Brides who are having/had their wedding ceremony @ reception hall....

Original post by tiffandmatt

Nov 23, 2005 12:53 AM

The past few weddings that I have gone to over the past year or so have all had their wedding cememony at their reception hall. I'm starting to think that this is more convient? What made you decide to have your ceremony at the reception hall and not at a church or somthing like that? Trying to decide which is better, need opinions.

TIA

BlondeJD Posted: Nov 23, 2005 12:38 PM

Re: Brides who are having/had their wedding ceremony @ reception hall....

We had our ceremony at the hall, mostly because we weren't affiliated with any church in the area. It was really incredibly convenient, both for ourselves and our guests I think. Also, the ceremony room at Glen Island was incredible - a round all-glass room with views of the water. We HAD to take advantage of that

The only church I really wanted to get married at was St. Patrick's Cathedral but that plan was scrapped once I found myself engaged to a Protestant

stephanief Posted: Nov 23, 2005 12:39 PM

Re: Brides who are having/had their wedding ceremony @ reception hall....

I had no choice, I am getting married the day before Easter so we could not get married in the church. I am not religious so that's okay with me

otherme Posted: Nov 23, 2005 01:27 PM

Re: Brides who are having/had their wedding ceremony @ reception hall....

I dont know if one is better than that other.. its more of a personal preference for the couple.
Some people chose to be married in their place of worship because the ceremony would mean more to them in a religious setting. Others (like myself) are not as religious so chose the location based on how it looks, or ease of transportation, or any number of reasons mentioned above.
In my case we had an interfaith wedding and my DH's rabbi wouldn't marry us, so we found a cantor who would and had the whole thing in one location. I have no religious affiliation and DH and his parents were ok if it wasnt in a temple (as i'm not Jewish) so we chose the reception site to do it all.
Personally, it was a great decision because everyone was in one location and it made the whole day very seamless as everyone went straight to the cocktail hour after the ceremony (we had done pictures before the ceremony).
good luck!

smilealways Posted: Nov 23, 2005 01:52 PM

Re: Brides who are having/had their wedding ceremony @ reception hall....

I always wanted to have my ceremony outside, so that's why we decided to do them at the same place. The outdoor ceremony location/decoration was one of my deciding factors in the place we booked.

CaMacho Posted: Nov 23, 2005 01:55 PM

Re: Brides who are having/had their wedding ceremony @ reception hall....

Posted by smilealways

I always wanted to have my ceremony outside, so that's why we decided to do them at the same place. The outdoor ceremony location/decoration was one of my deciding factors in the place we booked.

Same here... always wanted an outdoor ceremony on the water!!!

Beth1210 Posted: Nov 23, 2005 02:00 PM

Re: Brides who are having/had their wedding ceremony @ reception hall....

Posted by johnsae

we are doing it for convenience, and we're not very religious, so neither of us really wanted to get married in a church.

same

BJandDan Posted: Nov 23, 2005 02:27 PM

Re: Brides who are having/had their wedding ceremony @ reception hall....

Same exact reason here,....... thanks Janna!

Posted by BKtoLI

We decided to have ours at the hall because I'm Catholic and he's Jewish and neither of us is heavily religious. Also neither one of us planned on converting, so having the ceremony at the hall was a better option.

Also I didn't want to put our guests through the task of killing 2 or 3 hours between the ceremony and reception!! We're taking our pics beforehand so everyone can enjoy themselves without a break!! (That and there's more of a chance of everyone being at the ceremony as opposed to a few of the guests)

NYCtoSEA Posted: Nov 23, 2005 03:23 PM

Re: Brides who are having/had their wedding ceremony @ reception hall....

We are not religious and didn't want to be married in a church. Much to the chagrin of my parents, we are getting married at the hall. It works well for us, too, because the wedding is in Jan., and the weather might be bad. Guests only have to get to one place. We'll be married in front of a beautiful fireplace and I think it will be very cozy and beautiful.

