You’ve said yes, and now it’s time to start planning your wedding! Choosing the venue is probably one of the biggest items that causes the most stress. You are essentially looking at two events on the same day: the wedding ceremony and the reception to celebrate the newlyweds.
Should you have the ceremony and the reception at the same location- or not?
Let’s go over Pros for using the Same Venue for Both Events.
1. It helps simplify your big day and makes everything less stressful.
2. Time is a big factor. Choosing one venue saves many hours that it would take to plan your ceremony at one location and your reception at another.
3. Time is also a big factor on the day of the wedding. That day will go by like a whirlwind.
4. Decorate once, not twice. Not only does this save you money, but it is easier to coordinate your decorating presentations in adjacent or overlapping areas of the same venue, concentrate on your floor plan, and give you a smoother flow and less glitches on your big day. Décor can be repurposed easier when your ceremony and reception areas are at the same place. For example, your ceremony décor can double as a background for your head table.
5. You can keep all your personal items in one room. Moving from one location to the other risks losing or forgetting important items.
6. With a ceremony and reception in the same place, you can also have a ceremony later in the evening because you do not lose time driving between locations.
7. After saying vows, your ceremony can flow seamlessly into the reception. No gaps, no need for extra transportation. It will be unnecessary to worry about how long it’s going to take everyone to get from one place to the other or if someone may get lost on the way to the reception.
8. The photographer doesn’t have to rush and can easily slip into the reception area and get pictures of the décor and guests having fun.
9. The cost of transporting the wedding party to a second location can be eliminated.
10. Guests don’t have to worry about finding parking spots at multiple venues.
11. No need to pay for separate vendors or their time spent commuting between ceremony and reception.
12. One location minimizes the amount of driving in case the weather is hazardous.
13. There is a greater likelihood of better attendance.
14. The elderly, out-of-towners, and the guests who bring kids will find it more comfortable to settle into one location.
Ceremonies and receptions held in different locations create new logistics.
Likely, added stress will be your companion throughout the day.
1. Booking one location can be difficult. Imagine having to coordinate two venues.
2. There is a higher risk of something going wrong such as bad weather, traffic, or miscommunications- due to more people and vendors involved.
3. Consider the moving and hauling factor. No matter how much help you have, there is a lot to move from one location to another. Less loading in and loading out means less stress, less chance of forgetting something, and more time to enjoy your day.
4. When does the ceremony end, and when does the reception start? It would be considered rude if the newlyweds did not stay and thank the guests after the ceremony. At the same time, the newlyweds are expected to be at the reception site before all the guests arrive.
5. You are likely to have more people attend your ceremony and skip out of the reception; OR, many guests will opt to attend your reception and skip the ceremony. The gap between the two makes a longer and more complicated day for the guests. This also makes it hard to judge catering for RSVPs.
6. Two locations can be inconvenient for out-of-town guests. Navigating between two addresses and finding something to do, in an unfamiliar town, between the ceremony and reception can be stressful.
7. If you’ve booked two places for shorter amounts of time, there is a risk that you will be squeezed by other parties booked on the same day. That’s STRESS with a capital S!!
8. Family time, socializing, and running around doing errands adds up on your big day. One location can help conserve some of your energy.
One location will make your vendors, guests and bridal party very happy!
AND YOU WILL SAVE ON STRESS, TIME AND MONEY.