Your Vision for Your Day
First make a date with your fiancé to sit down and talk about where to have your ceremony. Set aside a few hours and together list some of the possible places for a wedding. Perhaps there are some you haven't thought of, and this time together can inspire you to consider them as potential candidates for the perfect wedding site.
Try not to rule anything out at first. Sometimes a location that's not a church or synagogue that seems expensive at certain times of the year — especially a destination wedding location — may be affordable during the off-season.
There may be upgrades and amenities available if you persist in thoroughly investigating a promising location. Maybe the setting sounds good to one of you but not the other. At least do some research, consider the possibility, talk about it, then decide.
The Ceremony Site Starts It All
The ceremony site will dictate everything else about the wedding — attire, reception possibilities, transportation requirements, decorations — so it makes sense to start planning the wedding here.
Some couples want to have both the wedding and the reception in the same place. They don't want a big gap in their day, especially if time spent taking photographs after the wedding will slow the celebration down.
Then again, the location may simply lend itself to having both ceremony and reception there.
Alert
If you're stressed about all the decisions you have to make and how much money the wedding will cost you, remember that in the end what matters is how happy you and your fiancé are that day — not that every last detail of the ceremony and reception is perfect.
If, however, you want to be married in a religious ceremony in a church, synagogue, or other place of worship, it's fine to have the reception elsewhere. Sometimes a church or synagogue doesn't have a reception hall or can't accommodate your needs.
What's Most Important?
By this point in your life, you've probably attended several weddings and observed (even critiqued) even more on television and at the movies. You've formed an idea of what's important to you. Regardless of whether you have a modest or a luxurious budget, it's very important to incorporate your priorities.
If you have your heart set on a seaside location, don't rule it out because you live in a landlocked area. Rethink your options and be creative. If you can't travel to the water, maybe a gorgeous park with a fountain will work just as well.
