Thanks for the link - I looked and there were a couple I hadn't seen before, but all are either not the type of venue we want (in the city, museum/hotel/historical hall, etc) or just as far away (1-1.5 hours south) with limited lodging options.
I am looking at some different venue options in Big Fork & Whitefish - these options are drive for us (1.5 - 2.5 hours), but there is a closer (smaller) airport that guests could fly into and they have more lodging options closer to the venues there. They wouldn't be flying into 'our city', but the transportation on their end would be much easier because they can get free shuttles to the hotel from the airport there.
On our end, it makes it a little more difficult - probably would not be visiting the venue so much if it's 2.5 hours away. Thoughts on a type of venue like that?
DD got married in the town where they live. She only saw the venue 2 times both with me. You really don't need to do a lot of visits to the venue. 1 when you are deciding on the venue and a second to make sure everything will be as you want. Your other vendors (caterer, photographer, florist) can visit, if needed, on their own.
Thanks for the link - I looked and there were a couple I hadn't seen before, but all are either not the type of venue we want (in the city, museum/hotel/historical hall, etc) or just as far away (1-1.5 hours south) with limited lodging options.
I am looking at some different venue options in Big Fork & Whitefish - these options are drive for us (1.5 - 2.5 hours), but there is a closer (smaller) airport that guests could fly into and they have more lodging options closer to the venues there. They wouldn't be flying into 'our city', but the transportation on their end would be much easier because they can get free shuttles to the hotel from the airport there.
On our end, it makes it a little more difficult - probably would not be visiting the venue so much if it's 2.5 hours away. Thoughts on a type of venue like that?
You may have to alter the vision to take care of your guests. Having something in the city would increase lodging options and reduce travel time for your guests.
Thanks for the link - I looked and there were a couple I hadn't seen before, but all are either not the type of venue we want (in the city, museum/hotel/historical hall, etc) or just as far away (1-1.5 hours south) with limited lodging options.
I am looking at some different venue options in Big Fork & Whitefish - these options are drive for us (1.5 - 2.5 hours), but there is a closer (smaller) airport that guests could fly into and they have more lodging options closer to the venues there. They wouldn't be flying into 'our city', but the transportation on their end would be much easier because they can get free shuttles to the hotel from the airport there.
On our end, it makes it a little more difficult - probably would not be visiting the venue so much if it's 2.5 hours away. Thoughts on a type of venue like that?
We planned our wedding in a city 2.5 hours away from where we live. We took a day trip to look at venues and select one. Then we did one big day trip 8 months later where we did our walk throughs and final meetings. Most of the coordinating was done via email and phone anyway. It was really NBD.
Awesome, thank you for the feedback. Hopefully we can check out this Venue #3 option soon.
Did most of your guests fly into an airport near the venue and just take hotel shuttles from the airport > hotel?
Are Big Fork and Whitefish even real airports though? You're not doing your guests any favors by going farther away from a real airport but closer to one with no direct flights anywhere they might be going where everyone is flying in on a 10 person plane.
Are Big Fork and Whitefish even real airports though? You're not doing your guests any favors by going farther away from a real airport but closer to one with no direct flights anywhere they might be going where everyone is flying in on a 10 person plane.
There is one airport servicing both Big Fork & Whitefish. It's 14 minutes north from the hotel in Whitefish & 35 minutes south from the hotel in Big Fork.
Yes, it is a 'real' airport. If the comparison is to Missoula, that is a very small airport as well. Most planes that fly in and out of Missoula are propeller planes. I'd guess the airport close to Whitefish sees a lot of traffic however, as it's the nearest airport to Glacier National Park.
Whitefish vs. Missoula cost is about the same for flights- the comparison I ran, Whitefish was less expensive to fly into by about $30. There are fewer direct flights, but most of our guests would need a connecting flight regardless of which airport they are flying into.
Some of our guests are driving from Oregon, and moving the venue to Whitefish/Bigfork would only increase their drive by 1 hour. Most of them are talking about heading up that way anyways because they want to visit Glacier during the trip.
