Destination Wedding- Pre Wedding Party

My partner is Mexican American and his family has a ranch in Mexico about an 8 hour drive south of Tucson AZ. We live in Montana where most of my family lives. While I would love to get married in Mexico, it’s not an easy area to get to. I’ve thought doing a small local pre wedding party somewhere in Montana that my friends and family could attend if they’re not able to make it for the wedding afar. We wouldn’t do any sort of ceremony just make it a casual party. I also feel it would minimize the amount of people I’d have to worry about coordinating with to get to the ranch. Thoughts or suggestions?