Wedding Planner

Who Should Be Invited to an Intimate Wedding?

You and your fiancé have decided to have a modest wedding for whatever reason (financial, venue space, or personal preference). That's why it's important to tailor your wedding guest list to your closest friends and family. This might be challenging if you're thinking of inviting many groups of people (e.g., your own and their families, your friends' groups, and so forth). Need help planning your wedding? Check out our list of Wedding Event Planners here.

To avoid going overboard, here's how to create a small guest list and stick to it.

What Is a Small Wedding? 

No two people may reasonably expect the same number of guests at their wedding due to differences in family size, social networks, cultural norms, religious beliefs, etc. We consider a wedding to be "normal" if there are 75-150 guests, and "large" if there are more than 150. Marriages in the under-75 demographic fall into one of three categories:

  • Between fifty and seventy-five guests is the sweet spot for an intimate wedding.Intimate wedding with no more than 15 guests. (You could also come across the terms "minimum" or "micro wedding" to describe a ceremony with thus few guests.)
  • Less than fifty people were invited to the wedding. She explains that if you have a backyard with six or more tables, you can easily accommodate that many people.

Selecting the Appropriate Wedding Guest Number

The individuals you choose to surround yourself with on your wedding day shouldn't be chosen because of some arbitrary number; rather, you should invite those who have had a significant impact on your life and will continue to do so. Who do you first contact by phone or text message when something big happens in your life? You prioritise inviting the individuals you most want to share those experiences with.

Think about who you might invite to a dinner party as another starting point for your modest wedding guest list. Don't feel like you have to invite 200 people to your wedding if you wouldn't take them all out to dinner. Because it's the equivalent of treating everyone to a meal, complete with hors d'oeuvres, dessert, and beverages. For this reason, you should reevaluate how important they are to you before asking them to your wedding if you wouldn't spend that much time with them at a restaurant.

Tips for Small Guest List 

Here is some guidance from the pros on how to make (and keep to!) a tight guest list.

Have an adults-only ceremony.

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The wedding should not include children unless they are close relatives or friends of the couple. Though certain event spaces and caterers may provide special pricing for children's meals and beverages, it is still important to account for them when determining your overall budget. Keeping the kids at home can make a huge difference for some large households.

Inviting children to your engagement party or rehearsal supper may help you get over any guilt you may feel about strictly enforcing this prohibition. To avoid having to worry about the kids at the ceremony, you can hire a babysitter to stay with them at the hotel or at a relative's residence.

However, if you decide to travel child-free, child-free is the only option. You can't have it both ways, letting some guests bring their kids and others not. Favoritism can lead to unnecessary hostility and resentment. Do not deviate from this policy if you decide to implement it.

Limit plus-ones.

Restricting the number of people who can come as plus ones is a simple method to keep the guest list modest. Giving plus-ones is a nice gesture, but it should be reserved for individuals who have been in committed relationships for a while. If you don't want to, you don't have to extend an invitation to anybody else.

The usual way to keep weddings intimate and affordable. This is a simple method to have a private ceremony if that's what you're looking. Some guests may protest by asking to bring a plus one or by asking why they can't. Stay firm in your decision and (if you feel like doing so) explain why you made it, whether it was due to lack of room, cost concerns, or personal choice.

Only invite immediate family members.

It is common practise for engaged couples to invite members of their immediate and extended families (from both sides of the family) to the wedding. But think about how extensive your family tree is. Imagine you come from a larger-than-average family but secretly long for a more intimate party. If that's the case, you might want to rethink things, particularly if you want to invite some friends along.

It's not unheard of to draw a line in the sand after first cousins, aunts, and uncles. The only people you should tell you're going small are your immediate family. Don't feel obligated to attend the wedding of your third cousin once removed, even if they invited you to.

Don't feel obligated to invite distant relatives. Sure, word of mouth may perhaps spread a little, but that's just the way it is. Maintain your firm stance and have faith that they will respect your decision.

Could you keep it to your close friend circle?

As a corollary, there's no need to include people like coworkers, old acquaintances, and friends-of-friends-you-occasionally-see-when-you-go-out on your list. If you went to a friend's wedding in the past, you might feel obligated to ask them to your own. Don't. Your present connection with them is the most important factor to consider. If you and your potential wedding guests have fallen out of touch or never really got along, there's no need to invite them.

If you find yourself at a loss for direction, ask yourself these two questions: How may your friendship suffer if you decide not to invite them? Do you give a hoot? If so, move them to a secondary list for consideration once you've finalised the first one. If not, then leave them out completely.

Keep your final list private.

