Wedding Wednesday – How Far is Too Far?
As I wrote last week, I love the idea of having our wedding in a barn. Unfortunately the place I was really excited about is booked in October and doesn't have sufficient heat for November. Apparently I am easily deterred, because I promptly told Kate that I no longer wanted to plan a wedding...
Planning a wedding is hard! Why is it so hard?!
Ok, enough whining. Back to business. My question for you is this...what is a reasonable distance to ask your guests to travel? I know all of our closest family and friends would go wherever we asked them to, I'm more curious about the rest. I don't want to inadvertently cut our guest list in half by picking somewhere too far!
A one hour drive? Two hours?
Of course, there is more to consider for this quandary. If we are asking guests to make over an hour drive each way, a Friday night wedding is probably out of the question. Early Saturday evening would be more reasonable. Plus, if we're choosing something further away, it's because we found a lovely, farm-esque location. Which means we'll want to take photos outside. Which means it'd be good to be there while the sun is still up. The sun sets early in the fall!
Another thing to think about is lodging. Even if guests won't need to spend the night, it should probably be an option, especially since we are planning to serve alcohol. Do you think people would prefer to rent a room for the night or drive 1+ hours home? I'm pretty sure I would drive if I were a guest, but what would you do?
I also think lodging is something to consider for the wedding party. It might be nice to stay there the night before, so there is less rush in the morning.
I'm torn because the further we look from home, the closer we get to planning a "destination wedding." And if we're going to do that, I'd probably choose somewhere other than central Iowa!
So, please, help us out. How far is too far? What else do we need to consider?
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Hi! My name is Lizz and I am from Omaha, Nebraska. I love cooking, running, traveling, and learning new things. I have an amazing fiance, 2 adorable dogs, and an incredibly close-knit family. I am striving to make conscious choices in my life that reflect who I am and help me live life to the fullest.
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February 23rd, 2011 - 21:03
I would think an hour. I drive to Lincoln for friends weddings without even thinking about it.
Stupid question – can you do September instead of October at the place you were looking at?
Kelly recently posted..thrifting
February 24th, 2011 - 11:07
Good question! I’ll ask Kate – she’s the one that called. Since we don’t really have a date set, I’d be willing to see what’s available to get a great location!
February 23rd, 2011 - 21:32
you know how far is too far: turkey! and if you use this as an excuse to not come to my (hypothetical) wedding, i’ll never talk to you again. kidding. only a little.
i think an hour is nothing. then again i live in LA. sometimes it takes me more than an hour to drive 4.5 miles from school to home.
but i’d say if the drive is more than an hour you may want to offer lodging options. you don’t want your guests thinking they can’t enjoy the wedding (i mean the booze) because they’ll need to drive back later. it’s nice to have the option to decide to not drive.
plus, if you have guests coming from out of town (i mean, not from omaha), those people can just stay close to the wedding venue.
February 24th, 2011 - 11:10
Yeah, I think an hour is reasonable. It’s only an hour long flight to Turkey, right?
February 24th, 2011 - 08:11
I’m planning my wedding in downtown Chicago so its a little different but you should absolutely have a block at a hotel/motel near the wedding for guests to stay. Some people will want to make a weekend out of it. And the people who don’t, can choose to drive home.
February 24th, 2011 - 11:11
I suppose it doesn’t hurt to have a block of rooms available. It’s not like you have to pay for them if they don’t get used, right?
February 24th, 2011 - 11:22
Yea, usually you aren’t bound to the rooms up to a certain amount. And sometimes you get the points for when your guests stay (ex. any Starwoods hotels).
Whitney recently posted..egg press
April 4th, 2011 - 22:16
idk i’d say an hour or two is okay
in the last year ive travelled to both NC and FL for weddings and will be traveling to Cali next year but any wedding outside the US maybe too far
April 5th, 2011 - 21:24
yeah, i think an hour is ok. out of the US may be far, but it’d sure be fun!!