A camping wedding on a holiday weekend? (kind of long)

dtbluv

Okay, this is a two-parter.

FI and I found a venue we (especially I) LOVE!  The only thing is it is about 2 hours away from where we, and most of our guests live.  It is also several (like 5) hours away from the closest major airport, so any guests flying in (about 10 possible) would have either have to fly into the major airport and drive down, or fly into my hometown, stay with my parents (or a hotel) and get a ride.  We're planning on waiting till Summer 2014, and I've got a ton of family that can help with rides down to the site, and doing everything to make this inconvenience easier to deal with.  The thing is, since it is far away from people's homes, and the wedding site is also on a campsite, we were thinking of offering to pay for campsites for whoever wants to camp down there after the wedding, then hosting a big brunch the next morning.

The site has a cabin, and I figured my parents (the only ones in our extended family who HATE camping) and anyone else that doesn't want to camp can stay there.  There's also a city about 20 minutes away that has hotels.  I think out of my 16 Aunts and Uncles, 12 have RVs.  And the site is cheap enough that getting it, all the campsites, and renting/borrowing camp equipment for people that need it all fits into our venue budget.

Is this horribly inconvenient?  

And the second part, what do you guys think of July 4th weddings?  It's my favorite holiday, and when FI and I first met.  I love the idea of it, but I'm not sure if it is appropriate or just weird.

My FI ends up getting excited about whatever I get excited about, which is wonderful most of the time, but not when we should also be thinking about what other people might want.  My dad likes the idea of doing something different, and LOVES the idea of having fireworks at my wedding, and my mom is unsure about the whole thing.  When I talk to her she uses lots of words like "different" and "unique" and "not what I imagined for you" but she is supportive in a general way.

I need honest opinions of whether this will be awesome, or awful.

Thank you!

emeejeeayen

I am not a fan of weddings on July 4th. Prices for flights and hotels sky rocket all over the place. A lot of people like to spend that holiday with their families. Etc. 

As for the rest of it? You know your group best as to whether or not they'd like camping. Personally, I would get on a plane for a wedding, but I'm not sure I would then drive 5 hours after being on the plane. 

Are you going to be super duper upset if you get a low response rate? 

Marrin713

I'm unsure as well, but this is coming from a non-camper and an older person (probably your mum's age).  It's also a "know your crowd" thing. This is something I can see my son and his fiancee doing.  If you were a close relative or a close friend, H and I would attend and stay at one of the hotels in a nearby town.  The ceremony and the reception at the campground does sound like it would be fun, esp if it's in a scenic area.  I'd worry about weather, bugs, heat etc.

AdeleDazeem

I don't mind the 4th of July thing. I always like something different to do in the summer! The camping thing is not for me. There's a hotel 20 min away? I'm staying there no problem! One of my good friends married about four hours from the nearest airport. We did the ten hour drive instead of flying and renting a car but many people drove from the airport. It was worth the drive in the end, I have to say. Beautiful wedding.

jennylee813

I'd be all for it. The date is meaningful for you and FI, and fireworks would be a nice touch.

But I also agree with PP; you will likely get a lower turnout than you would if you chose a more traditional venue. I would take into consideration that elderly relatives might not be able to attend, as would any guests that have special needs. But if camping is something that you and your family/friends are into, I'd say go for it!

But if your parents are footing the bill, they do have a say in where it is, and your mom doesn't sound like she's on board. Find out why.

wrigleyville

July 4 is on a Friday in 2014, so that does make things more convenient as far as schedules, but I echo the PP about prices. I'd want to be sure to send out STDs several months in advance since most people make plans for Fourth of July, *especially* when it's on a weekend like that. Additionally, flights and gas prices will be expensive that weekend.

You know your family best. Personally, my family would love a Fourth of July wedding because we all get together to light fireworks and eat lots of food at my cousin's cottage. This would simply be like another family reunion, but with a wedding involved.

I think it's nice that you're offering to pay for camping space, especially since it sounds like your family enjoys camping. As you said, there are hotels within 20 minutes if people don't want to bring their RV or stay in the cabin. You could arrange for a shuttle. They're not terribly expensive, and it would make it even more convenient for your guests.

