Distance/time from ceremony to reception?

[rockzilla]

We visited a potential ceremony site today that I fell a bit in love with(photo below) ....the issue is that it is way up in Malibu, and there don''t seem to be a whole lot of reception locations that either fit our budget or really appeal to us. The next nearest areas where we could look for reception sites are:

Santa Monica (25 mins)

Marina del Rey (35 mins)

Manhattan Beach (45 mins)

Note that most folks probably live within 10-15 minutes of Santa Monica (add 10-20 mins for the other locations) so for going home, it would be sort of "on the way" for them. Also, this is LA, so people are used to driving. That being said, would you rule out these as "too far"? Would it be more acceptable if we provided transportation so folks didn''t have to drive?

Thanks!

RZ (the newbie

 

[gtn]

My girlfriend got married 25 miles away from the reception site (that''s about 45 minutes away - without traffic) and I had to cross a toll bridge. I thought it was strange, but not unheard of. This was in the bay area. In LA, that is not much of a distance at all. Especially if the reception is closer to home. For many of my friend''s guest, the reception and ceremony sites were out of the way.

I say go for it. If you were not in LA, I would have reservations about the distance.

 

[ringster]

since it is LA, i think people won''t think it strange to drive from ceremony and reception and so don''t think you should have to provide transportation. i would though try to minimize the time between - like i think the 45min might be a bit too long esp if that is not taking traffic into account. how far away the two locations are will also effect when you can start the reception so need to keep that in mind.

also, where and when and how long are you going to take group photos? you might need to take that into account too.

 

[sweetlime]

i was just asking myself this same question last week! i think a 30-45 minute drive is reasonable in L.A.

i wanted to have my ceremony in malibu (at the chapel you visited today) and drove up and down the PCH to find a reception site nearby. i couldn''t find anything that was within my budget, so i finally decided on a restaurant in santa monica. i''m having the ceremony in the morning so everyone can drive to santa monica in time for a lunch reception.

keep in mind that traffic can be bad on the PCH during holiday weekends and summer months so plan accordingly! good luck

 

[rockzilla]

Thanks everyone for your responses -

Sweetlime, what restaurant are you using, if you don''t mind me asking? This whole thing is stressing me out a bit

 

[bee*]

I wouldn''t rule any of them out based on those distances. I think anything up to about an hour and a half is reasonable for people to drive.

 

[sweetlime]

hi RZ,
i can totally relate! i was a stressball for the last couple of weeks. you''ll feel much better once you book your venue.

we''re having a saturday lunch reception at michael''s. the buyout is low because the restaurant is normally closed on saturday afternoons. but it only fits up to approx 120 guests, so if you''re expecting more than that, it might not work for you.

some other venues i considered were calamigos ranch and bel air bay club (you don''t have to be a member to book the upper clubhouse and the catering manager seemed a bit flexible about guest count and food minimum). if you''re expecting less than 59 guests, and you don''t want a total buyout, then geoffrey''s might be another option. if you''re having a super intimate wedding, then stop by the malibu beach inn... they had a beautiful space for about 30 guests.

hope this helps!

 

[Haven]

I wouldn''t say asking people to drive 45 minutes is reasonable, but it certainly isn''t unheard of these days.