How to please everyone? Group travel & co-lodging

I would suggest you also think about the logistics and group dynamics for your trip.

If you all know each other, but live in separate cities and this wedding is a chance for
all of you to spend time with each other, that makes a difference in how you look at
things. The common time matters more and the day trips matter less.

If everyone knows each other well enough to want to do things together (other than
the wedding), then you rent 1 van, not 4 cars, and everyone needs to be able to get
to the lodging in some relatively convenient way.

If everyone is most likely going to do their own thing(s) re day trips, then the time
you will have together is breakfast and dinner, and arrangements need to be
considered, as these things won't necessarily plan themselves.

Renting a place may become a issue of availability, esp in the summer.

Aside from the obvious option of getting 4 hotel rooms with a half board option,
renting a house and hiring a chef can make things really convenient and reduce
the amount of planning anyone has to do. No one has to do any grocery shopping
or make any restaurant reservations (even if someone likes doing that, it can get
onerous when everyone else assumes you're going to take care of it).

I realize this is not the angle you are looking at things at, but I have planned many
a group trip and these types of things tend to be overlooked.

Before suggesting an area, when will this trip take place? Will your parties have several rental cars or are you hoping to use public transportation? Since each party is arriving separately, will some need easy transportation to/from Paris CDG?

Look at Quimper (Kemper in Breton). It’s not super close to Rennes, but within your 2-hour range by train, maybe a little longer by car.

For lodging, are you looking at Airbnb, VRBO, and also Gîtes de France?

These are really good points you all bring up.
We all live in the same city, and know eachother well enough & enjoy the company. This will be our first time ever traveling together or being in close quarters for this duration. I do think everyone gets along well. We plan to do somethings together while respecting that others might want to do different things at times. We are thinking of just doing 1 big rental van (or maybe 2 cars if needed).
Proximity to train station is great, especially if theres a high speed train that allows for farther travel. Having a chef is a super great idea, I hadn't even considered that as an option! How would one even go about this?

The trip is taking place in Mid to late July (19 to 27). Most of us are flying into Rennes and out of paris.

Quimper looks magnificent! We will look around here too, thanks for the recommendation. Been. Checking for houses on Gites de france, per a friend recommendation. Are airbnb and vrbo common to use in france? Wanting to make sure we get a host thats reliable. Would hate to have it cancelled on us last minute!

bbbbb........
We had 7 of us for 10 days in the Dordogne in June 2023. We rented a four bedroom 3 bath house through Gites-de-France (an excellent source! Way better than AirBandB and been in business longer). We rented 2 cars for the 7 of us.
We had breakfast each morning together and enjoyed realxing in the evening together. Some meals we cooked (but did nothing too taxing...grilled steak or fish, fresh veggies, salad, bread, cheese. It was a treat to shop at the local (open-air) markets for food, and to get fresh croissants for breakfast each day. (Boulangeries are never hard to find nearby in France.) A roast chicken can be easily found also. We ate out for lunch as we did our touring/sightseeing/exploring. A few nights we ate at a restaurant. One night some of us went out for pizza and some of us stayed in and ate potluck of what we had.
Brittany is a good location and you could probably find appropriate-sized lodging there. Where you choose to stay in relation to Rennes may depend on what month you will be there. Winter in the area can be cold, rainy and gray. Brittany has an inspirational coastline, and sites such as Carnac, Quimper with its cathedral, charming towns and coastal walks, a unique Celtic culture closely related to Ireland and Wales. It stands out, IMO to the rest of France due to its location which includes the westernmost point of France and its unique culture. You could take a day trip to Mont St Michel, visit Dinan and/or St Malo, or Nantes.

Also, the food is great there!

I see we crossposted. You will be there July 19-27. The Cornouaille Festival in Quimper this year is July 23-26. Musica, dance, traditional costumes. Wish I could go!

Oh yes...a big rental van will be difficult, if not impossible to fit in many of the small village streets. And do consider the parking situation in some cities and towns.

