Post # 1
Member
1 posts
Wannabee
My fiancée and I are having our wedding at the Catholic Church we both attend.
My parents have asked us to have our reception out at their ranch. There place is very nice, could accommodate all of our guests and it would save us money by not having to rent a venue.
However there ranch is about 50 min from the church.
Is this too far for guests to travel?
I am really torn about what to do.
Any suggestions?!
Post # 3
Member
3176 posts
Sugar bee
All the Catholic weddings I have been to usually have a giant gap between the ceremony and reception. Usually we go home after the ceremony anyway, so I think its fine, but thats just an opinion.
Post # 4
Member
1927 posts
Buzzing bee
I personally don’t think 50 min is too far, but that is because I am considering a venue that is about 45 min from SO’s church.
I really would like to see how other people feel about this.
Post # 5
Member
8738 posts
Bumble Beekeeper
@FutureForeman: Are most of the guests local to the area? If not, are they most likely going to fly in or drive in?
Where would out of town guests most likely stay? Would it be in your budge to provide trasportation?
I was just recently at a wedding where the ceremony & reception venue were 45 min away from the hotel everyone was staying at. The couple chartered a bus to take us to and from the wedding.
Personally I thought the bus ride was a little long (espeically after drinking and dancing the night away) but the venue was gorgeous.
Post # 6
Member
808 posts
Busy bee
Is the church near where you live? I drove 45 minutes to a ceremony/reception once and it was fine. I think it would have been the same to havethe ceremony local and then drive 45 minutes to the reception.
Post # 7
Member
636 posts
Busy bee
50 minutes is kinda far…I was going to say 25-30 minutes max. Maybe if the route is really easy – you don’t want people getting lost on their way to the reception. If most of your guests are local it might be okay but if I drove more than a few hours to go to a wedding, I might be a little put out at having another 50 min drive in between.
Post # 8
Member
1927 posts
Buzzing bee
I think the biggest consideration is where guests would stay. I don’t think the drive is too long to ask. But you need to make sure there is lodging very close to the reception venue.
Post # 9
Member
1328 posts
Bumble bee
Our reception and ceremony are a good hour away from each other, so I’m biased by saying its not that big of a deal. I think over an hour is just too far to ask, but close to an hour isn’t bad! Sure it may suck a little but they can get over it!
Post # 10
Member
739 posts
Busy bee
As a guest, my preference would be 30 min max. But, I’m sure I’d attend a reception that was 50 min away. However, if the reception was 50 min away, it would be great if I could tell that through the invitation so that I could plan appropriately, i.e. make sure the car had plenty of gas, make arrangements for the sitter to stay late (if I had kids), etc.
Post # 11
Member
13096 posts
Honey Beekeeper
I guess I’m going to be in the minority here but I wouldn’t be very happy about having to drive 50 minutes between locations. And if they are 50 minutes apart, it means your guests have to drive 50 minutes not once, but twice during your event (if you get a hotel by the reception then you have 50 minutes to the ceremony then 50 minutes back to the reception or if you have a hotel near the ceremony its 50 minutes to the reception then 50 minutes home at the end of the night).
I think 20-25 minutes tops is an appropriate distance between venues. Any longer than that I’d find excessive as a guest.
Post # 12
Member
5921 posts
Bee Keeper
I think it is a little far. We decided against our dream reception venue because it was 30 minutes from the church. Then again, our wedding is in the dead of winter and one of our concerns was weather.
Post # 13
Member
8738 posts
Bumble Beekeeper
@Mrs.KMM: So get a hotel between the two and you drive 25 min to the ceremony, can pit stop on your way to the reception and then have a 25 min drive back to the hotel. 
Although I guess that is still driving 50 min twice and just spliting it up.
Post # 14
Member
13096 posts
Honey Beekeeper
@KatNYC2011: Exactly – as a guest there is no way to avoid almost 2 hours of driving. I don’t think that is a fair request to ask of your guests (even if there is a gap).
Post # 15
Member
2829 posts
Sugar bee
As a guest, if I were driving directly from the ceremony to the reception venue I would say 30minute preference.
However, like other’s said, if there is a gap between the church ceremony & the reception starting then it is not as big of a deal.
As other’s have said, proximity accomodation would be the big concern. if it were a 50minute drive from the church but say only a 20-30 minute drive from the hotel not such a big deal, especially if there is a gap of a few hours between.
Member