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June2020
Dedicated June 2020

Travel time from ceremony to reception.. is 45 minutes too long?

June2020, on October 2, 2019 at 4:54 PM Posted in Planning 0 11

So we have already booked a church for the ceremony. about 45 minutes from the place or reception... my backyard. I would have the whole thing in my back yard but fiance really wants a church ceremony and with us not being a member of any church we have found a church that will let us have a ceremony for a "donation". ....

For both of our families half live out by our house and the other by the church.....

I told my fiance that with one being here and the other being there , there will 3 groups of people.....

1 the group that will drive wherever whenever and will attend both ceremony and reception.

2 the people who only enjoy receptions.

3 the people who only want to attend the ceremony.

I drive the same sitance and areas for work everyday.. yes 45 minute drive everyday so it dont matter to me. fiance was thinking of giving up his dream of a church wedding and having it all in the back yard and I know he really does not want to do that. He says there is something special about getting married in a church..... i agree.

Im okay with it all either way. but do you think travel will put a damper on our guest attendance? or weill it not matter to most ?



11 Comments

Latest activity by Dierdra, on October 3, 2019 at 2:13 AM
  • M
    Legend June 2019
    Melle ·
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    45 minutes isn't bad to be honest !
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  • MrsD
    Legend July 2019
    MrsD ·
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    I've never heard of someone only attending a ceremony & not reception. Usually it's the reception & not the ceremony if they only pick one. Do you have it in budget to provide transportation for guests? Anything longer than 30 minutes seems pretty long to me, but we would probably still do it.

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  • Alma
    Devoted June 2022
    Alma ·
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    I think 45 minutes is not bad as long as they are advised in advance.

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  • Erika
    Savvy August 2021
    Erika ·
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    This is our same situation! We are getting married at my childhood church (therefore changing churches wasn’t an option). And the venue we fell in love with is 45 mins away from our church too. I never gave changing either location a second thought. We have driven an hour between church and reception for other weddings. If your guests really want to be a part of both parts of your wedding, they will make it happen. 45 mins really isn’t that bad. Plus like your fiancé said, it really is so special getting married in a church!
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  • Samantha
    VIP October 2020
    Samantha ·
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    I also have a 45 minute commute so I don’t think it’s a big deal, but I’m not sure what the normal cutoff is. Unless you’re having a huge wedding with people who you aren’t close with, I think it’s unlikely people will just attend one or the other.
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  • Jodie
    Expert August 2020
    Jodie ·
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    There's about a 30-45 minute drive between our ceremony site and our reception site. It's not unusual in our area. We live in a small town that's at least a 30 minute drive for anything. The guests that want to share your special day will make the trip regardless of distance.
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  • Bailey
    Dedicated July 2020
    Bailey ·
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    Ah! This is the post I needed. We're doing the same thing. The chapel is 40 minutes up a mountain and the base is 10 minutes from the reception so I say yes! I've been trying to play it off as a joke on our website and just be like "wowie wow it's a drive but wowie wow is it worth it!" (the chapel is literally called Pretty Place Chapel. And between the fact it's been our dream, his mom is paying, and we got engaged there, it was a no brainer and non-negotiable).

    We're also offering dramamine because we do have a few notable people who get carsick.

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  • Cher Horowitz
    Master December 2019
    Cher Horowitz ·
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    45 minutes sounds fine, just as long as guests are informed of the drive!

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  • E
    Devoted July 2021
    Emily ·
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    I don’t think anything under an hour is a big deal!
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  • Rockie
    Devoted June 2019
    Rockie ·
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    I may be in the minority here but I feel like that’s pretty long. I’d most likely still do it, especially for someone close, but it still feels like a lot and I’d probably be grumpy about it in the car. Would cocktail hour/reception start right after everyone got there or would there be a longer gap for pictures etc. If I did drive 45 min between I would want to get right to the food and drinks haha. Just be prepared that you may have those people who don’t come to the ceremony. Maybe just because they don’t want to or because they have a hard time setting up rides etc. just another thought, my husband and I Uber to weddings when possible so we can both let loose. A long ceremony distance would probably make that less feasible meaning one of us would have to DD. I’m sure that would be the case for some of your guests. Again this wouldn’t stop me, but I also would not be over joyed
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  • Dierdra
    Super August 2021
    Dierdra ·
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    In my opinion the ones that want to be there will make the effort. We are adding a comment in the card that a gift isn't necessary if they want to put that towards transportation cost/hotel stay.
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