Who Came the Farthest?

A subject that comes up at wedding receptions – who came the farthest to be there for the wedding – is natural. Most of us can remember weddings for which people crossed continents and even oceans to be there. The exotic names of places become part of the bouquet of excitement that spreads over the gathering. The sign of importance that comes, with a guest or family member who might have started their journey from the other side of the world just to be there, adds an element to the celebration that can make it feel like even more of a privilege to be there.

From the viewpoint of the wedding, out into the world, the answer is sometimes acknowledged by awarding a prize to the longest-traveling guest as part of the wedding reception. Looking from the point of view of the guests themselves, the subject can spark a whole current of interesting conversations. And conversations are key, when you consider a gathering of guest, and even family members, who might not have seen each other for a long time, or who even might never have met at all.

An Unlimited Source

The topic is so discuss-able that Wedding Wire launched an ongoing chat called, “Farthest you’ve ever travelled to attend a wedding.” Ireland, India, and the Caribbean are currently among the most recent answers in that particular chat. Yet the answers extend as far as the planet allows, when we step back and ask about all weddings. It’s an unlimited source of interest among wedding guests, and clearly one element of the fun at the reception.

Within just recent memory, a family wedding included relatives from South Africa who emigrated to Australia and came to the wedding in Pasadena, California. (See? It’s even fun to say the names. No wonder people like to have this talk.)

An Adjustment for the Times

Just now, many wedding plans have taken an unexpected turn. The need for sensible precautions, in a time of challenges to the health of our loved ones, have prompted some weddings to be postponed. Many others have been modified to move forward.

Even the largest of venues now accommodate many fewer guests because of these precautions. Yet “getting smaller” just puts a sharper edge on one of the challenges of planning a wedding that already could be difficult – how to compose the guest list.

Embracing the World

A solution that is itself very much a sign of the times is to expand the guest list digitally. Not only is it possible, but increasingly it feels pretty normal. Careers have, for many, made digital conferencing an everyday phenomenon, or at least a feature of every week. Folks who thought a deal couldn’t be made without a handshake are finding otherwise.

What people are using to adapt in their careers can also be pressed into service to help fulfill the desires of their personal lives, too.

At the Harbour Town Lighthouse, the intimate, meaningful nature of our own venue made us pioneers in piping the occasion out farther, to those outside – in Harbour Town, in Paris, in Sydney, and far beyond. Our legacy includes a constant webcam that links the world to our breathtaking view. And although the webcam does not do that horizon justice, this feature put us ahead of the pack in our ability to plan an even better, custom video-audio-digital link for weddings.

As a true landmark, the symbol of America’s favorite vacation island, the Harbour Town Lighthouse has been a beacon for gathering wedding guests from near and far. And from here they return, sometimes to places quite distant, with memories that last a lifetime.