I would also advise....don't bank on people saying they're ok with the destination because they're planning to make a vacation out of it anyway. A good number of our guests will have to travel to our wedding. My family is mostly in the Midwest, and we're getting married in the south in the spring (so when it's crappy at home and people want to get out of town!). When we started planning and talking about things with our extended families, SO MANY of my relatives said they were going to extend their trip and go to the beach or the mountains. Now that they've started to make actual plans, however, only a few families are doing that. Our wedding is still in a major city with public transportation and a larger airport, so it's not a hassle for our guests. Once people start thinking about "real life," things sometimes change.
I would also advise....don't bank on people saying they're ok with the destination because they're planning to make a vacation out of it anyway. A good number of our guests will have to travel to our wedding. My family is mostly in the Midwest, and we're getting married in the south in the spring (so when it's crappy at home and people want to get out of town!). When we started planning and talking about things with our extended families, SO MANY of my relatives said they were going to extend their trip and go to the beach or the mountains. Now that they've started to make actual plans, however, only a few families are doing that. Our wedding is still in a major city with public transportation and a larger airport, so it's not a hassle for our guests. Once people start thinking about "real life," things sometimes change.
We planned our wedding from 3 provinces away (a 3.5 hr plane ride). We visited the venue twice. The first time to look at it and get a quote, the second time was the day before the wedding when I dropped off the programs and candy bar items. All other details can be dealt with over the phone/internet.
I attended a wedding in Montana once. . . It took 6 flights round trip to get me there and back, including several multiple hour layovers. It took me less flights and less time in the air/stuck in layovers to travel to IRELAND and back ><
The wedding was on a Saturday, we flew in on Friday and due to the delays we didn't arrive in Montana until 11pm at night local time. The city we stayed in was very nice, the restaurants were great, and the couple had a shuttle from the hotels where guests were staying to their ceremony and reception venue which was about 30mins away. They had a beautiful outdoor ceremony, but it was hot that day- 100+ The good news was that there was no humidity, but by the time the ceremony was over I was definitely feeling the heat.
Given my experience, if I received your invitation and determined via your wedding website or Google:
Lodge + campground on a lake in the middle of the woods 1hour to 1.5 hours drive from ANY hotels, I would absolutely decline.
I personally am not a fan of camping let alone doing so for a wedding, I'm not a fan of VRBO or AirBnB, and I wouldn't want to spend 5+ hours getting to Montana only to have to rent a car in order to travel 2-3hrs roundtrip to your ceremony and reception. That's a lot of travel for one event.
"Love is the one thing we're capable of perceiving that transcends time and space."
Thanks for the link - I looked and there were a couple I hadn't seen before, but all are either not the type of venue we want (in the city, museum/hotel/historical hall, etc) or just as far away (1-1.5 hours south) with limited lodging options.
I am looking at some different venue options in Big Fork & Whitefish - these options are drive for us (1.5 - 2.5 hours), but there is a closer (smaller) airport that guests could fly into and they have more lodging options closer to the venues there. They wouldn't be flying into 'our city', but the transportation on their end would be much easier because they can get free shuttles to the hotel from the airport there.
On our end, it makes it a little more difficult - probably would not be visiting the venue so much if it's 2.5 hours away. Thoughts on a type of venue like that?
We planned our wedding in a city 2.5 hours away from where we live. We took a day trip to look at venues and select one. Then we did one big day trip 8 months later where we did our walk throughs and final meetings. Most of the coordinating was done via email and phone anyway. It was really NBD.
Awesome, thank you for the feedback. Hopefully we can check out this Venue #3 option soon.
Did most of your guests fly into an airport near the venue and just take hotel shuttles from the airport > hotel?
Sorry I missed this question! I think most OOT guests took a cab/shuttle from the airport and then just posted up at the hotel all weekend. Our wedding was in a pretty decent sized city where they could walk to the ceremony site - a pedestrian bridge in the city - from the hotel. That convenience wasn't an accident on our part. And then we provided a shuttle to and from the hotel that just went back and forth all night.
I want to know more about these 6 cabins and 9 rooms for 45 people. Is that about 5 rooms per cabin? Or is that 1-2 rooms per cabin?
I'm currently in the wedding party for a similar setup. However, instead of each person or couple having a room and perhaps sharing a bathroom, each cabin is one large room that hosts multiple couples (some on fold-out couches). After learning the details, I declined because I need to be able to go back to a room with a door I can close and be alone after a day of socializing.
No fold-out couches --
The lodge rooms are for couples/singles (1 room, Queen/King or Full/Twin bed). Maybe some bridesmaids will want to share a room?
