Couples seeking to get married at any time in the last year-and-a-half have been – for the most part – in a position where difficult decisions need to be made when it comes to the ceremony itself. Rules have differed from place to place, for sure, but the overall message has been that – if a ceremony has been possible at all – the fewer guests in attendance, the better.
As we go forward, and regulations are relaxed, the chance for a larger wedding will be back on the table. For those that want it, that’s great news – but should it necessarily be what you would choose? Being able to hold a larger wedding does not mean that it’s something that is automatically desirable. Could it be the case that, with Covid having shown us how a beautiful wedding can be held with smaller numbers in attendance, a more intimate gathering is what would suit you anyway?
A long guest list is never long enough
First of all, if you have a long invite list then you should be using a smart way to bulk send emails to everybody. Allowing yourself a guest list that is long enough to keep everyone happy may seem like a bold and clever decision. It may cost more, but at least you’re not going to upset anyone, or so the theory goes. However, if you allow for 200 invitees, you can guarantee that there will be an annoyed Guest #201 out there somewhere cursing the day you were born. Inviting more people may mean that you can expand the criteria for who is welcome to attend – and while that may sound reassuring, imagine you’re the person who didn’t even get on an expanded guest list.
A smaller gathering frees up cash for other things
Your wedding day is a day you’re going to remember forever, and this is why there is so much focus on getting it just right. From getting the perfect dress, to getting the invites arranged with www.thefoilprintingco.com, to securing the ideal venue, it’s all adding up. If there is then a sit-down meal after the ceremony, you’re adding on the cost of feeding and accommodating possibly hundreds of people. This is for a day you’ll remember, but which – generously – half of the people in attendance won’t. By limiting the guest list, you keep the budget tight while not having to compromise on the things you absolutely want.
There will always be time for a big occasion later
Having an “occasion wedding” is certainly what is expected of people (outside of pandemic times, anyway), and venue owners know that. The standard expectation is that you’ll have budgeted a significant amount – www.fool.com suggests it could be as high as $34,000 on average for a standard wedding. When venue hosts know you’ve got a wedding planned, they’ll calculate based on that budget and believe that they should get a sizeable share of it. If, on the other hand, you choose to invite a lot of people – who weren’t at the intimate wedding – to celebrate with you at another time and place, you can negotiate with a freer hand, and do it on a day when you’re not both exhausted from wedding nerves!
