Ceremony and Reception in the same place?

Question

How common is it to have the wedding ceremony and the reception in the same place?

I am planning an early September wedding, and do not want to pay a fee for a church (since neither of us a religous, it's not necesary for us), so I may have the ceremony in my parent's yard, which is also the most likely location for the reception.

Most weddings I've been to, the ceremony is in one place, and then you drive or go into a different building for the reception.

And how would I set it up? Would it be weird to see the reception tent from the seats for the ceremony?

Answer 1

Do it! We did. We held our ceremony and reception at a local nature preserve that had a historic house on the property (we used the porch as the altar). Immediately following the ceremony, the guests were guided down a path to the front of the house where they were served refreshments. While the guests were occupied, we had our photos taken and the staff set up the reception where the ceremony had just been. EVERYONE called us or our parents and said it was the most unique and beautiful wedding they had ever attended.

What you need to do is see if you can set up two distinct areas. If the reception tent must be in site, have it set up where you will have your backs turned to it during the ceremony and won't see it. In your programs, say something like "please gather in the flower garden for drinks immediately following the ceremony" or something like that. This distracts the guests while the reception is being set up (food brought out, dj set up, etc) and you get your photos taken. Another plus to having it all in one place is that your guests aren't kept waiting forever while you have your pictures taken and then waiting more for you to arrive.

TIP: Try to have your photos taken in a place where the guests won't know where you are or is too far for them to just walk up. That was the only pain in the butt thing about our wedding--people were getting in the way of the photographer and taking up time by telling us how to pose and things like that....or telling us to wait while they took the photo that the photographers just posed us for...it was a little annoying. Maybe you could find a neighbor with a pretty backyard....

Answer 2

This is very common, especially now that the laws are changed to allow people to have a civil ceremony in locations other than a church or registry office. In the UK there are loads of places that offer this, it is convenient as no one has to travel anywhere after the service, you can just get on with the celebrating. Not sure about a set up for you, sorry, it is still not legal in the UK to marry in someones back yard, so I have never been to a wedding like that, but I don't think it would be weird to see the reception tent, no, if everyone knows you are having the reception in the same place they would expect to see it.

Answer 3

I had my wedding ceremony and reception at our church (same place) but there was an issue just before the wedding and I considered having the ceremony in our backyard and having the receiption there too. (there were issues with parking, etc but I considered it). I think it would be fine, if you had enough space. You can certainly set up chairs for the ceremony and tables for the reception where people can see then, it's not a big deal at all. I actually know of expensive venues who do this also. Good luck.

Answer 4

Now it is very common for the ceremony to be in the same place as the reception.

I went to one wedding last year, where the ceremony was on the lawn under an arch of pine trees, it was beautifull. They just had the ceremony though, no readings, so all of the guest just stood for the not even 10 min. (There were about 5 chairs up front for elderly relatives.)

I went to another one in a ballroom of the hotel, set up for the reception. We, the guest, just stayed at our tables. The bride walked in, down an aisle formed by the wedding party, in the middle of the Dance floor.

Answer 5

It's not a strange as you think. I have been to a few weddings like that. Most of them were outdoor weddings, so the ceremony as at one spot with the reception being just a few feet away.

As a guest, I rather liked the fact I did not have to get back into the car and drive to another location. The party started a lot faster, and it all seemed to move very easy. All the ceremonies were standing only due to the short length, so when that was done we all just walked over to the reception area.

Answer 6

The venue you chose is beautiful. A couple of years ago my cousin had his wedding and reception in the same room. All those invited were friends and family and we actually sat at the tables during the wedding. They had the tables marked with bride's family/friends and groom's family/friends and had an aisle down the center of them. It was very beautiful. After the ceremony they went to the back room again and took a few photos and then the wedding party entered again and each person's name and relationship to the couple was announced. I think with the addition of the arch your's is going to be breathtaking and since you'll be entering from the stairs it will be even more elegant. There is just something so beautiful about a bride on a staircase. Congratulations.

Answer 7

More people do that than you think...I would definitely suggest getting tents, though, because you never know when rain or extreme heat might show up. A back-up plan is definitely needed. Depending on how big the backyard is and how many guests you are inviting/expecting you can put up pipe and drape that matches your color scheme...if you are that concerned about your guests seeing the reception area from their seats during the ceremony, then have a "wall" of sorts put up and save the surprise for the cocktails...

Answer 8

VERY popular and can be every bit as beautiful and elegant as a church wedding.
In fact, I'm about to perform a wedding for a young couple who I convinced to do this. The bride is so happy as she's chosen a lodge with beautiful surroundings for their wedding & reception.

Try to place the reception tent behind the wedding. If that's not possible, try to errect some sort of barrier like an arch or columns.
If you are doing this inside a repection hall, just select a space & decorate as you would any wedding altar.

Answer 9

Just add the words "to be followed by a reception" at the end of the invitations. If you aren't planning on providing a meal, you may want to include a qualifier, like "a dessert reception" so that people know to fortify themselves before arriving.

No, it won't be 'wierd' to have the reception tent in view. But make sure you plan the background for photos of you taking the vows.

Answer 10

I've been to a few like this and I think it's nice. I hate driving in traffic all over the place to the reception. I REALLY hate it when there is a huge gap of time between the two especially when i'm an out of town guest with no place to go.
jsut have the tent off to the side so that it wont' be in their main site and so that it won't be in any of your picutes. I think most guests will want to kiss you for not making them drive all over the place.