One of the most difficult tasks when planning your wedding is figuring out how many people you are going to invite and determining your guest list. Some people long for a small intimate wedding with just a handful of well-wishers, others dream of a huge affair. Whatever you decide, make sure it is right for the both of you. You want your special day to be great, so you will have to consider all factors such as the number of friends and family you wish to invite, the budget that you are working with, and a style that represents you and your fiancé. Below are some tips to help you decide.
The Pros and Cons
Both small and large wedding celebrations come with pros and cons. Let’s look at each one in turn.
Pros and Cons of Small Weddings
✓ Pro: Less money spent and less stress – A smaller wedding will generally cost less money, less time, and less stress. You can use the extra money that you would have spent on a larger wedding towards more luxuries for the wedding and reception, or even towards your honeymoon.
✓ Con: Uninvited guests may feel left out – Having a smaller guest list can be very delicate. Uninvited guests may feel hurt, sad, ignored, and offended. There is often a tipping point with smaller weddings where you run the risk of having to invite larger numbers. For example, if you limit your wedding to just inviting the immediate family, keeping it really small and intimate, and then wish to invite one of your cousins, you may find yourself torn by inviting all the cousins… and then, what about the aunts and uncles? Do you invite partners? If you want a small wedding, you have to be strict and accept that you might offend someone.
✓ Pro: Splurge on Elaborate Perks – You will be saving money with a smaller wedding and therefore you can splurge on more flowers, a better photographer, a great band, and other perks for your wedding.
✓ Con: No party vibe – It is more difficult to get that party vibe with everyone up and dancing at smaller weddings. You may want to hire an experienced DJ who can get your guests dancing no matter how few of you there are.
✓ Pro: Closer and personal wedding – When wedding guest lists consist of only close friends and family members you will generally experience a closer and more personal wedding, with more time to spend with your guests. It might help with your nerves too, knowing that only your closest allies are watching you.
Pros and Cons of Big Weddings
✓ Pro: Guests lists are simpler – You can be more generous about who you invite and avoid arguments about who can come to the wedding.
✓ Con: Added cost – A large wedding means you will be spending more money. More guests mean more costs on catering, beverages, decor, space, chairs and tables etc. Plus you will most certainly need a wedding coordinator to help you.
✓ Pro: More gifts – The more guests that you have at your wedding, then more gifts will be received. Be sure to make a wedding list to help your guests.
✓ Con: Added work and time – A large wedding will require more work, time, and money.
✓ Pro: Added excitement and festivity – Having a large wedding and reception usually means there will be a great party too.
✓ Con: Less quality time – When there are more guests there will be less quality time spent with the ones you are close to, including your new spouse.
Have you decided how big your wedding will be? Let us know what you think about having a small or large wedding.