Guest List Or Location ?

MS291988

Hi

Recently started planning our wedding and have looked at the venue which would be top of our list , which we loved

but for the cost and the crowd we are bringing there wasn't alot thrown in compared to other places i.e 2 complimentary bedrooms for the parents

we have a large crowd that we would be reluctant to cut

which do people think is better having everyone you want there or having it in the place you want with less the people?

thanks

baby and crumble

MS291988 wrote: »

which do people think is better having everyone you want there or having it in the place you want with less the people?

I'd wager you'll remember the people who attended far longer than whether you got free bedrooms for the parents.

MS291988

baby and crumble wrote: »

I'd wager you'll remember the people who attended far longer than whether you got free bedrooms for the parents.

obviously , that was just an example

but its the cost of having everyone there in the place we want , its alot and when we look at other places it has extras thrown in

so we are just torn

stargazer 68

Is the costs for the guests much different i.e price to stay over or travel there?

MS291988

Dovies wrote: »

Is the costs for the guests much different i.e price to stay over or travel there?

the place we want only has 14 bedrooms which would be filled through bridesmaids grooms men and family
but would only be 20euro max in taxi for most of the guests so logistically would be handy

other places we have looked at would be 30mins travel and would have to stay over

Anatom

Personally I would be looking at a combination of the two, if possible. Its better to have as many people staying there as possible - it adds to the atmosphere and the "post-wedding" afters in the residents' bar later, and also saves your guests from having to order taxis or staying sober to drive to their accommodation. They can arrive at the venue, check in and relax for the day.

On the other hand, I would also cut down on the numbers. Generally speaking I wouldn't be inviting many, if any, from work (i.e. no more than one or two) and would also cut down the number of "casual" friends in favour of more family instead. I invited three from work and I'm not really in touch with them any more as we've just drifted apart in the intervening time. Family, however, are always around!

Like someone else said there, you'll remember more the party and who was there on the day than whether you got a deal for x number of parents or wedding party.

Still, its your day so if you really, really like the venue and that's what most important to you rather than who you have there, then press ahead...

baby and crumble

I didn't mean to be flippant in my original reply, OP. I just thought that was the issue.

For us, we had quite a lot to contend with finding our venue. We needed somewhere that was Dublin city centre (so people could go home afterwards), an all-in-one venue to cut out travelling for guests, we needed somewhere all on one level for accessibility reasons, and somewhere that was within our budget. Luckily, the venue we chose ticks all those boxes and is the type of venue that looks full with 80 but can accommodate up to 120, easily. So we don't have to worry too much about numbers. The main downside is that the rooms for guests are expensive- really expensive. But because it's Dulin city centre (where about 90% of guests are coming from) it's not that big of a deal for it. It's mostly my friends and family (I'm a culchie!) who need to stay somewhere, but again because it's city centre, there's options. Nobody HAS to stay in the hotel. I get what people are saying about atmosphere if people are staying in different places or going home afterwards, but we're organising brunch somewhere in the city the next day for family and closest friends to meet back up if they fancy.

My point is (longwided, I know) that only you can make the decisions of location vs guests, simply because you know your guests. We got lucky because our venue is perfect for us, and ticked pretty much all of our boxes and we knew that as soon as we visited it.

Bacchus

MS291988 wrote: »

the place we want only has 14 bedrooms which would be filled through bridesmaids grooms men and family
but would only be 20euro max in taxi for most of the guests so logistically would be handy

other places we have looked at would be 30mins travel and would have to stay over

To be clear... the other venues are a 30 minute drive from where you live or from where the majority of your guests will be coming from? If it was 30 minutes away, I'd probably get a taxi home to be honest. Could you run the risk of these bigger venues ending up that half your guests don't even stay? Not sure if that's a good or bad thing though. Guests might like to be able to go home at the end of the night.

Also, what is €20 taxi in distance/time terms? 15 minutes? In which case, does it matter that there aren't that many bedrooms in the preferred venue? To your guests, a €20 taxi is probably far more appealing than €100+ on a hotel room they will barely use and have to vacate at 11am the next morning.