Stay Single and Get Married

At one point or another everyone has attended a wedding where the ceremony is in one location and the reception is in another. This can be a bit of a headache for guests and one for vendors too, but what many couples don’t realize are the many benefits to hosting both the ceremony and reception in one location. Hosting both events in the same location creates a convenient experience for everyone involved. Staying single to (a location) and get married!

Perhaps one of the biggest questions that most couples have with regard to hosting their entire Indianapolis wedding in one location is how to make the transition between ceremony and reception. In all honesty, the transition is purely physical. The ceremony is held in one space at the venue, and the cocktail and reception in two others. Once the ceremony is over, the catering staff can make their rounds to direct guests to the cocktail space or the MC (example: your DJ or band) can make an announcement for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. While guests come together to start the reception celebration, the couple will sign their marriage license and take photos together – if that is part of their photographer’s timeline.

See more of Denise & Phil’s Indianapolis Museum of Art wedding.

  According to The Knot, nearly a third of all weddings hosted in the last year hosted their ceremony and reception at the same location. With that in mind, it’s important to select a venue that can make that type of transition seamlessly and that your experienced caterer understands that all their elements need to be in place and readily available directly following the ceremony. It can make all the difference in the world.

One of the worst parts about traveling from a ceremony to the reception at a different location is the time it takes to get from point A to point B. Hosting the wedding ceremony and wedding reception at the same premiere wedding venue would negate that extra time, providing the couple and their guests more time for celebration. Not to mention the cost-savings.

See more of Ashley & Rob’s Indiana State Museum wedding.

There may be a fee to use the ceremony space, much like any ceremony space would require, but investing in one amazing location helps cut down in other areas such as décor and transportation. Depending on the ceremony space at the venue, very little additional décor may be needed. Especially if taking advantage of a garden area already blooming with natural beauty. More so, a limo isn’t required to shuttle the wedding party from location A to location B. Consider that during peak wedding season, transportation prices will be highest and it’s entirely possible to spend $1,000 on transportation alone. With that type of savings, a couple can invest more in floral, the wedding dress, special catering additions like a late night snack or champagne toast – or anything else special that they might not have been able to afford.

See more of Sylvia & Andy’s Montage wedding.

In addition to the financial savings, convenience for guests is a very big feature. However, there is ample convenience for the couple as well:

• Being able to set the date without needing to communicate between locations to find one that syncs
• Coordinate all of the vendors to one location
• Only one setup space to manage
• One-time parking experience for guests and wedding party
• Guests can start immediately enjoying the reception while the wedding party takes photos or attends to other required duties of the day
• Use of the on-site event coordinator for both events instead of having to deal with multiple venue managers
• Eliminates wasted vendor time for videographers and photographers to travel
• More guests will attend a ceremony held at the reception site

Understandably, planning a wedding can be stressful and time consuming. Search any wedding related blog on the internet and these two ideas are tackled with too-many-to-read posts about saving time and sanity. Hosting both the ceremony and reception ultimately simplifies life.

See more of Sarah & Avihay’s Eiteljorg Museum wedding.