MrsP2Be Posted: Nov 23, 2005 04:40 PM

Re: Brides who are having/had their wedding ceremony @ reception hall....

We're both Jewish so it would be awkward at a Church.

Soon2BeMrsS Posted: Nov 23, 2005 05:13 PM

Re: Brides who are having/had their wedding ceremony @ reception hall....

we're interfaith so the reception hall is netural territory for us. Alot of my friends are doing that b/c :

1. they want it to be easier for their guest
2. they want more people to witness the actual vow exchange
3. They cut the limo cost

Soon2BeMrsS Posted: Nov 23, 2005 05:13 PM

Re: Brides who are having/had their wedding ceremony @ reception hall....

Posted by MrsP2Be

We're both Jewish so it would be awkward at a Church.

cindyandkevin Posted: Nov 23, 2005 05:17 PM

Re: Brides who are having/had their wedding ceremony @ reception hall....

FH was married once before so he can't get married in church. We're having it outside of our RH. I've never been to an outside wedding and I think it'll be nice. Just seems to fit us better too, I was never very religious and he really isn't either.

stephanielyse Posted: Nov 23, 2005 05:32 PM

.

weddingbunny Posted: Nov 23, 2005 05:58 PM

Re: Brides who are having/had their wedding ceremony @ reception hall....

Just present the other side...

I'm also doing an interfaith wedding, and so can't do it in a church or synogogue, but I hate the idea of doing it at the hall, because I just don't like any of their chapels, and I feel like the ceremony should be in some place that feels special or has some meaning to you... so we're doing it at my parents house, outside. The halls just all feel too commercial for a ceremony, just by the nature of being a hall and a place of business...
not to say there's anything wrong with it for others! It just doesn't feel right to me.

SillyBeans Posted: Nov 23, 2005 06:53 PM

Re: Brides who are having/had their wedding ceremony @ reception hall....

I am Catholic and my FH is Budhist . We decided to have the ceremony at the reception hall. By having everything in one place, there is less of a chance for people being late. His family is late for everything

And if the weather is bad, it doesn't matter as much! My mom was a little bit upset, but she got over it

nov04LIbride Posted: Nov 23, 2005 06:59 PM

Re: Brides who are having/had their wedding ceremony @ reception hall....

Posted by BKtoLI

We decided to have ours at the hall because I'm Catholic and he's Jewish and neither of us is heavily religious. Also neither one of us planned on converting, so having the ceremony at the hall was a better option.

Also I didn't want to put our guests through the task of killing 2 or 3 hours between the ceremony and reception!! We're taking our pics beforehand so everyone can enjoy themselves without a break!! (That and there's more of a chance of everyone being at the ceremony as opposed to a few of the guests)

Us too, but he's Catholic and I'm Protestant. It worked so well time-wise. As a guest, I am so sick of having hours to kill between ceremony and reception!

cjb88 Posted: Nov 24, 2005 08:59 AM

Re: Brides who are having/had their wedding ceremony @ reception hall....

we are getting married at the hall for a lot of the reasons stated above... but im starting to freak a bit about having enough time to take pics because i dont want to see him before hand, and i hate the idea of missing our cocktail hour... anyone else feeling this way??

Happybride2005 Posted: Nov 24, 2005 09:15 AM

Re: Brides who are having/had their wedding ceremony @ reception hall....

Posted by ShortBride

We're Jewish, so we could have the wedding anywhere, and the hall was easier for both us and our guests. But most of the weddings I've been to have had the ceremony at a Church, and I've never minded as a guest at all...

same here

Soon2BeMrsS Posted: Nov 25, 2005 05:02 PM

Re: Brides who are having/had their wedding ceremony @ reception hall....

Posted by Happybride2005

Posted by ShortBride

We're Jewish, so we could have the wedding anywhere, and the hall was easier for both us and our guests. But most of the weddings I've been to have had the ceremony at a Church, and I've never minded as a guest at all...

same here

If there isn't too much time between the ceremony & reception it's not a big deal but for the weddings that were 4 hours before the reception it was a real pain