We have way too many people on our guestlist!!!

Bridex100 Posted: Oct 23, 2006 11:12 AM

We have way too many people on our guestlist!!!

I don't know what to do. We have so many more people on our guestlist than capacity for our reception room.

Our ceremony will be held at the same place as our reception.

I suggested we could invite certain people to just the ceremony room but my mom thinks that is worse than not inviting them at all.

Any suggestions?

I have told so many people about our wedding and have verbally invited them. I mean my friends all expect to come. How can I just not invite them?

This is stressing me out big time!!! Help!

Tatum&Steve Posted: Oct 23, 2006 11:18 AM

Re: We have way too many people on our guestlist!!!

I agree on mom with that one - seeing as it is in the same place I feel that you have to invite to both or don't invite at all.

I would start getting the word out to all of your verbally invited friends that there is a lot more family invited than friends and you have to re-structure your guest list...

Or if Mom and Dad are contributing to the wedding, blame it on them to your friends..say 'My parents are inviting a lot more of their friends to the wedding than we expected...seeing as they are helping so much financially, how can I tell them no?'...something like that?

Good luck

jenafee Posted: Oct 23, 2006 11:20 AM

Re: We have way too many people on our guestlist!!!

You have to expect that people will say no. They say at least 20% RSVP no, so hopefully that will cut your list down. When they do reply no, don't invite more people if you have a 'B' list.

HTH.

Tracyann1976 Posted: Oct 23, 2006 11:22 AM

Re: We have way too many people on our guestlist!!!

I had the same problem. Hall holds about 170 comfortably. Invited 205, had 145. Got a lot of no's that I didn't expect.

libby2595 Posted: Oct 23, 2006 11:23 AM

Re: We have way too many people on our guestlist!!!

just know that not everone comes.

most people believe in the 20% rule, but i wouldn't trust it. i had a lot less than 20% say no.

but no everyone comes.

have you thought of inviting single people ALONE: as in, without a guest? a lot of girls here have done that... i did it. worked out well.

hth

mrsh2b Posted: Oct 23, 2006 11:24 AM

Re: We have way too many people on our guestlist!!!

You know what? People understand. My brother's friends were always verbally inviting us to their wedding....however, as the time got closer, they realized that the guest list was too large and they were way over-budget. We didn't get invited in the end. I totally didn't care. I understood the predicament...you can only do what you can. I still went to the church to see them get married and I was not offended at all.

DavaDay Posted: Oct 23, 2006 11:26 AM

Re: We have way too many people on our guestlist!!!

Some people go to the reception without having gone to the ceremony first, but I don't think it ever really goes the other way around - pretty much everyone who comes to the ceremony expects to be at the reception.

I agree with Libby above: try inviting people who are not married / living together just themselves, without a guest. Put the singles at a table together - they'll have fun!

Bridex100 Posted: Oct 23, 2006 11:28 AM

Re: We have way too many people on our guestlist!!!

I remember my fiance was invited to a wedding last year and I was clearly not invited. We were dating for 2 yrs but weren't engaged yet. Honestly I was really offended and thought that they were so cheap.

Oh no! Now I am going to be in that same situation. Sigh.

sarahradio5 Posted: Oct 23, 2006 11:42 AM

Re: We have way too many people on our guestlist!!!

I had 197 people on my guest list and freaked that we had SOOO many people. Guess what? At this point, only about 125 are coming, which is our EXACT minimum. MAYBE a few more are coming... WE STILL DON'T KNOW.

My advice to you... since you have time... do your invitations WAAAAAY early so as to allow for A list, B list and C lists. If you're doing pocketfold invites, have RSVP cards printed up for the A list invites with an EARLY RSVP date. Once you can see how your RSVP's are looking. Send the B list out with the slightly later RSVP date, but still early enough to allow for your C list. You may find that you get enough 'no's' that you can still end up inviting all the people you wanted to in the end, just at staggered RSVP times!

Good luck!

babygirl71777 Posted: Oct 23, 2006 11:48 AM

Re: We have way too many people on our guestlist!!!

Posted by sarahradio5

I had 197 people on my guest list and freaked that we had SOOO many people. Guess what? At this point, only about 125 are coming, which is our EXACT minimum. MAYBE a few more are coming... WE STILL DON'T KNOW.

My advice to you... since you have time... do your invitations WAAAAAY early so as to allow for A list, B list and C lists. If you're doing pocketfold invites, have RSVP cards printed up for the A list invites with an EARLY RSVP date. Once you can see how your RSVP's are looking. Send the B list out with the slightly later RSVP date, but still early enough to allow for your C list. You may find that you get enough 'no's' that you can still end up inviting all the people you wanted to in the end, just at staggered RSVP times!

Good luck!

i like ur thinking! im freaken out to on my guestlist but im seeing all these girls have so many nos and im getting worried that will happen to me. all i care is that i get 125 people to make my minimum! im def doing a A list B list. thanks for the helpful hint!