was annoying for us (more so because there was 4 hours between so we stopped home) the venue they picked was gorgeous and made up for it. You could always provide transportation for them, to make it more convienant.

edellis

I'm thinking ours would be about an hour tops. 

Megs30

How many people were you planning on inviting because I was also thinking that providing transportation might be a nice idea?

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vedika

If you extend the invite to them and they want to come, then they will come. I have learned through wedding planning, regardless of who is paying for what, you're damnedd if you do and damnedd if you don't..At the end of the day, you & FI have to LOVE your wedding and you will get married & have fun no matter who shows up or who doesn't..

Answering your question: I think providing a mini bus for your guests would be cute and more people would be apt to attend the Orlando reception because they know they would have transportation. I highly recommend VIP Transportation. Barbara has been awesome to work with and they have quality vehicles at an affordable price. GL! 

edellis

The problem is I really havent found a venue in Melbourne area that I like.  Price is not the issue. What I envision is more elegant/whimsical.  Houses, mansions, and small courtyard setting don't appeal to me, plus we need a large space to accomodate 200+ guests.

From what I've seen online, the hotels in Melbourne really aren't as nice as in Orlando.
I mean if anyone knows of any really nice places in the Melbourne/Cocoa area please let me know. I just really wasn't impressed w/ what I've seen online.

jmucheech21

I think maybe you should care to an externt.  I mean, yes, at the end of the day it is your wedding and you need to do what makes you and your fiance happy.  At the same time, your guests are there because they love you and some are coming quite a distance to be there for your wedding.  It would be nice to take their convenience into consideration.

If you have to have your reception in Orlando to make it your dream wedding, then you do and that's that.  How soon is your wedding though?  Could you spend some more time shopping around in the area that your ceremony is in?  I think put in a valiant effort, but if you just can't find anything, then you just can't find anything.  Since you said money is not the issue, perhaps you could provide a bus to transport?

jj51506

If there is a reception site you absolutely LOVEEE in Orlando....I say put up with the Holy Trinity Priest. Maybe he had a bad day OR he seemed to be unwelcoming etc, but then once u alctually speak to him more and he know u will actually be marrying there he will warm up and be nice. (I know MANY a priest who gave me the wrong vibe the first impression who after getting to know ended up being the sweetest.) Besides--You will only be with the guy for 30 min-1 hr. then be done with him.

The Reception to me will be whats most important in the sense of showing you and FH personalities and creating an environment for your guests to enjoy. If you "settle" for some place out in Melbourne you don't like it will be something you think about even yrs after looking at photos.

And, to answer your questions: Yes, I think 1 hr drive is way too far. I think 30 minutes or so should be tops any guests should drive from ceremony site - venue.  And If I was invited to a friend's wedding and saw and hour drive between each, I would probably only go to the reception. Sorry =( Just my honest opinion bc guests are already traveling far enough as is. Now, if it was a family member's wedding....that's another story. It's family....I would make the drive.

sarah42nd

I actually live in Palm Bay which is like 10 mins from Melbourne. Personally I think orlando is to far to travel . I mean its an hour and a half on a good day and  traffic adds to that especially on the weekends. Also  are you looking for a place like http://www.cocoavillage.com/porcherhouse/ or http://www.henegar.org/ ? Theres alot of nice places in the Melbourne area but your problem might be size. When  I was looking for my location  everyone I talked to said I had to pull a permit with the city if I went over 100 guest. So you may want to look into that. The only problem with providing people with transportation is if some want to leave early. Also where would they keep there cars ? 

SalenaM27

I am not Greek Orthodox, but I fell in love with Holy Trinity's accomodations and reception site so I am using them as well for my reception and possibly my ceremony.  I agree with the one person who said, you only have to be with the priest for 30 min to 1 1/2 hours.  He may warm up.  It is a gorgeous venue and goes with the elegance you sound like you were looking for.  I also grew up in Melbourne/Palm Bay and agree that it doesn't capture the elegance/romance you would be looking for unless you want images of palm trees and beaches O:)  I also agree the drive is long, I was considering a Catholic Ceremony and then drive to the Reception site, even driving from Point A to Point B in Orlando was worrying me.  In the end, you have to forgo everyone's advice and go with your gut.  Good luck.

