Does location matter?

melancholly

it depends what you mean by 'moaners'. if it's people who can't afford it, then i think being a bit sensitive would help - plus consider any elderly relatives (although i think mine would be up for a weekend away at any excuse!).

i don't mind travelling for weddings (have even been abroad for a very good friend), but it can be a real pain when the location is really rural and only immediately family can stay on site. factoring in taxis to and from the venue really cranks up the total cost. it's all about a happy medium; don't completely ignore how difficult it might be for people to get or stay there but don't get married somewhere that you don't want.

we've certainly been to one where we went half way across the country for a couple who live locally, as do their families, where accommodation was a right pain (lots of small B&Bs that only had a few rooms so we had to ring round a few to find a room and then there was only space quite a distance away, plus no train station within 15 miles!) and the location was very isolated so taxis to and fro were seriously expensive (we hired a car but it meant one of us couldn't have a drink). that's my over-riding memory of that wedding. for others, i've travelled even further but the location/accommodation options were so much easier that i just remember having a lovely time!

i guess it also depends on how much time/money you have to visit a shortlist of places around the country. i'd be nervous picking somewhere without visiting it first!

RainbowDrops

Our Wedding wasn't based near either of our home areas.

With this in mind, we made sure when picking venues to pick something with a selection of nearby hotels, an easy to get to by train / car.

Although the venue was a bit out of the way, we picked two hotels that were easy to get to. And we picked one that was cheap for people on a budget. Then we put on busses from the hotels to the venues, as we thought it was unfair to make people pay for taxis.

The main thing you have to consider is that it can be very expensive to be a guest at a wedding, so if you can try to help them keep costs down, it'll be greatly appreciated.

MrsRadford_2b

Our wedding is 3 hours away from home and most family members. However, we are having an evening ceremony so guests pay for only one night. We also went for a venue with accomodation so everybody is in the same place - no taxis or buses.
We are pairing up guests to share cars and the cost of coming down to the wedding. So far, everybody seems happy with it.

Go for what you want and like others have said be prepared to accept some people will not come

Good luck x

spoonymoose

The OH and I live in B'ham, but we're getting married in Cheshire, we have no "links" with Cheshire, and tbh I've only ever been through it on a train BUT we both agreed that we wanted a place which was half way between both families (I'm originally from Lancs and my partner's from the Black Country) and so Cheshire was an ideal location... Plus my family can't get overly involved as the originally wanted us to get married up North so they wouldn't have to travel.

Just remember it's your wedding and the people who want to be there will do whatever they can to make sure they can be there.

Good luck with finding your venue