Post # 1

Member
19 posts
Newbee
So…after we made the firm decision to buy the house, I cut my guest list from 130 to 87. Although it has been a very difficult process, I think we may even try to get it down to exactly 80. During this difficult process, I’ve been wondering what it’s going to be like to have a small wedding. Every wedding that I have ever been to has been 150+ and I’ve always liked the thought of a full room.
Did you have to cut your guest list? How did you deal with it? How many guest are you having at your wedding?
Post # 3

Member
5 posts
Newbee
I am having 70 guests. Closest friends and family only. The tricky thing is inviting single people… I’ve been lucky that I’m close enough to everyone to just explain that we have a small venue/ceremony/budget and don’t have room for dates!
I was just at a wedding of 80 guests last month and I thought it was fine!
Post # 4

Member
754 posts
Busy bee
I am inviting 50 people. I want to be able to give every one my guests my personal attention. Also, I want to feed them well, have beautiful decorations…..and I paid a ton for my ring. I wouldn’t be able to have a formal wedding if I didn’t keep the guest list small. Fiancee still thinks that 50 is too many people.
Post # 5

Member
180 posts
Blushing bee
we’re at 75 confirmed right now, and it looks like we’ll hit 80 at most, which is perfect in my mind – enough people that everyone knows someone, but i don’t have to worry about greeting/feeding/thanking 200+ people. 🙂 i am thrilled with the amount we have. plus, because it’s only family/close friends, it is people who know us the best, therefore we get to have a bit more fun with everything – they expect/understand it because they know us!
Post # 6

Member
2292 posts
Buzzing bee
I have the opposite problem – we wanted about 50 people and somehow now have 160 on the list. It’s okay from a money perspective – my folks are being very generous (as appropriate, since about 90 of those extra people were added by my mom). But we really, really didn’t want this big fancy thing. We just keep telling each other it WILL BE FUN. And really, its nice that my folks are so proud and happy that they just need to have everybody there.
I think a small, intimate wedding can be really great. As long as your venues are appropriately sized, so that you don’t feel like your guests are sort of rolling around in the room, it will be lovely. My sister got married in a chapel that held 80 people on the main floor, and it was gorgeous. Our Rehearsal Dinner will be about 40 people, and the room is so fantastic – we keep saying that’s really about what we wanted for the reception. And you will really be able to actually focus on your 80 guests, rather than wondering later if so-and-so was there or not.
Post # 7

Member
306 posts
Helper bee
I originally wanted 100 guest but my Fiance and father are the type that believes "the more the merrier." 100 became 150… 200… and now it’s 250. I would love a small intimate wedding with people I know but with my culture my parents said it would be rude to not invite all their friends. I keep telling myself that everything will be ok. At the end of the day it will be just me and my lovely husband
I have to think positive otherwise I’ll go nuts!
Post # 9

Member
68 posts
Worker bee
We are inviting 150 people but I am really hoping that most of them will decline to come … I’d rather have 75 people than 150!
Post # 10

Member
153 posts
Blushing bee
We guaranteed 160 people when signing the contract for the venue, but we have about 200 on the list. We are hoping that after everyone RSVP’s it will be around 160!
Post # 11

Member
1458 posts
Bumble bee
220 – or 232 with the wedding Party – it’s so stupid of me but I always forget to add them in! LOL!
Post # 12

Member
129 posts
Blushing bee
We’ll be inviting about 200 and anticipate about 120 will come. I have a lot of flaky family members.
Post # 13

Member
228 posts
Helper bee
Inviting 63, expecting to be just under our 50 person limit. Like Niki, I think it’s kinda too many people, but our list got bigger as time went by too =)
Post # 14

Member
47 posts
Newbee
I have 111 invitations for 216 guests. Will not have count until July 15, 2008
The list started at 250 was down to as low as 175 but my Fiance added back to 216. Men…..
Post # 15

Member
1061 posts
Bumble bee
inviting 200, hoping to get 150! we’ll see if that happens. good luck cutting! i tried and failed. =(
Post # 16

Member
52 posts
Worker bee
I guaranteed 130 at my venue so as long as I have that, I’m happy. I never wanted a big wedding and frankly, I’d rather have less than 100 people than 130. It’d be so nice to actually spend a significant amount of time with your guests, and I feel like it would be much more fun. My cousin’s wedding was one of the best weddings I’ve ever been to and she had about 85 people. Everyone danced, and it felt much more comfortable b/c there weren’t TONS of people you didn’t know.