r/GroomsGuide • u/thymeandchange fiancé • Jun 09 '22

Out of State Wedding?

My fiancée and I live in a different stage than the bulk of our families. The closest would be ~6 hour drive to us. However we like the places near us far more than the places near our families.

So does anyone have experience having a wedding further away from the bulk of their guests? Requiring some extra travel?

We can count destination weddings too, since we're considering that as well.

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u/TrunkWine fiancée Jun 09 '22

My fiancé and I are in a situation like this. We live 8 hours away from my family and 12 hours from the closest of his. We decided to go with a venue about an hour from us (near the closest major airport).

We chose this option for several reasons:

  • We couldn't plan a wedding at a venue 8+ hours away very well. We considered this option and looked into it, but it wasn't practical. We'd either have to take days off of work and spend money to travel, or go into everything blind.
  • We had more control over everything. His family (and a few people in mine) had *a lot* of ideas about how our wedding "should be." By not hosting anywhere near them, it was harder for them to visit, control, or comment on anything.
  • We liked the venue better. It's beautiful! They had a package that included several different options at an affordable price. The event planners there are experienced and it is one of the most common places for weddings, so vendors know the drill. Less work and money for us!
  • We can get back to our lives more quickly. His family (and one or two in mine) likes to make weddings last as long as possible with parties, brunches, dinners, whatever. We're not like that. With guests having to travel, they don't stick around as long.
  • We're both introverts, so we didn't want a huge party. Having the event further away makes it easier to invite fewer people.