Ceremony and Reception at same location?

Many couples have both events at the same venue without a hitch. Plus it cuts down on travel time in between.

We had our ceremony & reception at the same venue but in different spaces so set up and take down happened during cocktail hour behind closed doors so the guests weren't inconvenienced. The way you laid it out sounds less than ideal so maybe consider a ceremony space that is separate. Is there something close by? Or can they hold cocktail hour somewhere else at the venue so the room can be converted?

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Nothing in the building that is separate that we could use. The venue has a small lounge/bar area just out the front of it which will be used to 'distribute the masses' but it is not big enough for everyone to just go there during cocktail hour.

The building is in the CBD so there are venues a short walk away which are an issue in themselves as I don't want our guests to walk from one venue to another (heels, gowns and heat don't mix!) but they're not quite far enough apart to justify taxis..

Ours was all at one location and it worked very well. Ceremony was in the ballroom, then cocktail hour was in a different part of the venue while the vendors flipped the ballroom, and then the reception was back in the ballroom.

I wouldn't recommend having the ceremony and reception at two different locations if you're having a black tie wedding. Walking from one venue to another in a long dress and high heels in the heat does not sound fun. Out of the roughly 25 black tie weddings I've been to, the ONLY one where the ceremony and reception were in different locations was when the couple got married in a Catholic church, and then the reception was that evening (so guests had plenty of time to go back to the hotel and change into their black tie attire).

My advice would be to find a way to have it all in one location if you're looking to have a black tie wedding.

I think that it's VERY common for the ceremony and reception to be at the same place.

The weddings I have been to that were in a different place were church weddings. That said, definitely doable.


What's your plan for the ceremony seat shortage? That alone might make it worth having a different location. But you definitely could end up spending more.

I've been to many weddings that are all in one location, and as a guest, I prefer it that way, but if only half of your guests will be able to sit during the ceremony, that seems like a reason to do it somewhere else.

View Quoted Comment The venue have told us that it hasn’t been an issue previously. Our ceremony will be short and sweet (max 20-30 minutes) so I’m hoping it’ll be alright.

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Oh I missed that detail. If you won't have enough seating for everyone at the ceremony, then I would just change the attire and not have a "black tie" wedding. Having to stand during the ceremony wouldn't be ideal for female guests in high heels. Also the bit about vendors flipping the room at the same time cocktail hour is being held in the room doesn't sound ideal (and it doesn't match the formality of a black tie event). Usually for very formal events, cocktail hour is held in a different part of the venue so the room flip won't be visible to the guests or getting in the way. I don't think this would be a problem with a more casual wedding though. Hopefully you'll find a good option, whether it's all in the same location or two different locations!

Our wedding will be in the same venue. Our ceremony in the great room and then cocktail hour upstairs while the great room is flipped from ceremony set up to reception set up.

If you cannot accommodate all your guests seated during your ceremony then that's a no go. Not having a cocktail hour area is also not ideal. I went to a ceremony where there was not seating for everyone and although short it was terrible and awkward. I am not sure the event you have planned is black tie appropriate. I would look into another venue that could accommodate all of your guests! Whether it be ceremony only or another venue altogether.

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It is not uncommon where I am from for ceremonies to not include seating for everyone and in the absolute worst case scenario, people can sit down at tables if need be.

I would appreciate if the area for the cocktail hour was bigger but I am not losing our $4000 deposit to book another venue for this reason alone (there were none nearby that I loved as much as this one anyway).

I don’t understand how the little bit of shuffling around means that our wedding cannot be a black tie event. It is still going to be a very formal occasion and I struggle to see how this one logistical issue would invalidate that all.

Thank you all for your feedback, I think we will be pushing ahead as planned. We aren’t the first couple to have a joint ceremony and reception at this venue and I doubt we will be the last.

It's super common to have the ceremony and reception at the same location. But in my opinion, there are two major reasons why you shouldn't be calling your wedding "black tie":

1. You will not have enough seating for the ceremony, and some guests will have to stand. This is not appropriate for a black tie wedding.

2. You only have one room to work with, meaning that your vendors will flip the room while your guests are also in the room, enjoying cocktail hour. This is not appropriate for a black tie wedding (black tie weddings are very formal events and guests should never be witnessing the room flip in action).

Since you've already paid the deposit and have your heart set on this venue, I would ask if there is any way you can accommodate more seating so that none of your guests have to stand, and if there is a room divider that can be set up for cocktail hour. Otherwise, I agree with Neeva: what you have planned is not at all appropriate for a black tie wedding.

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Perhaps this is really just a case of different places having different customs. Where I am from in the US, black tie events are classified as a very specific type of event.

Hope whatever you decide is lovely!

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Yeah I think so!

Here it is very rare to have a venue provide seating for everyone at a ceremony unless its a church. It's not uncommon for only 15-20 chairs to be provided!

Thank you for your input

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I think we will just leave it as is.

The only other options we really have are to have two separate venues which is tedious, or find another venue with multiple spaces available. Both options require us to lose our deposit.

We love our venue anyway because it has so much charm and character to it and is truly breathtaking. All the 'in one' venues near us are big empty ballrooms with no substance to them so I guess that's our trade off.