The question being answered today is, how many people should I invite to my wedding? Surprisingly or not, the answer is not static. It is a very relative answer. Hopefully, we can touch on every bit of “relativity”, and when you are done, you’ll know how many people you want to invite to your wedding.
A wedding is a marriage ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. You can say a wedding is like the celebration of an engagement. You and your spouse might have gotten engaged privately, and that’s fine.
A wedding is your announcement to the world that he or she is yours. Without a wedding, there is a ripple effect of things that could go wrong.
Off the top of my head, your spouse is exposed to constant s3xual advances. You would be committing adultery in people’s minds and many others. Now, you see why a wedding is important. Some people be like, “Why do we have to do a wedding? Let’s just get engaged and elope”. A wedding is a better option, bro.
Now that we’ve established the importance of a wedding, how many people should you invite? Are you a private person that doesn’t like too much crowd or are you the life of the party that vows for a big wedding? Well, in the words of The Rock,
“It doesn’t matter what you like!!!”
For real though, a wedding is the one place of many that you don’t have total authority on what is to be done. I’m sure you are thinking, “My wedding is my wedding. I will do whatever I want!”. Alright, Relax. Let me tell you a bit about me.
My original plan as a very young man was to have a very large wedding with loud music and excess food with matching “aso-ebi”. That plan began to change and take a new face as time passed. It hit me that my perfect wedding would be a small gathering of family and friends that love me and my spouse, and we would be done in a few hours.
Ignorantly, it didn’t occur to me that my parents might have different plans for me. Especially someone as key as their first son.
Ladies and Gentlemen, my lovely Yoruba Mother wants a glamorous wedding with loud music in a big hall with food for days and, of course, the aso-ebi. In summary, she wants a large wedding. As large as 200 plus guests.
Now that you know that your decision about the number of people to invite to your wedding is not an entirely personal question. You have to understand the way to choose wedding guests. That way, you would be able to compile a complete list of people that should be invited to your wedding.
SEE: 45+ AFRICAN LACE STYLES FOR WEDDINGS
How To Choose Wedding Guests
Due to the enormity of the event, it can be very easy to forget keen names for a wedding list. You might be shocked that these names are keen but can be forgotten. I’ve seen forgotten wedding guests get angry and hold grudges for a very long time.
Let’s take a look at some steps that you need to choose a key wedding list.
1. Create a Draft Guest List
Once there is an agreement for a wedding between both parties, it is vital to start compiling a guest list. Start with both families, nuclear and extended. Sizes of families differ. It is therefore keen to know the number you would be expecting just from the side of families.
You can now begin to add friends. Friends of the groom and spouse. Ensure to write most names you can think of, both new and old-time friends. Not everyone would be available, but it’s best to be on the safe side.
2. Consult with Parents
Your parents will have their expectations for your wedding. I already told you your wedding is not just your wedding. Consult with your parents to understand how they would contribute to the wedding and their expectations.
With knowledge of this, you would be able to come to a consensus on how the ideal wedding should be.
3. Consider Venue Restrictions
The Venue for your wedding is super important in determining the number of people to invite. You don’t want to invite more than the capacity or too little. Keep this point in mind during the thought process.
A wedding where the people are more than capacity is usually rowdy.
4. Consider Relationships and Importance
Maintain your draft list according to a scale of relative importance. You don’t want to invite friends before family or sparingly pick friends that should be invited. When someone is invited or given an invitation card, it sends a feeling of importance to the recipient.
Therefore, ensure your list is in ascending order of importance.
5. Know Mutual Friends
There are instances when you would have mutual friends with your spouse. It would be understandable to add those names to your guest list to have a feeling of a shared and joint celebration.
6. Know Your Budget
A man used up all his savings to plan the best wedding he could come up with. He believed a wedding was a one-time thing and should be treated as such. This man has a great wedding and over-spent himself. He ended up being super broke after the wedding and was very miserable.
Didn’t be like that, man.
