Hi guys,
I'm back with another dilemma!! I've been really driving myself mad lately, torn between continuing to plan a traditional, fairly big wedding out of town, or changing to an alternative option in the GTA.
The venue we've currently booked is in my hometown (London, ON) which is about 2 hours away from basically all of our guests except my parents and MOH. Originally we decided to have the wedding there because a) the venue is absolutely gorgeous and we love it, and b) we can't afford a Toronto wedding. FH's family and all of my extended family are mostly from the GTA/Barrie area. It's about a 2-3 hour drive for most of the guests -- but once they arrive, their hotel rooms are onsite, so they can drink and party and then just stumble to bed. I've booked off big blocks at a discounted rate to accommodate everyone and there are plenty of air bnb options if people really don't want to spend $$ on a hotel. Even still, I've gotten a bit of negative feedback from certain people, and now it's haunting me and making me unsure of the whole thing even though I really like the venue and have tried to make it a comfortable and easy experience for guests.
The only way FH and I can afford to keep the wedding in the GTA is by having a less traditional set-up. Like a very small ceremony + dinner with only immediate family and very close friends, followed by a big casual reception party where extended family are invited. We both have big families, and so having a fully intimate wedding is not really an option. They have to be included somehow, but we certainly can't afford to feed them all dinner and open bar with T.O. pricing.
SO... Thoughts? haha save me from my own brain!
