Why have your wedding ceremony and reception in one place?

Simple: it's easier for everyone all around. For some religious folks, it may be a priority to have their wedding at whatever church they attend. This is not only "for pictures," but to add an element of family and community to the day. In Catholicism for example, marriage is not just a legal union, but a sacrament, a "til death do us part" that is taken very seriously – and that's the case with many other faiths as well. So with that in mind, many people from religious families would not think of having a wedding outside the church, temple, mosque or synagogue where they attend services each week.

However, for the rest of us, religious or not, the simplicity of telling guests, "Be at X place at X time to watch us get married and then celebrate together," is really quite appealing. Wedding guests often travel from many miles away – we had couples who came in from Las Vegas and Rhode Island, for example. For folks like these especially, it's nice to be able to offer them a place to land and settle in once they get into town, without having to drive all over creation.

If "less complications, more joy" sounds like a welcome fact of your wedding day, then look into this option. First, talk to the manager of your wedding venue. For an additional $500 to set up a few hundred white chairs, roll out the runner, and decorate a wedding arch, we were able to transition smoothly from the ceremony to the party at the Somerville Elks Club. Next, ask the wedding officiator if this is possible. For most, travel time is included in the fee.

We were also given the option to have the ceremony outside on the patio, weather permitting. We did not end up doing this when all was said and done, but you may be able to.