Wedding Times

When you’re thinking about how many people you should invite to your wedding, you need to remember several things. Not only do you need to take into consideration people’s feelings should they not receive an invite but you also need to think about your budget and the space where you will be holding your ceremony and reception. And just because you invite everyone doesn’t mean that they’ll all attend and so, how can you determine what those numbers will be? There’s a lot to take into consideration and it can be overwhelming but there are a few simple steps that can help you along the way.

Consider your Space

If your venue only allows for 150 people, you simply cannot invite more people than that. Although it may be tempting to squeeze in a few more people, it will only make people uncomfortable and the space will become very crowded. Not only do you want to make sure the space can hold everyone but that your guests will still have room to mingle, dance, and move around without feeling cramped.

Consider your Budget

Other than space, the next major factor in deciding how many people you can have at your wedding will depend on your wedding budget. It generally costs approximately $20/person whether you are having a buffet or a plated dinner so even if you don’t have exact caterer details nailed down, this is the number it’s generally safe to use when determining how many guests your budget will allow.

Consider their Feelings

It’s true that it is your big day and so before anything else, you need to be happy with the decisions that are made. But consider how hurt a certain aunt or uncle would be if they weren’t invited and you can understand why it’s important to take people’s feelings into consideration when you are deciding on your guest list. In order to avoid hurt feelings it’s wise to first make a list of people that must receive an invitation such as your immediate family and your closest friends. Once this is complete, you can then start adding people to it in order of how important it is to you that they be there. This will avoid a situation where your long-distance aunt isn’t invited but your old roommate from college is.

How Many will Come?

Whether you are having a large or a small wedding, just because you invite people doesn’t mean that they will come. There is some basic math that you can follow, after you have determined how many people you are inviting, to determine approximately how many people will show up.

85% of people who are invited and live in the local area will attend

50% – 65% of out-of-town guests will attend

75% of people who are single and attending will bring a guest (which you must include on the invite)

When deciding on how many people to invite to your wedding, the most important thing is that you are ultimately happy with the guest list. However, because it’s such a major decision and one that will affect almost every aspect of wedding planning, it’s important to consider and take the necessary steps to ensure that everyone that you need to be is there and that they all have a lot of fun!