Reception/ceremony about an hour from airport

One of my cousins had a wedding like this. Majority of guests had to fly in, and the location was a 1 hour drive from the nearest airport. It added so much stress and hassle, not to mention a ton of extra money for the rental car. Guests were all flying in from different places at different times, which made it impossible to coordinate splitting rental cars. Prices are still quite high since the rental car shortage from a couple years ago hasn't really dissipated.

Four years later, everyone in my extended family still complains about their wedding and how inconvenient it was for us to attend. I would personally avoid this plan if at all possible. Since you are already asking guests to fly in for your wedding, adding on expensive rental cars/ubers to the cost of flights and lodging is not very considerate of your guests' budgets.

I'm the guest that always has to fly in. I'll accept an invite if the added drive is within 1.5 hrs, but not longer. Yes, I have declined a few and I'm willing to fly international. Guests typically factor in their own transport plan which includes taxis or rental cars. If your guests know each other, they can synch arrival times and split a car. Or you can help them saying "oh, my best friend is also arriving X date, X time. Maybe you can drive in together." I would rethink the venue if the drive is on dark, country roads which could be complicated for any night drivers.

I would not have an issue if the venue were local to you or your families. But when the venue is 50 minutes away from everyone, possibly more with traffic, with plenty of other nearby options, that's pushing it IMO, especially if it's for the sake of upgrades that are not meaningful to anyone else.

Hi Caroline! I don’t think it is too far at all. I think when you start to book over an hour it could be an issue. Maybe note on your wedding website times to avoid traveling from the airport? I live in Delray Beach and work on PB Island. If your guest know to avoid rush hour because 95 can be a standstill I would grateful if I was your guest. It at least shows you’re mindful of the distance.

Did you look in Delray by any chance? The Delray Sands is Bech Front and more boutique and the Opal Grand is a fantastic location for a destination. Both are equidistant from FLL and PBI which gives your guest flexibility on flights. Not all airports fly into PBI and if they do they are usually more expensive than FLL. Just a thought, best of luck in your planning journey!

THIS!!!! There are going to be people who won't be happy no matter what kind of accomodations you make for THEIR convenience. Do what you want. Those who really want to be there for you will be there. On a personal note, I have people who have known about our wedding date for eighteen MONTHS, and have said "we'll be there no matter what!!" just started sending in "No" RSVP's. So even though I gave them 18 months to save, found 3 hotel blocks in varying price ranges, had rental car company discount codes, am providing a Welcome dinner to cut down on meal costs .... they still said no, money concerns. Bitter? yep.

If you are looking for a ceremony venue about an hour from the airport, there are many great options to choose from. Depending on your budget and style, you could look into a beach or park venue, a local hotel or resort, a winery, a barn or farm, a museum or art gallery, or a private estate.