I like the idea of fireworks to keep with the Fourth of July theme. Maybe you could show your mother some Fourth of July wedding celebrations on Pinterest and TK to set her mind at ease? Will your colors be red, white, and blue or something else? Either way, there are some really great ideas out there.

dtbluv

Right now our tentative guest list is about 120 people.  Glancing over it, 70 of those people are family (I have a HUGE extended family that all lives in my town), and 50 I know love camping, the other 20 I'm not positive about.  30 are friends that live in my town or another state that's about the same distance from the venue, so it would still be a 2 hour drive for them, and the other 20 are from out of town, so they'd have the 5 hour drive, or, all of them are originally from the area, so they could fly into my town, it's about $100 more expensive, then either drive down or get a ride.

For our super-out-of-town friends, they usually all come back for a week in the summer, so if I give enough notice they could probably shift the week they come back to fit in my wedding.  That has how it has worked for friend's weddings in the past.

Thank you for your input so far, I'm excited about this idea, but I don't want to be a major PITA for the guests.

And, I didn't know prices were more expensive for the 4th.  We've always done a huge (60+ people) BBQ in me childhood home, it's one of the main reasons I love the day so much.

Honestly, I want my PPD, but it won't be perfect without the people I love there, happy and having fun.

Jen4948

A July 4 wedding could be fun, but some people may choose not to be there because they have other plans.

As for a campsite, if anyone has a mobility problem or just doesn't like sleeping in a cabin, they may also choose not to come.

So I'd consider those issues, as well as the cost to see if it really does save any money to do this.

As for your mother, if she was holding on to a dream of seeing you marry at a church or other more "traditional" setting, she may just be having a hard time letting it go and adjusting to this, but if she's supportive she'll come through for you.

MrsGandthebeag

We got married on the Friday of the July 4th weekend last year, so to me, that's fine.  We did send out our STD's almost a year ahead.  

It depends on how good of friends I am with the person getting married as to how far I would travel.  I would not camp for a wedding, no way.  I would stay at the hotel.  But, unless you're a super friend I wouldn't fly in for a wedding and then drive another 5 hours.  

wrigleyville

Yeah, gas prices usually go up about 50 cents per gallon here, and plane tickets and hotels tend to jack the prices too. Granted, I live in a tourist destination, so there's that. I don't know about the area where you want to host your wedding; it might be fine.

I think the holiday weekend is your biggest consideration. If it were family or a close friend, I'd go, but I might not give up my three-day weekend for someone I don't hang out with all the time. But you know your crowd best, and if you really want a Fourth of July wedding with fireworks, then go for it. Just be prepared to have some people decline.

Avion22

4th of July weekend would not be an issue for me as long as I had plenty of notice to plan for flights, accomodation, etc.   I enjoy camping as long as the weather is nice, but I think for a wedding I would prefer to stay in a hotel.  Me and bad weather don't get along if I have to sleep in a tent...and for a wedding, I would want to be at my best.  

JoanE2012

I wouldn't mind the holiday weekend if flights were still somewhat reasonable.  I would also probably opt for the hotel if it was only 20 min. away.  BUT, I'd be really hesitant to attend if it were a FIVE hour drive after a flight.  That's alot of traveling time.  You would have to be a really close friend or family memeber if I was going to spend all that time just getting to the location.

loca4pook

I think 4th of July could lead to low turn out. I also think the long drive from an airport would turn away many guests. I know I once declined a wedding for the same reason

Summer2011Bride

I would personally not be thrilled about a wedding ON the actual holiday especially if I had to fly in and drive 5 hours. And I don't do camping, so I'd also have to drive to the town over to stay in a hotel. But again, you know your family. Just be advised that the holiday + long drive after flying in might turn some people away.

Peledreamsofrain

Just a thought about something that could have a big impact on the 4th and fireworks issue... they're illegal on most campgrounds.  You may want to contact the park to see if they could possibly make an exception, but I highly doubt they would due to the possible damage should a fire start (heaven forbid).

You mentioned that the nearest town would be 20 miles away as well, that would place the nearest public display of fireworks well out of view for you and your guests.