Keep the final guest list a secret between you and your significant other. If your circle of acquaintances is tiny, you should expect to field a lot of "but what about" questions after sharing anything with them. Be cautious to establish limits before revealing anyone (parents, in-laws, etc.). Make it clear that your decision is definitive after much deliberation. They may have certain guests in mind if they were invited, but if you make it plain that you want a quiet ceremony, they should follow your wishes.

The only exception to this rule is if your parents or future in-laws help pay for the event. In this scenario, it could be a good idea to set a cap on the guest list size. This is a win-win situation, since they may bring acquaintances or extended family members while you don't have to host a huge group of people.

Try not to overthink anyone's reaction.

At the end of the day, you need not invite anyone. Someone doesn't need to be at your wedding if you're not overjoyed about the prospect of having them there. Besides, if you aren't really close to them, they probably won't be too offended by it.

However, if someone feels ignored, it's courteous to try to make amends. Don't take it personally; you're just trying to stay within your means or limit the attendance at the event. While inviting a limited number of people to a wedding may feel awkward or difficult, it really isn't. You are able to confidently address the circumstance and your loved ones and articulate your desires. Just like that, in other words.

Have a plan for your date.

Since more and more couples are choosing to get married during the week, a small guest list may be appropriate. (If you're afraid that notable attendees would not be able to make it due to work, Mason thinks that's not likely to be the case: "Vacations are a common kind of time off for many workers. They'll show up voluntarily, rather than feeling obligated ")

Traditional American holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving are more suited to small, personal gatherings than large, noisy celebrations. For example, if your wedding is scheduled for Thanksgiving, you should notify everyone who would ordinarily be present to spend the holiday with you.

Provide a reasoned response.

Individuals will understand if a couple decides to hold a small wedding or anniversary party because of the current pandemic, and it's fair to use that as an excuse for not inviting some people. In the event that they ask you about it, tread carefully and courteously. Express your regret that you cannot extend an invitation to a larger group of individuals. We value your safety just as much as we value our own, so please don't worry.

Keep Zoom in mind.

When the day comes that you no longer have to have a virtual wedding, you might want to explore live streaming the ceremony and setting aside 20 minutes of computer time to get well-wishes from those who couldn't attend in person. You may also have a buddy with a high-quality camera phone (or your videographer) create and send out a same-day edit of the ceremony for guests to watch at their leisure. us.

Who Do You Have to Invite to Your Wedding?

In the early stages of wedding preparation, you will likely prioritise creating a guest list. Your location selection and budgetary priorities will be influenced by this. Some couples find it easy, while others find it much more complicated. There are no concrete guidelines for deciding who must be invited to a wedding. However, we have compiled a basic advice that may assist you in deciding which guests are more important than others, and thus should be invited to the wedding, and which should be omitted.

Check out our ultimate list of Wedding Planners in Melbourne to help you organise a stress-free wedding.

Who You Ought to Have at Your Wedding

These are the folks you can't fathom getting married without - the Desert Island Discs of wedding guests. This may be plenty for 10 people if you're a couple, or it could be enough for fifty if you're a group of friends. So sit down with your other half and ask yourselves, "If we had to be married in the morning, who would we like to have there?"

  • Your Mom and Dad
  • Ones that are related to you
  • Members in your inner circle
  • Your offspring

Who You Really Want to Have Attend Your Wedding

To assist you figure out why you want certain guests to be present rather than mindlessly pasting names into a spreadsheet, we've divided this group of people who are still considered by most couples to be part . These are the folks you would most like to share your wedding day with, but whose absence would not be catastrophic.

  • Those who raised you
  • The cousins you have via marriage
  • Family cousins, kin, and cousins, etc.
  • More of your close friends

The Number of Invitees to Your Wedding Depending on Space and Cost

Now things start to become tricky. These are the people that you'd like to ask to your wedding or who would be awkward not to invite (some families, for example, have an all-or-nothing approach on aunties and uncles or cousins). However, you may have to make a choice between the following if you have a limited budget, your location is very small, or you simply want a certain atmosphere on your big day.

  • Every one of your cousins and aunts and uncles
  • Any and all of your second-cousins
  • Companions in new relationships/plus ones you don't know well
  • Acquaintances during a journey
  • The long-lost pals you've only recently reconnected with (Facebook doesn't count!)
  • Who are your closest friends at work?

