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I say have it at your Parent's church. It has special meaning to your family and most people won't be annoyed with having to drive there and back. Make sure you some good maps (with alternate routes, I know how bad traffic can be here) and ask some friends to offer rides to some people that might not want to drive alone.
@mmsva: thanks for replying! i appreciate the tip about the poll. hope it works!
Perhaps investigate the cost of the churches that are closer and see if you could have the minister from your parents church officiate there?
I said the closer church. In our area it is not at all uncommon for churches to allow a different officiant to do the ceremony, so I think it's definitely a possibility you hsould look into.
thank you guys for your comments so far...this input really helps!
I'd go for your parents' church. It is someplace you are already comfortable with, the officiant is comfortable with, and it holds meaning to you and your family. I've had to drive farther than that to go from a ceremony to a reception, and honestly I didn't mind!!
I think the drive is totally worth it. People can handle it--the distance from reception to hotel for guests is most important.
First off, I'm in NOVA too do you mind PMing me the reception location? I've just started looking and I'm overwhelmed by prices/locations!
And to your issue: How many out of town guests will you have? Will people have to rent cars/taxi if transportation isn't provided? If there aren't many people from out of town, or you can offer transport I would definitely do it at your parent's church. I've done this as an out of town guest and it's not really a huge deal!
@Taylor4: Not to threadjack, but if you are looking for a great place for a small wedding (less than 80, think 50-60 comfortablly), try 2941 Restaurant in Falls Church. I had my wedding there and just went back last night. The food is awesome- 5 star and the waterfalls and koi ponds are beautiful.
Have it at your parents' church. 25 minutes is not a long drive at all, especially if you provide a shuttle. They say the reception is about the guests and the ceremony is about the couple, so have your ceremony wherever you want :)
@Taylor4: thanks for the reply! i would say about 40-50% are coming in from out of town and we would totally provide a shuttle from the reception site (which is also the hotel) to the church for people who didn't want to (or couldn't) drive.
I was also in a similar situation. My Fiance & I had originally picked a Venue to get married at that did it ALL...Ceremony,Reception & everything that goes along w/ it. Then I realized my Mom was dissappointed that we weren't getting married at our family Church...my Mom & Dad also were married at this Church. So we changed our minds & decided to go w/ the Church & the Reception is about a 15 min drive from the Church. So if means alot to you to go to your family Church..then do it!! The ppl that are attending care about you & I don't think they will mind the extra driving! I know the big factor in me changing my mind was thinking about looking back when we are older & being able to say..."Yep, I got married in the Church my Mother & Father got married in!" Good luck on deciding!
@LissaBell86: Thank you so much for that message. I have officially contacted my parents'church and hopefully they are free that weekend! I think the 20 minute drive will be worth it, just for the same reasons you mentioned.
I voted before I read#3... I voted for #3... but now that I read the entire story I say #1.... since your FI has stated his peace about outdoors... hey if he is making a statement let that be your decision... and 10 minutes to 20 minutes... doesnt make a difference I say your parents church!
@mmsva: I'm actually going to look at them on Friday! It's actually one of the first nice restaurants FI went to years ago so it's a sentimental choice. The only issue is our guest list is at 100 right now. They said they could hold 90, but then dinner and dancing would be in separate rooms which isn't ideal.
@Taylor4: The two rooms are right next to each other and you can see them through the glass. Personally, I would like it because sometimes dance music can get too loud (yes I just felt my self get older as I typed that), but with their configuration, you can still see people dancing. PS- dont use Karin's Florist. You can read my post about my horrible color mix up. Don't use them. But I recommen- Bridal Artistry for Hair and Makeup and Madeline Marshall for photography.
Good Luck!
Thanks everyone for thei input! I have officially booked my parents church for our wedding day!! Yay! Venues for ceremony and reception booked with 11 months to goi!!
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Hello Bees! I'm pretty new here, but I'm hopeful someone can help me out.
I have picked a GORGEOUS venue for my wedding reception in Northern VA. It's everything I want and I am very happy with that. However, I am having some difficulty finding a suitable option for the ceremony and I wanted to get your opinions on the 3 options I have below.
#1: Have the ceremony at my parent's church. The church is about a 20 minute drive (assuming no traffic accidents) from the reception location. And while the church is beautiful and the pastor would be happy to be the officiant, I worry that my guests would be annoyed at having to drive from the reception site (which is a resort / hotel) to the church (20 minutes) and then back to the reception site again (another 25 minutes). I would consider renting a shuttle bus for those who chose not to drive, but still.
#2: Have the ceremony at a near-by church. There are a ton of churches near the resort / reception site, but I haven't started making phone calls to see which ones would be open to having a non-member hold a wedding ceremony there on a Saturday afternoon. I'd want to bring my own officiant / musicians, so I don't know how that would go over. It seems rather awkward to get married in a strange church, but I wanted to see if any of you had experienced this. The average commute time would be down to 10 minutes.
#3: Have the ceremony at the resort. Their main options are outdoor for an additional fee and neither outdoor location seems very private or removed from the rest of the resort. Plus, my FH has made it clear that he is not a fan of being in the outdoors for the ceremony. So, I guess this really isn't an option.
Thanks all - sorry for the wordy message. Please let me know your thoughts. Also, does a 20-25 minute commute from church to reception seem too long for most guests?
Thanks!