Something to consider.

hoffse

Honestly OP, I would find a different location and make a new anniversary.  I don't want to sound harsh, but none of this seems like a good idea to me.

I hate hate hate weddings on holidays - We have had weddings of close friends on memorial day the last 2 years (and again this coming year), and I am in a wedding the Saturday before Christmas this year.  You know what that ends up doing?  It makes both FI and I complain about the fact that we get only a very small handful of 3-day weekends each year, and instead of visitng family or getting away for the weekend, or doing something that is a holiday tradition for us, we end up having to go to a wedding where we talk to the bride and groom for like 5 minutes.  This is particularly true for summer weddings, because lets be honest - a lot of people take vacations over memorial day and 4th of July because it uses up 4 work days instead of 5 to leave for a week, and kids are out of school.  I do like weddings, but it frankly feels rather selfish to me to use up people's holidays like that, and I would not attend unless it was a very close friend or one of us was in it... which happens to have been the case for the 4 weddings I'm talking about.  Your family may have no problem with it since you all get together anyway, but that's only part of your guestllist.  Your FI's family, for instance, may hate the idea.

As for camping?  I like to camp, but I would not want to attend a wedding after having camped.  FI and I both dress up for weddings, and if we camped the night before we would frankly feel pretty grimy while we were there.  If we camped after, I'm not sure we'd stick around for more than a night.  

The location being so far away is also an issue for me.  Sometimes, having a wedding that is far away from a lot of the guestlist is inevitable because everybody is so spread around, but that's not what you have described.  I went to a wedding in october where I had to fly in, drive an hour, attend the wedding that night, then fly out early next morning.  It was fine, but I was pretty exhausted just with that time frame. I had to be up at 3 am to get to the airport on time that Saturday, because it was in a relatively remote part of the country and I had to get connecting flights, and I ended up on a puddle jumper that I was positive was about to crash because it was so old.  Then once I landed I had to rent a car and drive fast to get to the wedding in time.  FI was in the wedding party, but the bride insisted that the wedding be on top of a random mountain, so we nearly didn't get there in time because it was another 45 min from where the hotels were.  I don't think I'd go if I had to drive 5 hours to get wherever I was going after a flight.

When people ask on here what is best for guests, the answer is almost always whatever is most convenient for them.  Having a wedding on a holiday weekend and then having it 2 hours from most of the guestlist, 5 hours from the nearest airport, and at a campsite is not what I would call convenient.  Find a place in your hometown on a random weekend in 2014.  You will still be married at the end of the day, and you won't have inconvenienced anybody unduly.

kipnus

I've never really thought of July 4th (or July 1st) as family holidays, so I wouldn't mind attending a wedding then. I hate camping, but if there are hotels 20 min away, I'd be set.

dtbluv

Thanks guys!
I think you're right and I'm not going to do it on July 4th.  I'm still on the fence about the camping thing, but leaning more towards no than I was.  And I'm going to look at more venues with FI and my momma, so hopefully we can find something closer that I still love.

My mom has had some good ideas, but I really just fell in love with this place.  Hearing the cons has definitely reduced that love, and I am excited to find somewhere new.

Seriously, thank you for your honesty.  I secretly hoped everyone would say my ideas were perfect, but I needed straight "no they're not great ideas" answers.

SmallenForever

I went to a wedding like this once. Here are a few things to think about:

What is your plan if the weather is bad? If tons of people are planning on camping out and then the weather becomes awful, what are these people going to do? Especially since you are fairly far away from hotels. You said your wedding site has a cabin, can it fit that many people?

Also, how will you communicate that you're paying for the campsites? You'll have to let your guests know that and I don't suggest relying soley on your wedding website.

BMcLeodTeam

I think the camping thing is fine if hotels are that close by. Many people will drive the 20 min for a local wedding, so that aspect isn't all that different.

Our wedding was 3 hrs from the nearest airport, we were just careful to pay attention to that fact when choosing a time for our wedding so that they didn't have to be up at some horrible hour to do the flight and the drive afterwards.

Not a fan of holiday weddings though. The price of gas, flights, etc all sky rockets for the holidays...