Distance to Wedding venue

I don't think it's that bad at all. Our venue is 60-80 miles away for most of our local friends and family, but it's all highway so equates to about an hour to hour and a half drive. I booked a hotel block that way guests can stay at the hotel if they don't want to make that drive home.

I would run it by your VIP guests like your immediate family. Otherwise it's up to you, are you going to be upset if you get a higher decline rate? Your guests are perfectly capable of deciding whether or not the drive is worth it and if they want to utilize the hotel block (that I'm assuming you'll set up).

I don't think that's bad! Ours is about the same distance and no one seemed to flinch at the location!

If it takes guests more than an hour to get there, I'd say it's too far. Some people are perfectly willing to go farther though. That's what declines are for if they don't feel like doing it.

80 miles isn't far. I'd go.

I live in Houston and to tell you the truth it would depend on traffic. 81 miles from say the woodlands to Galveston might not be too bad depending on what day and time, but could take two to three hours at certain times and days. From The Woodlands to say Huntsville, however, wouldn't be an issue at all (as long as it wasn't at rush hour on a weekday).

What makes this venue so "perfect"? I would find it pretty annoying if there were closer options and you deliberately chose to inconvenience everyone. 80 miles is far! My new job is 12 miles from home and that is brutal enough.

I don't think it's necessarily too far, but if it were me I would want to get a hotel for the night. As PP said, check with your VIPs first and if they're okay go for it.

It would be a Saturday morning 11 AM Wedding Huntsville TX to address on Westhimer in Houston 77077 5 miles west of the beltway

I wouldn't have a problem driving that far. If it's the perfect venue for you and your VIPs are ok with that then I don't see a problem.

OliviaP, hosting the wedding in your hometown--presumably where at least some of your family members live--is very different than arbitrarily choosing a location that is inconvenient for everyone just because it matches your "vision."

I think it's fine. I would just set up hotel blocks nearby.

Rooms blocks would be a plus. It's not too far. The people who oh want there will be there.

Other local guests depending on where they live will only have 35 miles or 50 miles highway driving

I mean my venue is a 7 hour drive from my family and a 2.5 hour drive from FH's family, and for the most part they're all making it work. We had to choose who to inconvenience and our answer was everyone -- our venue is 45 minutes from our apartment in a popular New England tourist destination, so at least those who are travelling for the wedding can make a vacation out of it.

Is everyone who will be attending your wedding local? If you all live within a single town or something then people might give it a little side eye, but I think that is one of those things where the whole "it's your wedding" bit actually applies -- as long as you host the party properly, have it where you want to have it, and the people who really want to be there will make it. It's 80 miles away, not the moon. (But yes, check with the people you absolutely 100% want there to make sure they're OK with it.)

For an 11 am wedding, that makes it a big fat HELL NO on the two hour drive. That would be asking people to get up super early on the weekend; I can't imagine how awful that would be for anyone actually in the wedding.

Agree with StPaulGal! If it were a late afternoon or evening wedding, I'd MAYYYBE be okay with the drive. Definitely not okay with getting up at 6:00am to get ready to drive to your 11:00am wedding.

I would travel 1-4 hours for a wedding. It's not rude. People are going to celebrate one of the happiest days of their friends life. There is also free food and alcohol. I think it's fair. Just my personal opinion.

80 mile drive between ceremony and reception? or 80 mile drive for both? can you clarify OP?

I think it's fine as long as the ceremony and reception aren't that far apart