The People Whose Presence at Your Wedding You May Feel Compelled to Invite

This diverse group of would-be guests, then, may or may not make the final cut depending on the wedding's theme, budget, and other factors. Some guests may be invited by your parents if they are footing the bill for the wedding, and if the ceremony is being held in a church, it is customary to request the reception food from the priest. In contrast, you should certainly ease off on the invitations if you feel obligated to invite people like your employer, the friends of friends who invited you to their wedding, or the entire hurling team.

  • He was the priest,
  • Next-door neighbours
  • Friends of your parents
  • In-House Guests' Offspring
  • Group of people from the neighbourhood golf, rugby, or GAA club
  • the guests whose wedding you were invited to
  • Your Entire Colleague Group

Methods for Creating a Compelling Wedding Guest List

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  • Whether your wedding is inviting twenty people or two hundred and twenty, it's important to set limits. It's complicated whether or not you choose to trim. The rules may have changed if you invite 50 more people, but the difficult choices remain the same.
  • Have you ever expected an invitation to a wedding and not received one? Have I disturbed you? Most likely not, at least not for long. Guests will be thrilled to be invited to your special day, but keep in mind that your guests will understand the need to keep the guest list small.
  • Over-inviting is sometimes recommended because 10–20% of respondents will decline an invitation; nevertheless, unless your location and budget are flexible, this might be a risky strategy. It's possible that the Australian guests you invited politely to your wedding may really use the event as a pretext to take a vacation in Ireland.
  • Anyone who is married, engaged, or in a long-term relationship is automatically eligible to bring a plus one to your wedding. However, there is a way around this rule if you're hosting a gathering of single friends at your house (say your work buds or football team-mates - a group you only spend time with, away from their other halves). If there are people attending who won't know anybody else, you should let them bring a plus one.
  • Another difficult decision is whether or not to invite children to the wedding (a topic worthy of its own post!). However, keep in mind that having a large number of children present may significantly change the feel of the day, so give careful consideration to your decision (and plenty of notice to parents if the little ones aren't invited!). Guests who bring infants, especially those who are still nursing, are the only ones who should not be questioned if they have children in attendance.
  • Consider the aftermath as well! The word "after" serves as a magical get-out-of-jail-free card, allowing you to invite all your distant relatives, old friends, and great-grandmother to your wedding reception for some wedding cake and some serious dancing. If you're having a hard time cutting down your guest list but your wedding is still quite near to where you live, the celebrations that follow can help you out.

How to Make a Small Wedding Feel Special 

Worried that your little wedding won't have the same impact as a large party? Fear not! It's easier to make a lasting impression on guests and create special memories in a smaller wedding.

Handwritten notes are a kind gesture.

A handwritten note thanking each guest for attending will go a long way towards making sure they remember how important they are to you on this special day. These cards can be put at each visitor's dinner seat or included in a welcome bag.

Prior to the main event, spend time catching up with visitors.

It's more likely that everyone will get some one-on-one time during a smaller wedding. Plan smaller, more intimate gatherings with different groups of attendees rather than throwing a huge, impromptu bash. Spending time with loved ones (siblings, cousins, etc.) The two of you will value the quality time spent together, and you'll welcome the chance to catch up on their lives before the wedding day, when it will be more challenging to do so.

Just do it and commit to drafting your vows.

Most individuals would rather not write their vows in front of hundreds of witnesses, so they stick to the more conventional form. Since there won't be a huge audience to please, you may let your true personality shine through during a small wedding.

Reallocate your budget. 

A smaller wedding usually means a smaller budget, which means greater leeway in terms of how you choose to spend the money. Extravagant embellishments are unnecessary. Determine exactly what it is you desire. Could you do it now that you have more leeway to?. Looking for the Top Wedding Planner in Melbourne? Look no further and check out our ultimate list of Wedding Planners here.

Here are some ideas:

  • In terms of music, hire that band or DJ you always wanted to hear but thought was too expensive until you realised you were expecting a hundred or more guests.
  • Invest in a gorgeous bougainvillea-covered ceremony arch if your dream wedding in Mexico has been relocated to your parent's lawn. In this manner, wherever you may end up, your home city or town will always be a part of your heart.
  • If you and your spouse-to-be like visiting vineyards, consider hosting a wine tasting during the wedding. Love sweets but hate the idea of serving visitors boring old sheet cake? Get your hands on the ultimate candy bar. Reduced feeding needs allow for better quality food to be served.

Conclusion

It's important to tailor your wedding guest list to your closest friends and family. Between fifty and seventy-five guests is the sweet spot for an intimate wedding. If you have a backyard with six or more tables, you can easily accommodate that many people at a wedding. The wedding should not include children unless they are close relatives or friends of the couple. Some event spaces and caterers may provide special pricing for children's meals and beverages.