With regards to chefs, let Google do the work. If you can make contact with one
chef, they are usually pretty well networked and can refer you if you're out of their
region or already booked. Many of them have websites and that allows you to
see what packages/options they offer. Usually they can do a special one-off event,
or a package of breakfasts/dinners.

It may seem expensive at first, but if you were thinking of going out every night
and were planning something more upscale than burgers, it ends up being close
to a wash. They can usually tailor the package to your specific budget and dietary
restrictions.

The chef may also be able to acquire wine for you at supermarket or wholesale
prices. In the Alps there are wine distributors that service the mountain chalets.
Not sure about Brittany.

Knowing someone at home and traveling with them are two different things. We all have quirks and they will manifest on trips, especially with such a large group.

Meals, where to eat, and what to eat should be discussed, especially if some have allergies or don’t like certain type foods.
How will food costs be distributed among the group. If someone doesn’t drink alcohol or drinks much less than others how is it calculated. Also, cost distribution for foods that only some of the group want.
If the group goes out for dinner, decide prior to the trip how the bill will be split.
Rental vehicle and fuel costs and who pays what part also need to be discussed.
Additionally, how it will work if not everybody wants to do the same things, especially if there’s only one vehicle.
Decide prior to the trip, who will drive the rental vehicle. Ensure any drivers are on the rental contract and get an IDP prior to the trip.

Discussing these type items prior to the trip can help avoid awkward situations once you’re there.

Quimper is a very pretty place; I think it would be a good choice.

In case you have some extra time while you're in Maxent for the wedding, I thought Vitre and Fougeres were both very nice places to spend a few hours.

Places on or near the coast in Brittany or Normandy are great destinations in July, which can be very uncomfortably hot in much of France. Brittany and Normandy tend to be overcast and cooler. If a (rare) heatwave descends, it will be a real anomaly and will not stick around for the duration of your trip.

So you want this to be your base and you'll go to the wedding in Rennes from the house?

Vannes on the southern coast of Brittany, directly south of Rennes. Wonderful old city for architecture, direct train to Paris, 2 hours to Rennes, next to the famous prehistoric standing stone sites, festivals in summer, plenty of hiking trails and the beaches, and every town has a soccer field.

A number of years ago, we were part of large group trips in Italy. 3 times. Some people were repeaters; others not. We evolved some guidelines, and I recommend you do so beforehand.
1st year: We created a kitty. Anyone who made purchases reimbursed themselves. (Most meals were cooked in-house by ourselves.)
2nd time: Acohol consumption. Some were teetotalers; others downed at least a bottle of wine every night. The former were unhappy about subsidizing the drinking of the latter on the previous trip. Solution was to have a separate kitty for alcohol purchases.

Cars: Having several small cars eliminates any problem of deciding on day trips. We had rented a car that held 4. Every evening we would announce our next day’s trip destination and invite any 2, who wished, to join us. Others with cars did the same. Also, as has been noted, large vehicles are disfunctional in old European towns.

bbbbb,
We two traveled with 3 other family members for 3 weeks in the northern half of France. The other three hadn't been before and we were the "guides" who would give them thumbnail sketches of Paris, the Loire valley, Normandy, Brittany, some of Burgundy, and the Alsace region, plus Verdun and Reims. Before we left I had everyone list what was important for them to see and/or do on this trip. Taking these into account I drew up a general route which everyone reviewed, and they put in any changes or comments on them. Each step was suggested and only those things which we all agreed upon were incorporated into our plan. It wasn't as difficult as it sounds.
I did the search for lodging, offered up options, and the "newbies" chose from my list (curated based on everyone's budget, etc.) The other three sometimes took a triple room and other times a double and a single. We rented two cars.
I also obtained any tickets that required ahead of time reservations for sights, activities, etc. after finalizing our "schedule". When our itinerary (somewhat loose) was firmed up I sent it to everyone for review. The other three rented their car on their own. I had reserved lodging and paid for that and a few activities, which they repaid me for at the end of the trip. (Easy to calculate as they had separate rooms from us.) We were able to easily get a separate check for us at our restaurant meals. And we took care of our own gas, snacks, souveniers, sight-entrance fees, phone plans. Basically, all these things were decided on BEFORE the trip, so there were no problems money-wise.

