How Many People Should I Invite To My Wedding? 10 Easy Steps

How Many People Should I Invite To My Wedding? Get a sense of your budget and guest list soon after getting engaged and before you start looking at locations since one will undoubtedly affect the other. 

what is good news? One of the most irritating aspects of preparation will be completed after you have finished creating your guest list. 

Is it terrible news? Finding the right guests for your special day may be a difficult task, to say the least. 

However, before you start worrying, use this guide to determine not only how many guests to invite to your celebration but also the style of wedding you want. 

So let’s get started! Let’s look at some guest list statistics first.

How Many People Attend Weddings On Average?

Although couples have been choosing to invite fewer guests over the last few years, on average this number stays between 130 and 150. 

Having said that, some couples choose to have smaller, so-called “micro” weddings, which are characterized as having 50 or fewer attendees. 

Over 150 guests are typically invited to larger weddings.

What Proportion Of Invited Visitors Really Show Up?

Several variables affect how many guests will say “Yes” to attending a wedding. 

While it has been lower for weddings in 2020 and 2021, you can typically anticipate 75% to 80% of guests to attend. 

The number of guests at your wedding may fall towards the lower end of that range if it is a destination wedding. 

However, you should ALWAYS assume a full house, especially when determining your spending limit and venue capacity. 

Never extend an invitation to a group that exceeds your means or available space.

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Do You Want To Invite Kids And Extra Ones?

You should consider having children at your wedding as you create your guest list, as well.

If you can afford to allow single people to bring a guest. You should establish a basic guideline for both after making a decision. 

For instance, if you only want to invite your nieces and nephews, your child policy should be “kids in the wedding party only,” or “immediate family only.” 

You may decide whether to extend the invitation to all single attendees to bring a date or friend for plus ones.

If not, you might decide to only invite attendees with significant others or those who are in a committed relationship.

You should keep your coworkers in mind as well as your kids and plus ones. There is no need that you to invite your boss or anybody else from the office. 

Just be sure to let them know to keep their invitation on the DL if you know you want a few of your coworkers there. 

What if colleagues continue to enquire about your wedding? Mention subtly in conversation that your wedding will be modest and primarily for relatives.

How Many Invitations Ought To Go To Your Parents?

This might get a bit complicated, particularly if one set of parents is making much less or no financial contribution. 

As a general rule, the couple and both sets of parents should be represented on the guest list. 

Therefore, if your guest list is 100, you and your partner would each be able to invite 50 guests, and each set of parents would be able to invite 25 guests.

It is advisable to set aside time to discuss what their expectations are, as well as your budget and venue capabilities if your parents are not making financial contributions and insist on inviting many more people than you can afford. 

They may be kindly reminded that each visitor can cost more than $200 total, and you can then let the discussion continue. 

Depending on their guest list, they could wish to give more, or the dialogue might stop there. 

Whatever you choose, just make sure the dialogue is conducted in an open, sincere, and courteous manner. 

Everyone is just getting started with wedding preparations, so sometimes some gentle reminders may be needed.

How Many Guests Should I Extend An Invitation To My Wedding?

Following the discussion of the fundamentals of guest lists, the steps you need to follow when creating your guest list are as follows:

Step 1: Visualise The Type Of Wedding You Want

Does a large, crowded ballroom with black-tie attire seem like the ideal setting for your wedding? 

Or will a lovely table with candlelight and a little dance floor suit your tastes better? The number of attendees on your guest list will develop from the moment you and your spouse sit down and visualize your ideal wedding. 

There is a difference between asking how many guests you SHOULD invite to your wedding and how many guests you really WANT to invite! Think about the latter!

Step 2: Make A Guest List For Your Ideal Wedding

You should sit down with your spouse and make a preliminary list of everyone you would invite if money were not an issue before your wedding budget starts to creep in. 

Just make an effort to leave out everyone you’ve ever met! The list should still be limited to the individuals you really care about, such as your family, close friends, your parent’s friends, and others.

Step 3: Have The Dreadful Conversation About The Wedding Budget

You’ve envisioned every possible ideal scenario at this point, but reality has to bite. 

You and your spouse now need to have an open discussion about how much you want to spend on your wedding, taking into account any potential family donations mentioned above.

According to our most recent poll of more than 700 couples, the average cost of a wedding guest when you take into account food, beverages, rentals, wedding invites, etc. 

may vary from $200 to $500+ and averages $300 in the U.S. Although the number of guests you invite will have a direct impact on your budget, you don’t have to invite everyone on your list if you don’t want to. 

With 80 guests instead of 160, a $30,000 wedding budget will look quite different and provide you with more options for your location, cuisine, and even your choice of suppliers.

