Distance between ceremony and reception

glasgowtolondon · December 2015

Knottie1444606415 said:
Ok....thanks for the input everyone. We are basically planning and paying for this thing ourselves, so it's been hard to try and figure costs for everything with both us having such large extended families and then still wanting to invite friends as well. Since my fiancé and I aren't religious we are having a secular ceremony and in Fargo there are extremely limited areas to get married if you aren't getting married in a church, and the few outdoor venues that are available are extremely expensive. The cheapest one I had found was $1600 just to rent from 8 am-2pm (part of the reason we wanted to have it on my parents' farm). We had looked into doing the ceremony in another room at the hotel where the reception is at, but I decided against it just because I want the ceremony to be personal and be our own. I really don't want to get married at a room in the Holiday Inn, it just wouldn't feel special to me. And that's important, right?

----------------
We are planning and paying for our wedding too, you're far from the only one on that front. Even with generous financial help I'm sure most of ladies on this forum have budgets that need to be adhered to, so we can all understand that. What I can't understand is why people are constantly justifying poor hosting with 'we can't afford it'. Yeah, I'm super sceptical of anyone that can't afford it but has a guest list of 250. Have a word with yourself, host properly with what you can afford.

Heffalump · December 2015

Just out of curiosity, have you tried your local board as well? I have tons of suggestions for my area, but they won't do you any good. However, I'm betting people who know Fargo can come up with equally good suggestions--I'm sure you're not the first person in Fargo to plan a secular ceremony on a budget. If you haven't already tried your local, you might be pleasantly surprised.

As far as being special, I firmly believe that special is what you make it. And once you invite guests, treating them well supersedes theoretical specialness. Besides, you're celebrating your marriage with your nearest and dearest--how could it not be special? (And frankly, if it's good enough for @mileybangerz, it's good enough for you.

)

holyguacamole79 · December 2015

Knottie1444606415 said:

Ok....thanks for the input everyone. We are basically planning and paying for this thing ourselves, so it's been hard to try and figure costs for everything with both us having such large extended families and then still wanting to invite friends as well. Since my fiancé and I aren't religious we are having a secular ceremony and in Fargo there are extremely limited areas to get married if you aren't getting married in a church, and the few outdoor venues that are available are extremely expensive. The cheapest one I had found was $1600 just to rent from 8 am-2pm (part of the reason we wanted to have it on my parents' farm). We had looked into doing the ceremony in another room at the hotel where the reception is at, but I decided against it just because I want the ceremony to be personal and be our own. I really don't want to get married at a room in the Holiday Inn, it just wouldn't feel special to me. And that's important, right?

Knottie1444606415 said:

Hi all! I am getting married next fall and was thinking of having my wedding ceremony at my parents' house in the country. My only issue is that we are having the reception at a hotel in Fargo, ND (where we have a block of rooms for guests as well) and my parents' house is a half hour outside of town. I'm just concerned people will be upset they have to drive from Fargo a half an hour to the ceremony, and then a half hour back into town for the reception. Thoughts??? I've tried to put it in my guests' perspective but it's hard to know for sure!

So here's your guest perspective:
If the guest is invited to both the ceremony & reception. "Hmm. I have to drive 30 minutes for a brief ceremony ... then I have to drive 30 minutes for a reception. Oh, hey - Bob and Jane are here at the reception! I didn't see them at the ceremony! Hey, Bob and Jane .... oh, wait, what ... you werent' invited to the ceremony? Oh wow, that's awkward."

If the guest is just invited to the reception. "So I'm here to celebrate a wedding I was not good enough to get invited to?? Uh huh ...."

MissMidtown · December 2015

You could have your wedding in the same space as the reception- even set up differently. Have cocktail hour in another room while they set up the space for the reception.

artbyallie · December 2015

You know the ceremony is the cheap part right?

SP29 · December 2015

I think driving half an hour one way between ceremony and reception is OK.

One of the reasons we chose our venue was because we could have the ceremony and reception at one location. 1) It was easier for us- I was not tied to any venue or "space" 2) Our guests wouldn't have to drive as much in winter. However, I don't think it unreasonable to have a separate ceremony and reception space. I can see why a family farm would be special to you. I also don't think 30mins in the country is any different than 30mins in the city for a "one time" drive.

Yes, having a ceremony that is important to you and makes you feel special is important. However, every decision an adult makes in life has consequences (good and bad).

100 people is not a small wedding. If these are the people who are important enough to watch you get married, why not cap your total guest list there??

As the OP above said- the ceremony is the cheap part! So saying it's about money doesn't really fly.

levioosa · December 2015

Also, pretty much everyone here has paid for their own wedding, so saying it's expensive is not an excuse. You are making the choice to have a party, and everyone invited must be hosted properly. Hosting well trumps your party vision.

Liatris2010 · December 2015

I think you are getting ahead of yourself here. First you need to decide a guest list and budget. Then choose your venue. If a venue doesn't hold all of your guests or you can't afford to feed them all, then it isn't the venue for you. If your venue requires your guests to travel too far or too long, it isn't the venue for you.

Once you have a guest list and budget then you can start looking at venues and making plans.

Distance between ceremony and reception

Re: Distance between ceremony and reception

Choose Another Board

Search Boards