Weddingbee Blog

I am going to rewind a bit for this post (reverse reverse, everybody clap your hands).

Like most newly engaged couples, one of the first things Mr. P and I decided was where our wedding festivities were going to happen. Basically, we had three options: 1. my hometown; 2. Mr. Pony’s hometown; or 3. a tropical destination. We thought long and hard about the benefits and drawbacks to each option. Well, not really. But we did make a pros/cons list for each option and picked the one that worked the best for us and our loved ones.

My hometown—Bloomington/Normal, Illinois

Image by A. Strickler via Inhabitat (The Normal Part)

Image by Offbeat Photography via Flicker (The Bloomington Part)

Pros: the most traditional option; all my family lives here; a lot of our friends live within driving distance (under two hours); planning proximity; familiarity with the area

Cons: ALL of Mr. Pony’s family would have to travel at least six hours by car; not exactly known for its amazing wedding venues or scenery (unless you like fields of corn and beans)

Mr. Pony’s Hometown—West Tennessee

*Pony personal photo

Pros: close to Mr. P’s family; very pretty location

Cons: my entire family would have to travel; vast majority of our friends would have to travel; would have to plan long distance; only marginally familiar with the area and venues

Tropical Destination

Pros: beaches; sun; drinks; vacation; beautiful pictures

Cons: cost + everyone must travel = less of our friends and family would be able to attend; less control over details; less DIY; possible language barrier

Also, how would we ever choose from so many gorgeous locations?

Image by Phil Steingard via Weddingbee

Image by Blair’s Eye View via Weddingbee

Image via Paradise Cruise Weddings

While we really wanted to go the destination route, I couldn’t shake the guilt I would feel over:

1. Making people spend so much money just to attend our wedding; or
2. Having so many friends and family miss our wedding because of the cost and location. We want our people to be able to attend our wedding, and we want them to not go broke while attending it.

We decided to leave our dreams of the beach for the honeymoon instead.

So, we were down to one of our hometowns. Unfortunately, either way one of our families would have to travel to make it to our wedding. So, it came down to the location that would make the most sense to us. For the ease of the majority of our guests, we decided to have our wedding in Bloomington-Normal. While not known for being a mecca for wedding activities, it will (hopefully) be more detailed and personal because of this decision.

How did you decide on the location of your wedding?