But it is still important to account for them when determining your overall budget. Here are some tips on how to keep a tight guest list. It's not unheard of to draw a line in the sand after first cousins, aunts, and uncles. Don't feel obligated to attend the wedding of your third cousin once removed. There's no need to include people like coworkers, old acquaintances or friends-of-friends-you-occasionally-see-when-you're-out.

You don't have to invite everyone to your wedding. If someone feels ignored, it's courteous to try to make amends. Some couples are choosing to get married during the week, a small guest list may be appropriate. Traditional American holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving are more suited to small, personal gatherings. There are no concrete guidelines for deciding who must be invited to a wedding.

However, we have compiled some basic advice that may assist you in deciding which guests are more important than others and should be invited. Check out our ultimate list of Wedding Planners in Melbourne to help you organise a stress-free wedding. Whether you're inviting twenty people or two hundred and twenty, it's important to set limits. Over-inviting is sometimes recommended because 10–20% of respondents will decline an invitation. Unless your location and budget are flexible, this might be a risky strategy.

A handwritten note thanking each guest for attending will go a long way towards making sure they remember how important they are to you. Prior to the main event, spend time catching up with visitors. It's more likely that everyone will get some one-on-one time during a smaller wedding. A smaller wedding means greater leeway in terms of how you choose to spend the money. Since there won't be a huge audience to please, you may let your true personality shine through. Invest in a gorgeous bougainvillea-covered ceremony arch if your dream wedding is relocated to your parent's lawn.

