Raise your hand if a previous bride, your mom, your nosy coworker, or know-it-all neighbor have told you to “plan for about 20% of your guest list to decline their invite or not show”. Yep, most of you likely have your hand up. For the sake of your sanity and budget planning, TUNE. THEM. OUT.
In my experience, like many wedding traditions and old adages, this one has seen a major shift since the pandemic. Even pre-pandemic, that 20% rule of thumb was often inaccurate. In recent years, guests have become more brazen about bringing uninvited guests. Guests have become forgetful and haven’t notified the couple of changes in plans that prevent them from attending after RSVP’ing “yes” (we will chat later about when I send invites, to help minimize changes to plans affecting your guest count). I’ve assisted in weddings with 10-20 more people than were invited in the first place, weddings attended by less than half of those that RSVP’d, and weddings that have been nearly exact in RSVP’s versus actual attendance.
I have my theories as to why this shift may be occurring, but that’s a moot point. If you take any advice from this post, please let it be this: ASSUME 100% OF YOUR INVITED GUESTS ARE GOING TO ATTEND. I can’t stress how important it is to book a venue big enough for your max guest count (don’t forget to include your vendors!). A venue with a 175-person capacity cannot magically add space to accommodate the 200 guests you invited, because you assumed only 160 would attend. Your budget will be stretched beyond what you anticipated because you need to feed 40 additional people you didn’t budget for. You WILL be stressed over something that was avoidable.
If a percentage of invitees decline, it will be a pleasant surprise for your budget! Save those dollars for your honeymoon or reallocate it to increase your budget for something that is important to you. Upgrade that photography package! Upgrade your bar offerings!
Helping YOU say ‘I-DO’,
Your WedUcator