andee1353

We didn't really know our priest and felt he was a bit stiff and somewhat standoffish. However, in the end he turned out to be a good guy and very accommodating to our needs. We even checked his homily to be sure he spoke generically and not specifically...and kept it short.
It is your day and your choice, but in the back of your mind might you worry about your guests and all the traveling they will need to do to accommodate you.
There are some very nice hotels in the Altamonte area for the out of town guests should you pick Holy Trinity. In fact the one that flanks I4 has just been redone and the event room is nice if you like that feel.
Hard decision, GL!

edellis

Well, thanks everyone. We finally decided on Holy Trinity and are really interested in the Grand Bohemian and Church Street Ballroom, which are 10 miles away!

So at least things are coming together!!

jj51506

Both Grand Bohemian and Ballroom at Church Street are AMAZING venues. Glad you decided to stay with Holy Trinity. With that church and either of those reception venues...your are going to have one heck of a gorgeous wedding! and with minimal traveling   yay lol

Theresa626

Melbourne is really far from Orlando. It is 75 miles away from the center of Orlando and about an hour and a half away.   I think it's just much too far away to have your ceremony at.  Also, most of the drive is not on an expressway. You can either take A1 for a long time or Colonial for a long time.  Both roads are small and have tons of traffic.  My reception was half an hour from the church and a lot of people thought that was pushing it. In addition, there was a ton of traffic that day and it ended up taking much longer even though it was a straight shot down I 4.  With small roads and no expressways, your chance for terrible traffic really increases.  You could be seriously late to your reception and some guests may decide to skip it or they may skip the ceremony.  Either way, they'll probably be irritated.  The only way I can see this working is if you hire a bus for all of your guests for the way there and the way back and  you play a movie and have snacks on the bus.  That would be really expensive though.  

I strongly suggest just going with the church in Orlando with the crappy priest.  Honestly, lots of churches give you a hard time and sometimes you just have to deal with it.  The church is really the one element of the day that sadly you have no control over.  They're not a hired vendor so you really can't tell them what to do or how to treat you.  You're not the first person to have to deal with a difficult church but most people just put up with it.  At the end, you'll be married and honestly, you will really really appreciate having more time to spend on pictures and at the reception and less time driving around on your wedding day.  

edellis

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_florida-central-florida_should-worry-making-things-convenient-guests?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:66Discussion:674a417b-f26c-4543-a880-e376b4baa8a9Post:ecb9f350-0cb2-4ca2-9c7f-ed21e5e16fc3">Re: Should I worry about making things convenient for my guests?</a>:
[QUOTE]Melbourne is really far from Orlando. It is 75 miles away from the center of Orlando and about an hour and a half away.   I think it's just much too far away to have your ceremony at.  Also, most of the drive is not on an expressway. You can either take A1 for a long time or Colonial for a long time.  Both roads are small and have tons of traffic.  My reception was half an hour from the church and a lot of people thought that was pushing it. In addition, there was a ton of traffic that day and it ended up taking much longer even though it was a straight shot down I 4.  With small roads and no expressways, your chance for terrible traffic really increases.  You could be seriously late to your reception and some guests may decide to skip it or they may skip the ceremony.  Either way, they'll probably be irritated.  The only way I can see this working is if you hire a bus for all of your guests for the way there and the way back and  you play a movie and have snacks on the bus.  That would be really expensive though.   I strongly suggest just going with the church in Orlando with the crappy priest.  Honestly, lots of churches give you a hard time and sometimes you just have to deal with it.  The church is really the one element of the day that sadly you have no control over.  They're not a hired vendor so you really can't tell them what to do or how to treat you.  You're not the first person to have to deal with a difficult church but most people just put up with it.  At the end, you'll be married and honestly, you will really really appreciate having more time to spend on pictures and at the reception and less time driving around on your wedding day.  
Posted by Theresa626[/QUOTE]


You're not kidding about them giving me a hard time. I was baptized Greek Othodox, but since my mom's Catholic the Greek priest in Maryland said it was perfectly ok for me to go to Catholic school, recieve communion there, yada, yada.....BUT the Greek priest in holy trinity told me b/c I DID go to catholic church and received communion there, I broke a sacrament with the Greek church and MUST be rebaptized if I wanna get married there....wth