Earn cash as you plan. Get a $20 gift card for every 200 points with The Knot Rewards
Wedding Reception Forum
pirategal03
member
Ceremony to Reception site - how far is too far?
I apologize if this has been covered, I'm new to the boards and after a quick glance through recent topics I didn't see it. Someone please point me to other threads if I've missed it.
Our ceremony site and reception site are going to be two different places. The ceremony site is special to us, it's the church where I grew up, we're pretty much set on that. The drawback to the church is that it doesn't have a great reception space, and they don't allow drinking. Bottom line is we want wine with dinner so we need to find another site for the reception.
So what we're running into now, is that there aren't a lot of choices (other than other churches, which doesn't help us out any) in the town where we're getting married for reception sites. We're expanding our search to nearby areas, but I'm afraid of getting too far out and it getting complicated and being more of a hassle than we want our day to be.
Some of our guests will be traveling a few hours to get to the area for the wedding, and available hotels are about 20 mins away from the ceremony site (between the ceremony site and potential reception sites).
My question is: if you were a guest at a wedding and you were provided with a map and directions between sites, how far would be too far to drive between a ceremony site and a reception site? 30 mins? 45? What's your threshold?
Our ceremony site and reception site are going to be two different places. The ceremony site is special to us, it's the church where I grew up, we're pretty much set on that. The drawback to the church is that it doesn't have a great reception space, and they don't allow drinking. Bottom line is we want wine with dinner so we need to find another site for the reception.
So what we're running into now, is that there aren't a lot of choices (other than other churches, which doesn't help us out any) in the town where we're getting married for reception sites. We're expanding our search to nearby areas, but I'm afraid of getting too far out and it getting complicated and being more of a hassle than we want our day to be.
Some of our guests will be traveling a few hours to get to the area for the wedding, and available hotels are about 20 mins away from the ceremony site (between the ceremony site and potential reception sites).
My question is: if you were a guest at a wedding and you were provided with a map and directions between sites, how far would be too far to drive between a ceremony site and a reception site? 30 mins? 45? What's your threshold?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Ceremony to Reception site - how far is too far?
If the hotels are 20 minutes from the ceremony site, can you find a reception site near the hotels? Or even at the hotels if any of them have banquet rooms? That way if the guests have to drive to the ceremony, at least they'll come back near their hotels for the dinner. Also check restaurants that have private rooms or banquet rooms.
What made me decide that it was okay is that true friends will take the drive, it isn't a big deal because my friends and family know its my special day. All of my family is coming from out of town so what made me feel better was having the hotel close to the reception site, then the drive was only to the wedding. I say go for it, you only get married once and you want everything to be about what you want, and whatever will make you happiest!!
Think outside the norm with your reception venues. Art galleries, bowling alleys, movie theatres, public parks, museums... If people can go there, eat, and relax, it can host a reception. I would definitely try to find a reception site around the hotels where people will be staying.
This is a belated married bio, with no reviews yet because I'm lazy.
Sometimes I feel like people think that brides are delicate little flower princesses who get all dressed up and pretty for one special moment of their dreams, when really they're just normal people who just happen to be getting married. Things shouldn't have to be sugar-coated for grown-ass women. -mstar284
[QUOTE]I say go for it, you only get married once and you want everything to be about what you want, and whatever will make you happiest!!
Posted by lipovace[/QUOTE]
Be careful not to fall into that trap. Yes it is your wedding day, and your FI's, but you are also hosting your guests that are taking time and money to travel to your wedding and to buy you gifts. You need to keep them forefront in your mind and make sure you aren't doing anything to make the day really difficult for them. Yes they are you family and best friends, but that doesn't mean you can offend them. They may not tell you to your face, but they'll think it and talk about it.
I would run this question by your local board as well, since the "thresholds" seem to vary by area sometimes. Your local girls will have a better idea of your particular area and the amount of reception sites available.
In my area, it's pretty typical to drive up to about 30-45 minutes to get to a reception hall. The "gaps" of up to 2-3 hours are also fairly common here, although people always say that it's nice if you can nix those altogether.
The most I ever drove was maybe an hour away (more with traffic), AND there was a long gap on top of that. That was pretty annoying.
If you do end up needing something further than that, I'd pick a reception at or near a hotel, and arrange some sort of shuttle or something, especially if people aren't familiar with the area. I'd be a lot happier riding an hour if I don't have to pay attention to the road and I can chat with relatives.
In general I think it 30 minutes is a good gauge. But I would not decide on attending a wedding or not based on how far the venues are. I just go with the flow.
Good luck!