Content Summary

  1. That's why it's important to tailor your wedding guest list to your closest friends and family.
  2. Need help planning your wedding?
  3. To avoid going overboard, here's how to create a small guest list and stick to it.
  4. No two people may reasonably expect the same number of guests at their wedding due to differences in family size, social networks, cultural norms, religious beliefs, etc.
  5. You prioritise inviting the individuals you most want to share those experiences with.
  6. Think about who you might invite to a dinner party as another starting point for your modest wedding guest list.
  7. Don't feel like you have to invite 200 people to your wedding if you wouldn't take them all out to dinner.
  8. Here is some guidance from the pros on how to make (and keep to!)
  9. a tight guest list.
  10. Have an adults-only ceremony.
  11. The wedding should not include children unless they are close relatives or friends of the couple.
  12. Keeping the kids at home can make a huge difference for some large households.
  13. To avoid having to worry about the kids at the ceremony, you can hire a babysitter to stay with them at the hotel or at a relative's residence.
  14. Do not deviate from this policy if you decide to implement it.
  15. Limit plus-ones.
  16. Restricting the number of people who can come as plus ones is a simple method to keep the guest list modest.
  17. If you don't want to, you don't have to extend an invitation to anybody else.
  18. This is a simple method to have a private ceremony if that's what you're looking.
  19. Only invite immediate family members.
  20. It is common practise for engaged couples to invite members of their immediate and extended families (from both sides of the family) to the wedding.
  21. But think about how extensive your family tree is.
  22. The only people you should tell you're going small are your immediate family.
  23. Don't feel obligated to attend the wedding of your third cousin once removed, even if they invited you to.
  24. Don't feel obligated to invite distant relatives.
  25. If you went to a friend's wedding in the past, you might feel obligated to ask them to your own.
  26. Don't.
  27. Keep your final list private.
  28. Keep the final guest list a secret between you and your significant other.
  29. Make it clear that your decision is definitive after much deliberation.
  30. At the end of the day, you need not invite anyone.
  31. Someone doesn't need to be at your wedding if you're not overjoyed about the prospect of having them there.
  32. Besides, if you aren't really close to them, they probably won't be too offended by it.
  33. However, if someone feels ignored, it's courteous to try to make amends.
  34. Don't take it personally; you're just trying to stay within your means or limit the attendance at the event.
  35. While inviting a limited number of people to a wedding may feel awkward or difficult, it really isn't.
  36. Have a plan for your date.
  37. Since more and more couples are choosing to get married during the week, a small guest list may be appropriate. (
  38. For example, if your wedding is scheduled for Thanksgiving, you should notify everyone who would ordinarily be present to spend the holiday with you.
  39. Express your regret that you cannot extend an invitation to a larger group of individuals.
  40. When the day comes that you no longer have to have a virtual wedding, you might want to explore live streaming the ceremony and setting aside 20 minutes of computer time to get well-wishes from those who couldn't attend in person.
  41. In the early stages of wedding preparation, you will likely prioritise creating a guest list.
  42. There are no concrete guidelines for deciding who must be invited to a wedding.
  43. However, we have compiled a basic advice that may assist you in deciding which guests are more important than others, and thus should be invited to the wedding, and which should be omitted.
  44. Check out our ultimate list of Wedding Planners in Melbourne to help you organise a stress-free wedding.
  45. Who You Ought to Have at Your WeddingThese are the folks you can't fathom getting married without - the Desert Island Discs of wedding guests.
  46. These are the people that you'd like to ask to your wedding or who would be awkward not to invite (some families, for example, have an all-or-nothing approach on aunties and uncles or cousins).
  47. The People Whose Presence at Your Wedding You May Feel Compelled to InviteThis diverse group of would-be guests, then, may or may not make the final cut depending on the wedding's theme, budget, and other factors.
  48. Some guests may be invited by your parents if they are footing the bill for the wedding, and if the ceremony is being held in a church, it is customary to request the reception food from the priest.
  49. In contrast, you should certainly ease off on the invitations if you feel obligated to invite people like your employer, the friends of friends who invited you to their wedding, or the entire hurling team.
  50. It's complicated whether or not you choose to trim.
  51. Guests will be thrilled to be invited to your special day, but keep in mind that your guests will understand the need to keep the guest list small.
  52. It's possible that the Australian guests you invited politely to your wedding may really use the event as a pretext to take a vacation in Ireland.
  53. Anyone who is married, engaged, or in a long-term relationship is automatically eligible to bring a plus one to your wedding.
  54. Another difficult decision is whether or not to invite children to the wedding (a topic worthy of its own post!).
  55. However, keep in mind that having a large number of children present may significantly change the feel of the day, so give careful consideration to your decision (and plenty of notice to parents if the little ones aren't invited!).
  56. Consider the aftermath as well!
  57. The word "after" serves as a magical get-out-of-jail-free card, allowing you to invite all your distant relatives, old friends, and great-grandmother to your wedding reception for some wedding cake and some serious dancing.
  58. If you're having a hard time cutting down your guest list but your wedding is still quite near to where you live, the celebrations that follow can help you out.
  59. How to Make a Small Wedding Feel Special Worried that your little wedding won't have the same impact as a large party?
  60. Fear not!
  61. It's easier to make a lasting impression on guests and create special memories in a smaller wedding.
  62. Handwritten notes are a kind gesture.
  63. These cards can be put at each visitor's dinner seat or included in a welcome bag.
  64. Prior to the main event, spend time catching up with visitors.
  65. Plan smaller, more intimate gatherings with different groups of attendees rather than throwing a huge, impromptu bash.
  66. Spending time with loved ones (siblings, cousins, etc.)
  67. The two of you will value the quality time spent together, and you'll welcome the chance to catch up on their lives before the wedding day, when it will be more challenging to do so.
  68. Just do it and commit to drafting your vows.
  69. Since there won't be a huge audience to please, you may let your true personality shine through during a small wedding.
  70. Reallocate your budget.
  71. A smaller wedding usually means a smaller budget, which means greater leeway in terms of how you choose to spend the money.
  72. Determine exactly what it is you desire.
  73. Looking for the Top Wedding Planner in Melbourne?
  74. Invest in a gorgeous bougainvillea-covered ceremony arch if your dream wedding in Mexico has been relocated to your parent's lawn.
  75. If you and your spouse-to-be like visiting vineyards, consider hosting a wine tasting during the wedding.
  76. Get your hands on the ultimate candy bar.
  77. Reduced feeding needs allow for better quality food to be served.

Frequently Asked Questions About Intimate Wedding

Intimate weddings allow you to think outside the box a little! Because you have to host, feed, and entertain less people, you can get more creative with your venue and vendor options. Many venues are now offering more intimate wedding packages,

It opens you the doors to the brand-new dimension of wedding reception. Regarding transportation and accommodation, it's way simpler to organize a small, intimate destination wedding than a big one. It will really get you closer to your guests and guarantee you more time spent together.

Whether your ceremony venue is tiny or you're a shy couple trying not to make a spectacle of your vows, if you're not inviting a large portion of guests to the service, then you should truly keep it intimate. That means including, at most, your immediate family, wedding party and/or closest VIP friends only.

In general, a small wedding event has 75 guests or fewer. Start with your immediate family and closest friends for the wedding guest list. Agree with your partner about which extended family members you can include for the special day.

Since intimate weddings have a limited guest list and couples opt for a no-entourage setup, designers can focus on creating beautiful outfits for the bride and groom. When it comes to the style, Jo emphasized that though the wedding party is less than 20, the bride and groom should still look and feel special.

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