5 of the cabins are single rooms with King/Queen beds. 2 of the cabins have twins, and 1 of the cabins has a Queen and a twin bed (ideal for my FI's sister, SO, and young son).
Because we're not going to be stuffing each room as full as possible (depends on who will be in the rooms), we probably won't get 45 people at the venue, maybe more like 35-40.
Good point though, I am definitely a person who likes to be able to escape and get away from commotion, so I can appreciate that perspective.
The math just isn't working out for me here.
5 cabins are single rooms with King/Queen beds=10 people 2 cabins have twin beds=2 people 1 cabin has a Queen and a twin = 3 people 9 Lodge rooms with Queen/King=18 people (but you mention some are full/twin, so less than that).
Although we loved the location of Venue #1 , we had to face the logistical realities.
We found a place that gives us the same outdoor/rustic atmosphere we wanted initially, has ample lodging for family, WP and then some, and is closer to town and can be accessed via shuttle from the airport. Some compromises, but overall we are happy with it.
Re: All-Inclusive vs. Venue Only?
Did most of your guests fly into an airport near the venue and just take hotel shuttles from the airport > hotel?
Yes, it is a 'real' airport. If the comparison is to Missoula, that is a very small airport as well. Most planes that fly in and out of Missoula are propeller planes. I'd guess the airport close to Whitefish sees a lot of traffic however, as it's the nearest airport to Glacier National Park.
Whitefish vs. Missoula cost is about the same for flights- the comparison I ran, Whitefish was less expensive to fly into by about $30. There are fewer direct flights, but most of our guests would need a connecting flight regardless of which airport they are flying into.
Some of our guests are driving from Oregon, and moving the venue to Whitefish/Bigfork would only increase their drive by 1 hour. Most of them are talking about heading up that way anyways because they want to visit Glacier during the trip.
I would also advise....don't bank on people saying they're ok with the destination because they're planning to make a vacation out of it anyway. A good number of our guests will have to travel to our wedding. My family is mostly in the Midwest, and we're getting married in the south in the spring (so when it's crappy at home and people want to get out of town!). When we started planning and talking about things with our extended families, SO MANY of my relatives said they were going to extend their trip and go to the beach or the mountains. Now that they've started to make actual plans, however, only a few families are doing that. Our wedding is still in a major city with public transportation and a larger airport, so it's not a hassle for our guests. Once people start thinking about "real life," things sometimes change.
I attended a wedding in Montana once. . . It took 6 flights round trip to get me there and back, including several multiple hour layovers. It took me less flights and less time in the air/stuck in layovers to travel to IRELAND and back ><
The wedding was on a Saturday, we flew in on Friday and due to the delays we didn't arrive in Montana until 11pm at night local time. The city we stayed in was very nice, the restaurants were great, and the couple had a shuttle from the hotels where guests were staying to their ceremony and reception venue which was about 30mins away. They had a beautiful outdoor ceremony, but it was hot that day- 100+ The good news was that there was no humidity, but by the time the ceremony was over I was definitely feeling the heat.
Given my experience, if I received your invitation and determined via your wedding website or Google:
Lodge + campground on a lake in the middle of the woods 1hour to 1.5 hours drive from ANY hotels, I would absolutely decline.
I personally am not a fan of camping let alone doing so for a wedding, I'm not a fan of VRBO or AirBnB, and I wouldn't want to spend 5+ hours getting to Montana only to have to rent a car in order to travel 2-3hrs roundtrip to your ceremony and reception. That's a lot of travel for one event.
"Love is the one thing we're capable of perceiving that transcends time and space."
The math just isn't working out for me here.
5 cabins are single rooms with King/Queen beds=10 people
2 cabins have twin beds=2 people
1 cabin has a Queen and a twin = 3 people
9 Lodge rooms with Queen/King=18 people (but you mention some are full/twin, so less than that).
That's a max of 33 people.
And how many bathrooms are we talking about here?
Although we loved the location of Venue #1 , we had to face the logistical realities.
We found a place that gives us the same outdoor/rustic atmosphere we wanted initially, has ample lodging for family, WP and then some, and is closer to town and can be accessed via shuttle from the airport. Some compromises, but overall we are happy with it.
Appreciate all the feedback!