Does size matter?

Do you want a big wedding? ...Invite all your friends and family, and your friends friends, and your families extended family!!!! (It can get that crazed!) Or would you prefer a nice small wedding in a modest chapel with only a few of your closest family and friends?

This is extremely important to think about BEFORE you and your FH ask for wedding guest lists from your parents! It is your wedding, it's your day, it's your descision who and how many guest's you invite!

I think it is safe to say:

• A small wedding has less than 50 guests.
• A medium sized wedding has 100-125 guests.
• A large wedding has 150+ guests.

Of course a large wedding will take the most planning, and is the most costly.

A small wedding can be just as nice as a larger sized wedding, but will be more economical for budget weary brides.

But it's all up to you and your FH to decide who comes, who doesn't, it is your day after all!

For us we chose a medium sized guest list.

Also note: there is an 80% RSVP acceptance rate.

And last minute guests that just can't make it for this or that reason is about 10-15%.

On the flipped side-without careful wording on your invitations or response cards you could wind up inviting your cousin Joe, and Joe will bring his girlfriend, his girlfriends 4 kids and possibly even his grandmother--who knows!! (5-10%)

About 5% of guests invited will NOT RSVP but will magically just show up.

You will have guest losses and guest gains here and there.

(This is OUR personal experience.)

I have also chatted with a couple other brides on their guest count gains and losses come wedding day and it's fair to say it's about the same as ours!

I sent out a total of 128 invitations. I got back 108 rsvp acceptances. Close to wedding day we lost 10 guests, and on the wedding day 5 guests didnt' show, but 4 extra's came with other guest's, and 2 no RSVP's came. We budgeted for a total of 100 guests. It worked out fine!

So...what size wedding do you dream of?