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Let me tell you, I have seen my share of raised eyebrows when people hear my answer as to the location of our wedding. It seems that people think that we are crazy to sacrifice this:
For this:
With the struggle of the automotive industry, my hometown just east of Toronto has taken quite a hit. The city most famous for a historical strike, has been (harshly) described in a recent newspaper article as “little more than a hollowed-out downtown surrounded by sprawl”.
So, when given a choice between having our wedding in the beautiful state of Vermont, or in Ontario, our choice was clear: we were getting married in Oshawa.
The decision was an obvious one because of several factors. First of all, since (realistically) I would be the one responsible for most of the planning, it made sense to plan the wedding in a community that I was familiar with. Second, my Polish family does not understand the concept of a “destination wedding” (much like Mama Sea Breeze). If I sent them invites to a wedding in Vermont, I wouldn’t be surprised if 75% of them just sent a gift. Actually, that’s incorrect, they would probably insist on an at home party, or invite themselves over to Mama Pudding’s house to celebrate (with or without Mr. Pudding and me).
But the final, and perhaps most important reason why we decided to have the wedding in Ontario is the fact that it is Polish custom to be married in the bride’s hometown. I have heard that this is custom in North America as well, but it’s not as strictly followed. I wanted to get married where I grew up, and it meant the world to Mama Pudding to be “the hostess” of the wedding.
Luckily, Mr. Pudding knew how much this meant to me and did not put up a fuss.
Is your wedding in a location that others might find “undesirable”?
Not “undesirable” - LA & Disneyland are hardly “undesirable” by many peoples’ standards - but most of the Hawaii contingent of my family wishes that we were having the wedding in my hometown of Waikapu on Maui. But since I haven’t lived there in over a decade (educational & then professional reasons), and since my church is here in LA, we’re having the wedding(s) here. But like the Pudding Family, my family insists on having a big party to celebrate, so, come Christmastime 2010, there will be a swinging party in Hawaii to celebrate our marriage.
We are having our wedding in the oldest living botanical garden in the U.S. Unfortunately, it is also in the GHETTO of Philadelphia. Fortunately, as soon as you turn off of the road and towards the river, you it’s no longer the ‘hood but a gorgeous, rustic 400 acre wonderland. It’s like an oasis in the middle of skid row.
It’s got a private, secure parking lot and is totally safe. But I have the feeling that some guests may have something to say about the area. But I don’t care!
@ms.pascua: You’re like the opposite of me (choosing a nicer location over pleasing family vs pleasing family over choosing a nicer location). It just goes to show that someone will be upset no matter what you choose!
My FI is southern, and I know a lot of his relatives were a little miffed we’re having a wedding in our VERY northern city (and that he’s not marrying a religious, conservative southern girl in the first place, but that’s a whole other story). 
Our wedding was about 45mins-1hr away from my hometown and Mama Frenchie thought some ppl might be put out having to drive that far. We chose our venue b/c it was special to Mr Frenchie and I, and b/c it was MUCH cheaper than the venues closer to my house. In the end out guest were not put out at all (at least not that I ever heard)
Well, I have gotten some flack for the name of my venue - we’ll be married in an old Torpedo Warehouse…yes, that’s right - a shelter for making old bombs! In the middle of a forested park none-the-less! Hehehe! It’s truly beautiful though. It’s wierd to hear the name if you haven’t been there before. But it’s amazing and I wouldn’t change one thing about it!
As for getting married in your home town - As soon as I turned 18 I ran away from our small community, screaming, looking for something bigger and better! I had a great childhood growing up, but I wouldn’t want to get married there!
Torpedo Warehouse at Manchester State Park, Port Orchard, Washington
just think of it as you own little contribution to boosting Toronto’s economy!
I think maybe Mr. Ts entire family might find it “undesirable” only because they have to travel three states to get there, but I know they don’t mind! We’re getting married in our home town that we both lived in until recently. Mr. T just moved up to MN and I’ll be moving there at the end of this month. But to me it made sense to do it where we both grew up, and where both of our parents live. It made the initial planning stages much easier, with us both being there.
Miss Pudding, you’re a local!! I didn’t realize this! My friend is getting married here a year after you, you’ll have to let us know if you find any good deals 
FI and I are actually getting married out in the boonies, a place that’s anywhere from 2.5 - 8 hours drive from any of our relatives! Our families pretty much expect to have to travel for any kind of family event though. We’ll just have to make sure to block lots of rooms at the hotel!
I think it’s cool that you’re having your wedding in your hometown, especially since you have such a connection to it.
Yeah, we’re getting married in a converted factory, which is I guess to some people sort of “undesirable.” The neighborhood is definitely pretty industrial, and so is the building on the outside, but on the inside it’s beeeeautiful. And they have weddings there every weekend so it’s not like we’re breaking any new ground. On the other hand, it’s not your typical hotel ballroom!
A lot of people (my mom included) thought we were crazy for having our wedding in Manhattan. The logistics, the expense, egads! It was a logistical nightmare to coordinate and it was expensive so we had to sacrifice in other ways, but it was what was the most special to us! Do what you feel is right!
We’ll be having our wedding in HIS hometown. Because that’s where we live now, and it’s more convenient.
My wedding is in a place that most would consider undesireable, Detroit City. I call it our desitnation Detroit Wedding since neither one of us is from there, nor do we live there now.
Yes, I’m Polish and our wedding was in our hometown, in the same hall where many of my family members had their wedding receptions. When the hubs found out it was available, he knew that was where I wanted to get married so there was no question that we would (he’s a great man!). Sure, its in a crappy and quite scary neighborhood, but I lived there for half my life and that’s where my family immigrated to from Poland (both sides of my family) and stayed until we moved to where we live now.
I was initially a little concerned that some of our guests might be, I don’t know, annoyed? at the fact that they’d have to travel and pay money to be with us on our wedding day, but everyone was really excited when we first told them of our plans.
Yes, our location is a bit undesirable to some people, and boy are we tired of hearing about it! It’s about an hour drive for most guests, and I can’t tell you how many times I have heard, “What are you doing that for?” We live in an area where most things are an hour away, so I really don’t understand why some people are giving us such a hard time. My FI’s sister and brother try to change our mind every time we see them, and I am at the point where I don’t want to talk about the wedding at all with them anymore. We do have people who are excited about the location, so I am trying not to let it bother me.
I think your wedding is going to be amazing! Who cares if it’s not on a mountain, it’s your hometown baby!
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Mrs. Pudding, Greater Toronto Area/Vermont Age and Occupation: 26, High School Teacher Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Computer Engineer Engagement Date: August 2008 Wedding Date: July 2010 Venue: Catholic Ceremony, Cultural Hall Reception About Me: Quite literally a citizen of the world, I was born in Poland, grew up in Canada, and now live in the beautiful state of Vermont. I love reading historical biographies, multi-tasking, teasing my hair, and, despite my height, wearing high heeled shoes. I am the ultimate klutz with an uncanny ability to put on a graceful front. Mr. Pudding and I have been dating for over six years, and are very excited to finally merge our (very large) families. We are planning a traditional Polish-Catholic wedding that is anything but predictable.
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