how far is too far to travel for a weddding

hipannie · February 2012

hi everyone, yesterday my MOH and sister got into a heated argument about where to go for the wedding of which it ended in her saying "i will be at the wedding and my husband but not the children (4 of them) since it's risky to drive to niagara falls from pickering. This is from the same person who drove to Nova Scotia on a family trip. she also added people will go but will be pissed off at me and resent me for asking them to travel this far. This conversation might i ask also confirm that i will probably be needing a wedding planner to preserve our relationship and avoid other arguments, plus i don't have anyone else to help me plan my wedding.

I live in vancouver and at first i wanted a destination wedding, but because my Fiance's family has problems revoloing travelling to the caribbean, we decided to have it in Ontario. Vancouver would have been even more expensive than the caribbean after flight hotel and food for our guests.

I am originally from the scarborough area however i am considering a venue at Niagara-on-the-lake and another in caledon. they are both about 2 hours away.

considering the fact that i am giving up a destination wedding and i'm flying to ontario, is asking my guests to travel 1-2 hours for my wedding too much to ask? I have travelled before 2-3 hours for a wedding and for one of them i got a hotel and made a mini vacation out of it. it was great. my wedding is on a sat as well.

so i ask, how far is too far to go for a wedding considering that i am not asking my guests to travel outside of the province and saving them hundreds of dollars. should i sacrifice a venue and package i LOVE to have a wedding closer to scarborough so i don't "inconvenience " my guests

thank you

mashavoo · February 2012

well, lets see, i have travelled far to weddings...but not that far...i think you have to compromise when it comes to distance...it all depends if you know people will be willing to go so far...people might complain...

i thought about that also, having my wedding in niagara falls..but i thought of the same question..will people think its to far and then not show up..so i decided to have it where i live in pickering...most of my guest will be coming from scarborough and toronto..my out of town guest will be staying in a hotel close to the venue.

you have to ask yourself questions about your guest....will they be willing to travell so far..maybe even ask certain people on your list what they think about the distance, just to get a feel of what people think...

i personally think that distance is to far..i know my guest wouldn't be comfortable doing that...so check with a few people on your list and hear what they say about the distance

again i would of loved to have my wedding there..but i had to think about my guest.....have you checked places in pickering?

Jewel224 · February 2012

I think it will depend on the cost and how close the relationship is between you and your guests. For example, if you were my sister or my best friend, then there's no question - I'd be there without a second thought. If we were high school friends and we didn't talk very often, I might think differently. I've travelled to Houston for my cousins's wedding and even a Caribbean cruise for another cousin and even Buffalo for a close family friend.

For me - I live in Toronto so a wedding in Niagara is great and the travel is not a big deal.

The truth w/ a destination wedding is that not everyone will make it, especially due to the costs and time involved with travelling. This is something you will have to accept. There's nothing you can do about it, unless you change the venue and have it close to wherever the majority of your family lives in Toronto. People who are close to you will come because they care. Second thing you may want to consider is the amount of people you're having - most wineries are small and can usually accommodate no more than 100 people. So hopefully, you don't have a huge guest list.

As PPs said, survey your crowd and see how they react. Then you'll have to decide what is more important to you - the venue of your dreams or having everyone you love around you on your wedding day. Just a few things to consider. Hope this helps.

petite+engineer · February 2012

I don't think that Toronto -> Niagara is unreasonable. My dad did that commute every day for work for two years!

As a guest I would have no problem travelling that distance. It is even possible by train (assuming no more train crashes!).

Maybe your sister is concerned about driving back at night? You could consider a lunch reception. Also look into getting a discount price at hotels for your guests, or a block of rooms.

Where is your fiance's family from?

JennLax · February 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_canada-toronto_how-far-is-too-far-to-travel-for-a-weddding?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:613Discussion:dcd387a2-f2fe-406b-898e-5474d00843e0Post:a9b13601-829f-4f1c-968f-a87f2d1571ea">Re: how far is too far to travel for a weddding</a>:
[QUOTE]I don't think that Toronto - /> Niagara is unreasonable. r[/QUOTE]

Ditto! I have driven to Niagara for quite a few weddings. There are a lot of budget friendly B&Bs and smaller inn's/motel's in the immediate area as well, which makes it a lot easier to stay over than more remote locations.

Kimlex · February 2012

It is irrelevant how far people have to travel for your wedding. Your wedding day is yours to plan as you like. You send the invitations out and people have two choices: accept or decline.

It's amazing how so many poeple make someone else's wedding day about them.

Stick with your plan and don't worry about what other pay say.

By the way, Pickering to Niagara Falls isn't that far.

Good luck with your planning!

mashavoo · February 2012

if you need help with any suggestions for planning let me know...i'm in the process of planning my wedding.. and its been alot of fun..

khkhskhkahjkwaehrkw · February 2012

the only people who don't find your situation a problem are US-- the brides-- because we are planning a wedding and don't see things as a big deal, but I can totally see guests complaining.

I had a church wedding in Toronto with a reception in Mississauga in winter (this past January-- hardly a winter if you ask me), and people complained about it "oh the weather", "why so far?", etc etc.

Dont let it get to you. once people are at the weding they'll enjoy themselves, but until then people love to complain. You might have people respond no because of the distance, so be prepared and don't let it get to you.

good luck.

khkhskhkahjkwaehrkw · February 2012

the only people who don't find your situation a problem are US-- the brides-- because we are planning a wedding and don't see things as a big deal, but I can totally see guests complaining.

I had a church wedding in Toronto with a reception in Mississauga in winter (this past January-- hardly a winter if you ask me), and people complained about it "oh the weather", "why so far?", etc etc.

Dont let it get to you. once people are at the weding they'll enjoy themselves, but until then people love to complain. You might have people respond no because of the distance, so be prepared and don't let it get to you.

good luck.

mattycam · March 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_canada-toronto_how-far-is-too-far-to-travel-for-a-weddding?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:613Discussion:dcd387a2-f2fe-406b-898e-5474d00843e0Post:f2b8ff50-373f-4da8-a3e8-96f96057401d">Re: how far is too far to travel for a weddding</a>:
[QUOTE]the only people who don't find your situation a problem are US-- the brides-- because we are planning a wedding and don't see things as a big deal, but I can totally see guests complaining. I had a church wedding in Toronto with a reception in Mississauga in winter (this past January-- hardly a winter if you ask me), and<strong> people complained about it "oh the weather", "why so far?", etc etc.</strong> Dont let it get to you. once people are at the weding they'll enjoy themselves, but until then people love to complain. You might have people respond no because of the distance, so be prepared and don't let it get to you. good luck.
Posted by khkhskhkahjkwaehrkw[/QUOTE]

I agree with this. We had our ceremony and reception in Mississauga and I had one person ask me why the ceremony and reception are so far from one another! People are always going to have something to say!

ladychambers83 · March 2012

Girl, if they want to celebrate with you the distance wont matter! I had a friend who had her wedding in Niagara and it was beautiful!!! Some of us stayed at a B&B from the night before. and the ceremony was a little later on in the day giving the other guests enough time to drive up...

Stick to your guns! ITS YOUR DAY!!! not theirs

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