7. Be Mindful of Plus-ones
A wedding is a joyful organization and attracts a lot of known and unknown faces. These unknown faces are called plus-ones. They can be friends of friends who want to share in a joyful occasion.
If you avoid such occurrences at your wedding, you can make the attendance strictly by invitation.
8. Revise the list
You should have a pretty full list by this time. Don’t just go ahead and send out invites. You should revise and review the list to note any clash of interests or names to bump up or add.
This is a very key point.
9. Communicate clearly
Now, you can send out the invites. You will face a lot of questions amidst congratulations and compliments. Handle all these with care so as not to spread any false information and also not to step on toes.
Remember, planning a wedding can be a pretty tasking process. Now that you know all these, A question popped up in my head;
Why is it important to pick the right guest list?
The harsh part of being a writer is you answer your questions yourself. Here we go again.
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Importance of Determining the Right Guest List
When you have a complete guest list, fastening the planning process can relieve and be advantageous. The following is the importance of determining the right guest list.
1. Budget Management
For every attendee of your wedding, that is an additional cost. With an idea of the number of people to have at you, you would be able to cut your coat according to your size.
In Nigeria, it’s cut your coat according to your pocket. Budget management at a wedding is very crucial. You don’t want to overspend or underspend in certain areas because of an unknown number of guests to expect.
Except you are Dangote.
2. Venue Selection
It goes without saying that the number of guests should complement the venue used for the wedding. I spoke about that earlier. A larger crowd than the venue is tantamount to an unpleasant wedding.
3. Personal Connection and Intimacy
In as much as a wedding is a day for much celebration. It can also be a very emotional and “tearful” day. New faces and uneasiness shouldn’t ruin it. Create a stable ambiance and environment at your wedding by creating a personified guest list.
This point is for those that love smaller weddings. Pick your poison(I’m kidding, pick your choice).
4. Quality of Experience
A wedding should be that ceremony that should be remembered forever. It should be something to look forward to. A public show of your affection for a single soul and your due diligence towards them.
It is such an emotional occasion and as such deserves top-notch planning for a quality experience. An unpredictable guest list can ruin such a lovely moment.
5. Personal Preferences
Keep in mind that point is consensual personal preferences. Do you think the priest was joking when he said, “And the two shall become one”? Haha, think again.
Compiling a guest list will allow you to agree on any discrepancy between wedding expectations.
With all these stories, I’m saying. Please don’t be pressured to stop that wedding. You must finish what you started ooo, no going back.
It’s time to answer the big question, how many people should I invite to my wedding?
SEE: 15 BEST MEHNDI ENGAGEMENT DESIGNS
How Many Should I Invite To My Wedding?
Now that you understand how to choose the right guest list and the importance of a well-curated list, you can now focus on the many people you want to invite to your wedding.
The following are the possible numbers that are advised for different persons.
1. Between 3-6 Wedding Guests
Letting my intrusive thoughts win for a second, I will say, “Maybe you shouldn’t do a wedding at all”. But I am here to embrace every opinion. You might be that person that dreads crowds. You crave a simple wedding because simplicity is what holds meaning to you. You’d like to share your day with an important few amidst other friends.
If that is you, this is your perfect wedding type. Some people call it the elopement wedding. That’s the kind of wedding you do when you got your spouse pregnant outside wedlock…
I’m joking, guys. I’m joking.
Having such a small wedding has such advantages as affordability and flexibility. You don’t have to strain your pocket, and you don’t have to be held down by the enormous weight of an expectant crowd. The perfect wedding for the introverted.
The bad side is you won’t be able to make memories with a lot of people if that doesn’t bother you. This is your choice.
2. Between 10 – 20 Wedding Guests
This is not so different from the previous example. But there’s a tolerance for more crowd, at least. In this type of wedding, you have the nuclear family of both parties and… That is all. Maybe add the gateman or workers present at the house and some important friends.
It is a very private affair and bears a lot of similarities with the 3-5 people, except for less flexibility. In this type of wedding, you can connect with all faces and have a wedding to remember.
