bride and grrom walking on a city steet during their city wedding

Everything You Need to Know About Having a City Wedding

While some couples opt for a romantic wedding in the country or in their hometown, a city wedding can be a glamorous event with its own advantages and disadvantages. When you choose to get married in a large metropolitan area, your guests will have an easier time flying in or finding accommodations, but parking and budget may be more of an issue.

That’s why we put together some tips on hosting your wedding in a large city to help you prepare for and plan the wedding of your dreams with the glow of those big city lights!

Make sure your budget has wiggle room

The costs of wedding vendors in a city wedding tend to be significantly higher than in a smaller town or in a suburban or rural area. You will have to add more room in your budget for everything from catering to your venue to hair stylists and makeup artists. When meeting with vendors and signing contracts, be sure to ask for a breakdown of their costs and clarify any additional fees, such as setup or breakdown.

Backshot of the bride and her veil

Bride and groom kissing at the side of the city

Have a clear parking plan

While hosting your wedding in a large city means guests have multiple ways to reach your venue, they may have more of a challenge with parking. To help everyone out, talk to your reserved hotels and venue about parking options so you can provide your guests with that information on your wedding website. If parking is limited, consider providing transportation, such as a shuttle service that will bring guests to and from their hotels to your venue. It also doesn’t hurt to create a map to help guests get around, especially if there is any walking or public transportation involved.

 

Take traffic into consideration

While distances between locations in your city may seem short on a map, traffic can have a huge impact on how long it takes to get from one location to another. Be sure to check if there are any events going on during your wedding weekend, such as parades, major sporting events or even construction, that could cause traffic issues or force your guests to take alternate routes. The more information you have, the more detail you can offer your guests, allowing them to plan accordingly.

Bride shot

Bride and groom kissing in the middle of the city's street for everything you need to know about a city wedding article

Look into any permits you need

If you plan to take photos in any public spots, such as a local park or landmark, your photographer may need a permit to avoid any issues. It’s essential to do your research and understand the rules around photography in your city. After all, the last thing you want is to miss out on special photos of your wedding day just because you didn’t have the proper permits.

Pay attention to the noise

When you are choosing a city wedding or reception venue, be sure to ask about noise. This goes for the hotels where you reserve rooms as well. If possible, you want to keep your wedding events and your guests away from concert and sporting venues, major highways or interstates or train tracks that can be a source of noise pollution and can cause issues for your ceremony, as well as your guests’ comfort.

Formal shot of the groom and groomsmen

Provide resources for your guests

If you plan on having a lot of out-of-town guests, be sure to provide them with as many resources as possible to make their stay easier. That includes directions for driving, walking and public transportation, as well as the best restaurants to visit and sights to see while they’re in town. Your wedding website is the perfect place to organize all this information and keep everyone up to date.

Let's Talk About Your City Wedding!

"Ralph Deal Photography is the only photographer you should trust to capture your wedding day. He is by far the absolute best. His photos are breathtaking! I posted 500 of his photos from our wedding day on my fb profile because I literally couldn't choose which ones to share since they were all so amazing. I honestly can't say enough great things about him. He kept me calm on the wedding day and kept us on schedule without sacrificing quality or quantity. I don't know how he does it and honestly I don't care. I have the most amazing photos from our wedding day and I have them forever. He's the best. Hands down. Hire him now! Don't even look anywhere else. He's the REAL DEAL!"

-Mallory Greene

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