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Alecia
Savvy May 2023

Different Reception Location- Help!

Alecia, on November 12, 2021 at 5:41 AM Posted in Wedding Reception 1 34
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I’m in the planning of booking our reception venue because where my fiancé and I are having our ceremony doesn’t include a reception space. The places that we’ve looked at near the ceremony location are astronomically expensive and we saw that the more affordable venues are located downtown.


That means our guest will have to drive 20-25 (max) to the reception venue then pay to park in the mall garage, valet ($36-45), or find street parking. Do you think that that’s an inconvenience for our guest, if we’re letting them know in advance when we send out our invitations (detailing the parking and second location reception situation )? My parents thinks it’s rude to have guest pay to park for our wedding, but my fiancé and I think that it shouldn’t be a big deal if we’re letting them know way in advance, and they can decline the rsvp if they wanted to.
We just need another set of opinions. Let me know what do you all think, please!!!

34 Comments

Latest activity by Fiona, on November 20, 2021 at 1:26 AM
  • devotedlydavis
    Expert March 2022
    devotedlydavis ·
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    I personally wouldn’t want to pay for parking, but I don’t have to where I live. I would say it’s a know your crowd thing - if it’s common to have to pay to park in your part of the country it may not be a big deal. But $40 on average to park is a lot.
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  • Alecia
    Savvy May 2023
    Alecia ·
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    It’s not really a huge thing here where I’m from in Indiana, but I have family members coming in town from bigger cities like Chicago and Houston who are used to it, but others may not be. Thank you for your input! Smiley smile
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  • Cece
    Rockstar October 2023
    Cece ·
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    I have always been taught that it is rude to require your guests to open their wallet for your wedding; so, I would definitely never choose a reception space that required my guests to pay $45 to park. Unless there is the option for you to pay their parking fees. I know some parking garages allow you to reserve spots by pre-paying.
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  • KYLIE
    Super May 2019
    KYLIE ·
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    Hmmm, I’d personally hate this. Finding a parking spot is honestly the bigger stressor than paying. I’m guessing spots in a mall garage on a Saturday night aren’t super easy to come by, and many people don’t feel comfortable parking on the street. Do you have a hotel with a room block? Any chance you can push back your reception time and arrange a shuttle from a central location?
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  • Alecia
    Savvy May 2023
    Alecia ·
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    Right, my dad was trying to get shuttling worked out with his job which is right by the place. But, I think we’re going back to the drawing board. Thank you!
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  • Kari
    Master May 2020
    Kari ·
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    Can you arrange a shuttle for your guests?

    As a guest, I would find having to find and pay for an expensive parking spot in a busy (and possibly unfamiliar) city daunting. I hate parking garages so much that I would almost certainly end up leaving the reception early if I had to park in one and wasn't staying on site, because I'd be too worried about navigating out of one after more than one or two drinks.

    If you have hotel blocks booked (or the ceremony location would allow guests to park for extended time) I would definitely consider hiring shuttles to move your guests from location to location. This will free them from having to navigate an unfamiliar downtown area, the stress of not knowing where they will find parking, be kinder on their wallets, and provide a safer means of transportation after partying.

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  • R
    Dedicated March 2022
    Renee ·
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    I have had to drive to and pay for parking at receptions plenty of times. It should be expected if you typically have to pay to park in the city where your reception is being held.

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  • M
    VIP January 2019
    Maggie ·
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    That does sound really expensive and inconvenient for your guests. I would find a different way.

    The reasoning of "it shouldn’t be a big deal if we’re letting them know way in advance, and they can decline the rsvp if they wanted to" doesn't really work (and could be used to justify all kinds of egregious things!) because your loved ones will want to try to attend your wedding if at all possible, but they shouldn't be burdened with extra, unreasonable expenses just because they care about you.

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  • Alecia
    Savvy May 2023
    Alecia ·
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    Yeah, that’s what my parents were telling me. I appreciate the input! We’re going back to the drawing board!
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  • W
    VIP September 2020
    Willow ·
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    Glad you're rethinking this. Making guests drive 30 min between ceremony and reception AND pay for parking would be too much. Neither are ideal on their own.
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  • Alecia
    Savvy May 2023
    Alecia ·
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    Yeah that’s true, we are currently rethinking things through. Thank you!
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  • Michelle
    Rockstar December 2022
    Michelle ·
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    Paying to park is very common in large cities. Parking on the street is not always an option because of parking meters and tow away risks. Not all venues require the guests to pay for parking. It’s also very common for ceremony venues to not have a reception space available. Unless the couple says that parking is free, I would expect to pay out of pocket. Make sure you include all info on your website, not the invitation.


    Guests don’t find driving inconvenient unless it is 45 minutes or further with traffic. That is the longest period that any gaps in between should be unless you don’t mind them skipping out on the ceremony and going to reception only or vice versa.
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  • Fiona
    Super May 2024
    Fiona ·
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    I hope you can find somewhere to do your reception now you are rethinking everything. It's a real pain that all the close ones are very expensive. I don't think that the driving of 20-25 minutes is a problem for people, just the parking issue.

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  • Michelle
    Rockstar December 2022
    Michelle ·
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    If you need a new reception venue, take a look at eventective.com in your area.
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  • Alecia
    Savvy May 2023
    Alecia ·
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    Thank you so much! I need all the help possible. Smiley smile
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  • Alecia
    Savvy May 2023
    Alecia ·
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    Yeah, looking back on it, we definitely see how it could be an inconvenience especially for our older family members who are on canes etc.
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  • Alecia
    Savvy May 2023
    Alecia ·
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    Yeah, it’s a lot for parking, we’re rethinking it through. Appreciate your input!
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  • Fiona
    Super May 2024
    Fiona ·
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    Yeah that would be difficult for people on canes and things like that. But you don't want to pay heaps to have them close either. Could you change your ceremony spot as well or do you like it too much? Smiley smile

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  • Alecia
    Savvy May 2023
    Alecia ·
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    We absolutely adore the ceremony location, and we had to pull some strings to have it there. It’s kinda like a dream location for the both of us. It’s located like in a suburban town, where the prices are kinda ridiculous just for food (for reception space) But we’re doing everything possible to think it through. We found another place located still downtown, where they would have to pay a flat rate of $5, but we could cover that through the venue.
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  • Fiona
    Super May 2024
    Fiona ·
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    Well if you adore the ceremony location and it was hard to get you should try and keep it then Smiley smile. I hope you can find a reception venue that works for you. Is there any hotels or anything in the area that would have parking included?

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