Winter Wedding/distance of Venue

Two me two hours isn't that big of a deal (our venue is 1.5hr from us and a plane ride from most of our guests), but it does mean that guests with either need to book a hotel near by or leave about early. And you do risk snow preventing people from coming if you a storm that weekend. So definitely expect a lower rsvp turn out.

Is there a closer venue in your budget that you like (maybe not love) but that you can make work?

Oh man a two hour drive during snow time doesn't sound very appealing unless they're staying at a hotel nearby because you do need to be aware of the snow conditions

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The venue has cabins available for people to rent if they would like. Really the only other options in this area for that time frame are a banquet room with no windows, senior centers and small hotels.

In the end, you are the bride and you and your SO will decide when and where to book. I will put my two cents into the location of the venue. One of my biggest pet peeves about weddings is when couples book venues that are far away. If you know that a majority of guests is in a particular area, why are you booking a venue an hour or more away. Such an inconvenience in my opinion. It would certainly deter me from attending a wedding. I was just at a wedding this past weekend where an entire table of people didn’t show up after they rsvp’d yes bc they realized how far it actually was. You are forcing people to spend more money by having to book a hotel or risk them getting pulled over drunk

We went to a NY wedding in December, we live in Denver. I think if you give people plenty of notice and block 1-3 hotels nearby (for all budgets), it'll be totally fine.

You might also consider non-traditional venues. If you're looking for someplace closer to you, or the majority of your guests, try theaters, museums, art galleries, aquariums, public parks, VFW halls, etc. Even a favorite restaurant can be a good venue, if it has what you need. A lot depends on how many guests too. Sometimes a non-traditional venue is cheaper, and closer than the more traditional wedding venues.

Are you saying 2 hours from the ceremony site. or just 2 hours from where you live currently? I think 2 hours away from where you live is not a huge deal as long as the ceremony, reception, and lodging is all in the same area. If you're asking people to travel that far in between parts of your day, that's way too much.

Yes, it's YOUR day, but once you start inviting people you do have to consider their comfort (since the reception is literally the thank you for attending your ceremony). So I would just think hard about whether the people you have at your celebration, or where the celebration takes place is more important. There's no wrong answer!

View Quoted Comment Two hours from where we live. It’s a lodge on a lake.