Scenes such as Father crying as he gives you his daughter’s hand…
“Why are you crying, na you wan marry am?”.
It can be brain-tasking to decide which friend to invite, especially if you have a tight-knit group of friends.
3. Between 30 – 80 Wedding Guests
This is what is meant when you hear “Family and friends”. Now, we are getting to those who want a normal wedding. By normal, I mean a subtle lavish wedding. With this number, you can be sure to exhaust your list of family and friends. If you can’t, then you are not in this category.
In this list, you cannot add other acquaintances or not-so-serious relationships. There is no space for them here, e.g. Your primary school teacher.
The advantages of this category are you get to experience the love of family and friends, and you don’t feel pressured to do more than necessary. It is also noteworthy that not everyone invited will be available for one’s wedding. This can be a disadvantage as you would quickly notice any decline of your invite.
It can also be very hard to decide who to invite and who not to.
4. Between 100-150 Wedding Guests
This is it! This is a wedding. Whew, you can sense the action in my fingers as I type. This category is the standard for most weddings. It is just the right size and is the middle on the scale between budget and venue.
You get to invite family, friends, acquaintances, and many more to this category. It is easy to exhaust your list. At this wedding, you get to experience so much love from many, both known and unknown. You won’t also be too stressed. It is a balanced wedding.
If you aren’t one for the crowd, look away from here. Hundred to one-fifty is a crowd, and you might have a tough time getting a perfect venue.
5. Between 170 – 200 Wedding Guests
This is more than I bargained for, though. If you want everyone you know to share your perfect day, this is the wedding for you. You can even invite that doctor that delivered you during childbirth. The list goes on and on.
This category gives you more people to party with and more help to support the wedding if you need it. You must make sure you have a large budget to handle such a crowd, though, and plan it well for optimum guest experience.
6. Between 300 – “Use your Hand To Do Yourself, Wedding Guests ”
This is where I leave you to pick your category. Anything more than this is “Awon Elon Musk Boys”. Haha.
This kind of wedding gives you more connections and allows you to invite more than necessary. It is the mega-super kind of wedding. In this kind of wedding, keeping track of everyone is difficult because your attention is constantly divided.
It also hits your pocket. What can I say? If you want it, go and get it.
Lastly, I would like to list a few factors to consider to ensure a successful wedding.
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Factors to Consider to Ensure a Successful Wedding
They are as follows;
- Budget
- Guest list
- Venue
- Date and season
- Wedding theme and style
- Vendors and Suppliers
- Wedding Attire
- Catering and Menu
- Ceremony and Officiant
- Logistics
- Decoration and flowers
- Music and Entertainment
- Photography and Videography
- Wedding Insurance etc.
That is it for today, guys. You are welcome!
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Conclusion
The question being answered today is, how many people should I invite to my wedding? Surprisingly or not, the answer is not static. It is a very relative answer.
What is your answer?
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FAQs On How Many People Should I Invite to My Wedding?
How many people is normal to invite to a wedding?
The average number of wedding guests is subjective and varies from couple to couple. The most crucial part is to invite those who actually matter to you and with whom you want to celebrate your special day.
How many invites do you need for a 100-person wedding?
If couples or families are invited jointly, a 100-person wedding would normally require roughly 50 invitations.
How many guests should you expect to come to your wedding?
The number of guests expected to attend your wedding will vary depending on factors such as the guest list, location, and circumstances, but you can normally expect a proportion of RSVPs to attend ranging from 70% to 90%.
Who should I invite to my wedding?
You should invite the individuals who mean the most to you, such as close family members, friends, and loved ones, as well as anyone else with whom you have a strong desire to spend your special day.
Who comes in first at a wedding?
At a wedding, the bride traditionally walks down the aisle first, followed by the groom and other members of the wedding party.
Who is most important in a wedding?
The couple getting married is usually regarded as the most significant at a wedding because it is their special day and the focus is on their commitment and joy.
