Opinions on separate wedding service and reception locations

Question

Family member wants wedding ceremony in one location with reception 30 miles away. Will we lose many wedding guests?

They are also considering a two hour delay between the service and reception. Neither location is free or family owned.

Answer 1

I think it's fine having to separate locations for the ceremony and reception. A 2 hour delay is quite normal as it gives time for the bridal party to take photos. The guests can go and freshen up or grab a coffee somewhere before attending the reception.

I would say a 30 minute drive (maximum) between the locations though- guests don't want to feel as though they are having to travel long distances- especially for those that have already traveled out of town to attend the wedding.

Answer 2

My husband and I drove over 800 miles to a ceremony which did this. We hated it. We'd already driven a long way and the map they provided did not mention the traffic detours due to construction. Local people who knew the area knew what to do; the rest of us got lost and wasted a lot of time. We arrived at the reception very disgruntled.

On the other hand, we went to a different ceremony with a separate and far away reception. They asked everyone to stay at the same hotel where they'd gotten a special rate ($50/night--not bad) and they chartered buses to drive everyone to and from the sites. We had one family member who missed the bus but they got a ride from a local guest. There was no hassle involved really for those of us from out of town.

I don't know what traffic will be like there, especially if it turns out to be a holiday weekend, but in larger cities, 2 hours may be cutting it close if it's a 30-mile drive. I live 24 miles from my job and there are times it takes 1 1/2 hours to make it to work (accident on the road or holiday weekend) and that's when I know the way.

Answer 3

I just attended a wedding that was like this and it was a big pain to drive all over town. We got lost, it was raining. The ceremony was at noon and the reception at 5pm. We had to stop and eat lunch and then we were not hungry for the wedding meal.

I would say limit it to about 10 miles distance.  

Answer 4

If I were a guest, I would attend the wedding and forget the reception.  What am I supposed to do for 2 hours?  And then to drive 30 miles away to another location for the reception is too much.  

Answer 5

Now if the wedding was out of town and everything was at one loaction then your guest will not have a problem traveling to the wedding.  With that said ceremony location 30 miles away from reception is too long.

Answer 6

I doubt that you'll lose any guests.  It's not at all uncommon to have the wedding one place and the reception at another place.  With the price of gas, though, maybe you could find places that are a little closer together?

Answer 7

I don't think that you will lose any guests, especially the people who are important to you. We had a 4 hour "intermission" between the ceremony and reception, and it gave us time to take some great pictures and our guests time to take a nap so that we could have a great party! Congratulations and good luck!

Answer 8

Should be no problem with both - they happen all the time. That distance isn't far to go - if a wedding is held in a big city, it takes at least a half hour to drive anyway.

As for the time between the service and reception, that's actually a small amount of time. Where I'm from, the ceremony is usually around 2 p.m., with cocktails at 5, dinner at 6 - so your two hour difference is totally fine.