Step 4: Begin Making Those Difficult Choices

You’ll be able to estimate the number of people you can and want to invite after your wedding budget is established (remember to always go back to your “dream wedding vision” when in doubt).

Next, select those guests from your ideal wedding guest list who you simply could not imagine missing. 

This includes the “must-have” list of parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, and other family members whose attendance (or lack thereof) could even force you to change your plans.

Once you’ve established your A list, you can start considering the subsequent additions. 

Just remember that not every member of the family or every high school friend needs to be invited! Have you ever met those second cousins? 

If they are stressing you out, cross them off the list. When selecting the guests, consider the following inquiries:

• When was the last time we talked or I saw this person?

• Would I be upset if they were unable to attend?

• Was I sent a wedding invitation?

Once you’ve figured out the children’s and plus-one rules we mentioned earlier, you can take the rough guest list and estimate how many people are on it. 

Your search for a wedding location and your financial choices might then be influenced by this. 

And keep in mind: It’s OK to make a backup list that you may use when RSVPs with “no” come in. 

Just make sure to invite them as soon as you can. Receiving an invitation with an RSVP deadline that has already gone is the worst!

Step 5: How Many Guests Can I Assume Will Attend? 

Weddings often include 75–85% local attendees. But if you’re planning a destination wedding, you may anticipate a decrease in out-of-town guests’ attendance. 

Some couples may prepare for this and boost the number of guests they want to invite by 10% to 20%. 

Once they start receiving RSVPs, some people make a secondary list of people to invite. 

To estimate the number of A-list attendance, it is wise to send out save-the-date cards in advance. 

Step 6: Do You Feel At Ease Inviting Your Coworkers?

If you have close pals at work, you may be thinking of asking a few coworkers to your special day. 

Depending on how large your workplace or department is, you should decide whether or not to invite employees to your wedding. 

It may not be polite to invite everyone in a group of six if you leave out one individual. 

It becomes challenging to decide who gets invited and who doesn’t if you work with a large team with dozens of individuals often.

You could be more inclined to issue an invitation if you and the other person are close friends outside of the workplace. 

Don’t feel forced to offer an invitation to your employer, your supervisor, or you and your spouse want children present? or anybody else with whom you aren’t as close. 

Consider your connection with each employee (and whether or not they genuinely know or care about your partner) before deciding whether or not to invite them to your wedding.

Step 7: Do You And Your Spouse Want Children Present?

If you’re organizing an adult-only wedding, you’ll need to set rules up front and only invite those who are of legal age. 

You may decide, for instance, to exclude anybody under the age of 18 from the list. If you’re unsure whether or not children are acceptable, think about the time and atmosphere of your gathering. 

If you’d like, you might invite children to the wedding since morning and afternoon weddings tend to be more laid back. 

Evening events may have a higher likelihood of being child-free. 

If guests complain that they won’t be able to attend your wedding without their young children, tell them you’re sorry but that it would be unjust to the others you’ve turned away.

Step 8: Who Is An Absolute Need And Who Is Not?

Even if you have all the answers to the questions above, you can still have 300 names and a 175-person capacity for the location. 

Even if you and your spouse may feel horrible about it, keep in mind that it’s just a typical aspect of wedding preparation and not a dig at people who weren’t invited. 

People will understand as long as you make an effort to handle the situation sympathetically.

Concentrate on those who are relevant to your life both now and in five years. 

Be aware that you are not required to invite couples with whom you are no longer close, nor are you required to invite anybody just because you want to. 

 you attended their wedding. Your wedding is ultimately about you and your significant other, so only invite those who you just cannot see the celebration taking place without.

Step 9: Finalise Your Guest List

The fun starts after your location is reserved and your guest list is complete. Make your wedding website first, and then start gathering attendee addresses from there. 

Using an address-gathering tool is among the simplest methods to do this. 

You may send digital address cards that can resemble the design of your Minted website and invites thanks to Minted, which offers the most fashionable ones we’ve seen.

Once you’ve gathered all the necessary addresses, save them in your address book so you can use them for future wedding-related events like holiday cards and baby announcements.

Have you begun to invite people to your wedding? How has it gone so far? What challenges do you face the most? Please share your thoughts in the space below.

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Conclusion

The gist of the matter is that it depends on how many people your location can accommodate and whether or not your budget will allow it.

The best course of action is to contact or phone the person you invited to find out whether they intend to attend. You can visit Globlar.com for news and more updates!

Although it might feel a little awkward, especially if your relationship isn’t particularly close, it’s probably preferable to have them show up without a seat at the table.

The alternative is to add their name to the guest list (if your venue or caterer permits it) and cross your fingers. If you run out of seats, get in touch with them again and get confirmation.