Way too many guests....

pigs222seal Posted: Feb 01, 2006 01:56 PM

Way too many guests....

We have to gaurantee 170 people and we have 279 guests on the list. What is the statistic for guests who do not come? This is getting way out of control.

ewickens Posted: Feb 01, 2006 01:58 PM

Re: Way too many guests....

I was told to assume that 15-20 of those invited won't be able to come.

Another option is create an A and B list. Place those on the B list people you would like to invite, but only if someone from A list declines.

express713 Posted: Feb 01, 2006 01:58 PM

Re: Way too many guests....

OMG, same here...we have to guarantee 200 and we have 312 on the list..It is getting out of hand...I hope we get about 60 no's.

autumnwedding Posted: Feb 01, 2006 02:00 PM

Re: Way too many guests....

Friends have told me that on average 20% of your list say no. I have to guarantee 175 and we're inviting 262. I feel your pain!

cherryj24 Posted: Feb 01, 2006 02:02 PM

Re: Way too many guests....

15-20% wn't make it....
PS do NOT send STDs

jilmadison Posted: Feb 01, 2006 02:04 PM

Re: Way too many guests....

Look through your list, I had a lot on my list that I was inviting that I knew could not make it. You can try to guess.

pigs222seal Posted: Feb 01, 2006 02:08 PM

Re: Way too many guests....

I sent STD to people who were invited to my engagement party back in May 2005. I have already decided not to send out any STD. The A list B list does not work for me and my FH, we tried, and realized we were putting everyone of the A list. I am praying at least 50 do not come....this is so sad and fustrating.

I am glad to see others are in the same boat...let me know how it turns out.

EVERYONE PRAY

otherme Posted: Feb 01, 2006 02:35 PM

Re: Way too many guests....

Posted by jilmadison

Look through your list, I had a lot on my list that I was inviting that I knew could not make it. You can try to guess.

We had about 30 people on our list that we were inviting but 'knew' they wouldnt come, mostly because they lived overseas or were older. Well 20 out of the 30 people decided to make that trip anyway!
Point being i guess that you cant assume that people will or won't come until you hear back from them.

A good rule is 20% of people will decline. So, if you need 170 people, you should invite about 205 people. If you absolutely have to invite more than that, you really have to be prepared that you will have more people and you'll have to pay for them.
When you say you have to guarantee 170 people - do you mean thats the minimum you have to have, or the maximum? If thats the minimum for the hall, all that means is you have to have at least that number - you need to find out the maximum they can hold.
If its the maximum, then you absolutely cannot invite 279 people and expect 100 of them to decline. It just won't happen.

I know its hard, but you really do have to go through and make and A and B list. Ask your parents to do the same and explain the situation. If its a logistics problem with the hall not holding that many people, there's nothing you can do and you'll have to reduce the number of people.
We were in the same situation where we kept hoping for no's - but we ended up with more than we had budgeted for because we invited too many people and we had to pay more $$ than we wanted.
Sorry for the rambling..
Good luck!!

nygirl77 Posted: Feb 01, 2006 03:34 PM

Re: Way too many guests....

I only guaranteed 110 and we have about 200 on our list. I don't know how the heck it happened. But FH's parents had to have the most random people invited and they keep telling me a lot won't show up because they don't live in the area and they are old...70's & 80's. Unfortunately we sent out STD's...so everyone knows! I really want 50 people to rsvp no!!

pigs222seal Posted: Feb 01, 2006 03:40 PM

Re: Way too many guests....

I have to have a minimum of 170 people...the room holds thirty. Most of these guest are people my FMIL is inviting, whom my FH and I don't even know.

MissingTheBGene Posted: Feb 01, 2006 03:41 PM

Re: Way too many guests....

The 20% is really just a guide, nothing set in stone. I know people who received only 3 no's back, and some that received more than half of who they invited. It really depends on your guests and how many OOTs. I agree that going through the list may help a bit, but you would have to do an A list and a B list as someone suggested if you don't think you can cover that many people.

otherme Posted: Feb 01, 2006 03:46 PM

Re: Way too many guests....

Posted by pigs222seal

I have to have a minimum of 170 people...the room holds thirty. Most of these guest are people my FMIL is inviting, whom my FH and I don't even know.

who's paying for the reception? If you and your FH are, then you have every right to limit the amount of people the parents invite. If the parents are paying.. then there's not a whole lot you can do except remind them of how many people the hall will hold (i cant tell from what you wrote) and politely ask them to please remove a few people from the list.
Also, remember that the more tables and people there are, the more you have to spend on centerpieces, favors and things like that.

MissingTheBGene Posted: Feb 01, 2006 03:52 PM

Re: Way too many guests....

Posted by otherme

Posted by pigs222seal

I have to have a minimum of 170 people...the room holds thirty. Most of these guest are people my FMIL is inviting, whom my FH and I don't even know.

who's paying for the reception? If you and your FH are, then you have every right to limit the amount of people the parents invite. If the parents are paying.. then there's not a whole lot you can do except remind them of how many people the hall will hold (i cant tell from what you wrote) and politely ask them to please remove a few people from the list.
Also, remember that the more tables and people there are, the more you have to spend on centerpieces, favors and things like that.

I totally agree...using the hall's capacity can work wonders!

zapphire82 Posted: Feb 01, 2006 03:54 PM

Re: Way too many guests....

What about me!!! I had to guarantee 75 and invited 160 and 125 are coming....The max for my room is 120...I don't know what to do with the seating.....That's something that worries me....

babybug631 Posted: Feb 01, 2006 03:55 PM

Re: Way too many guests....

I invited 170 people and 163 came. It depends on the type of people you are inviting. I invited only family and VERY close family friends. The only people on my list that didn't show up were the work people I invited and a few relatives from out of town.