When someone pops the question, a new question soon follows. Now that you’re engaged, it’s time to start planning the big day — and the first thing you’ll need to decide is where the wedding will be.
It’s not an easy decision. In fact, it’s ripe with possible drama. Relatives who insist that they won’t travel, disagreements with your partner, and lobbying from parents (with or without the dangling of helpful wedding funds) will all come into play soon, and navigating this can be tricky. Here are a few places that you could choose to get married, along with some reasons why they may or may not work well for you.
The bride’s hometown
If you’re a strict traditionalist, there’s an easy answer to the question of where to host your wedding: In the bride’s hometown, of course! That’s what tradition dictates.
Well, things are more complicated than that. While it’s true enough that the bride’s hometown is the most “traditional” choice, there’s not much reason to consider that a mandate today. These days, guests and family members rarely expect that a wedding will be in the hometown of the bride. If they do, they’re out of line: It’s your choice.
Getting married in the bride’s hometown heads off potential drama with guests and travel, at least in theory, because it’s the “default” choice by tradition. On the other hand, the traditional choice is rarely the most exciting one, and many modern brides no longer live anywhere near their old hometown. Some modern couples may not like the idea that the groom’s family will be asked to travel farther than the bride’s.
The place where you met
Couples build memories and friendships in the places where they meet. If you met in college, you may want to consider a university building or on-campus chapel as a wedding venue. If you met in a city you’ve since left, you may want to look at travel times and venue prices to see whether a return would be an ideal way to host your wedding.
Of course, you may now live far from where you met. And if you met while studying abroad in London, it may not be reasonable to ask your entire guest list to jet over there to watch you get hitched. Some couples will find this option to be neither convenient nor traditional enough.
Where you live now
Simple, right? If you’re looking for a compromise pick that will keep both you and your guests happy, hosting your wedding near where you live is a smart and safe choice. It’s convenient to you and your current friend group, and planning will be easier when you’re so close to the venue and other wedding essentials.
On the flip side, a wedding in your current city of residence may not be the most exciting thing for your big day. You may want to return to a wedding suite instead of your home or apartment, and who can blame you? If your friends and relatives live far from your current home, or if your current home is in a pricey place like New York City (where wedding can be stunningly expensive), then this strategy might not work.
In your dream vacation destination
A destination wedding is the ultimate choice in wedding locations, but it’s not without its own drawbacks. Destination weddings can be tough to plan, and they come with plenty of stresses and expense. They’re likely to force you trim your guest list down a bit, and guests may be less likely to make it if they are asked to travel far.
On the plus side, a destination wedding offers you the once-in-a-lifetime chance to place the most important event of your life so far in the most beautiful place that you could possibly imagine. It’s your chance to combine the best decision you’ve ever made with the best place you’ve ever been, and to create a memory that you’ll treasure forever. Professionals can ease the stress of planning, one Iceland wedding planner explains, and the right location can leave the bride, groom, and the most important guests all happy.
So where will you get married? Each choice has pros and con, but remember that the decision is yours to make with your partner. Get married where you want to get married.