When in places such as Reims, we could wander on our own to see the sights at our own pace, meeting up for dinner. All our drives were less than three hour stretches, broken up by stops for a meal or a hike or a visit to a sight en route (e.g. Jumieges Abbey between Rouen and Bayeux or Fontenay Abbey between Chambord and Beaune or Verdun between Colmar and Reims).
I guess the main point here, is that we were all agreed on the plans and "rules" and finances ahead of time, so we didn't waste a lot of time with "What shall we do today?", and divvying up the expenses. We made the most of all three weeks. The "newbies" still talk about how well the trip went and how much fun they had.

I stayed in Angers in 2019, mainly to spend a day at the Château d'Angers fortress & also enjoyed the city. I liked the fortress so much that it’s one of my enlarged canvas prints in my home office. That location would give you plenty of day trip options with either train or cars and everything on your wish list.

I would definitely opt for multiple cars vs. a van. Someone is apt to be running late, and the prompt ones in your group can leave for the wedding at a time that doesn’t stress the entire group.

Consider the pros & cons for options such as a large home vs. separate rooms in a chateau hotel that has a nice conversational place vs.a hotel with a pool to gather. In a city convenience vs. countryside, etc.

Expectations: ensure the cost split is okay with the 3,2,2,1. Is the cost split per bedroom or per person? Things like that can unexpectedly cause hurt feelings.

WhatsApp or similar is a good way to communicate or share spur of the moment ideas, i.e. “I’m heading over to an art museum in 30 minutes. Anyone interested?”

I would opt for 2 similar cars, equal cost per car, rental and insurance cost split eight ways. Gas? Total up for both at end of trip and split 8 ways again (Unless someone(s) in the group take a very long road trip, your mileages will probably be very close for each car.
And a definite yes for all drivers to have an IDP (from AAA) and a driver's license that isn't close to expiration.

I second Vannes as a good choice, along with Nantes. But I am partial to Brittany as far as the coast goes.

What is the experience level of your group? Some people have unreasonable expectations as to what can be seen in a specific amount of time, or are intimidated by being in a foreign country. For your own sanity, don't feel responsible for everybody's having a good time.

What Stan said. And his comment about people expecting to be able to do way more in the time they have is very important. One of the common themes I have seen on this forum is travelers expecting to do more than is possible in the time available. Travel experience or inexperience will affect your plans. And yes to not feeling responsible for everyone's good time.

You're probably not at all interested in this, but I found this charming lodging of forest cabins with nordic baths when I was planning my trip. I wasn't able to squeeze it in my itinerary but I see it's quite near Maxent. It's called Le Domaine Insolite de Brocéliande on google if that helps! In my experience with group trips, sometimes a little bit of space is a good thing.

Individual gîtes, cabines, bungalows, rooms lessens the problem of a large house where one couple sleeps on tiny twin beds in the kids room, the single person gets stuck with the pullout couch, another couple gets the attic room where you can’t stand up. They all share a bath and toilet, while the winners get the master with private bath and toilet. Oops. Someone isn’t going to be happy.

We did a similar trip with 6 people in Tuscany a few years ago - 3 groups of 2. We rented 2 cars (one group of 2 didn't want to drive), and rented a house with enough bedrooms and bathrooms for each group. We had a plan for day trips, and generally all went together for those. But having 2 cars was nice when one group wanted to detour, or split up for errands, or whatnot. We all put in group ideas, and then generally agreed on plans for the day.

We enjoyed sitting together drinking wine we had bought locally and snacks in the sun room, during the sunset overlooking the Val d'Orcia. So if it were me, I would pick having a space you can eat/relax in together (which sometimes is harder in hotels with a group). but your group should pick what they prefer.

The biggest issue we had was one of the non-drivers wanted to not leave until 10-11am, but the drivers didn't want to be driving too late at night so the late sleeper got overruled by the group. Talking about how to solve those kinds of disagreements ahead of time is really helpful. We also just put in the meal charges we ate together in one big list and split the costs evenly since we generally had a similar amount of food/wine and split courses frequently.