How to Estimate Wedding Guest Count | Stellaluna Events (2024)

Hey Brooke

I am planning my wedding and wondering what percentage of guests invited won’t come? And what percentage of people RSVPing still won’t show? Our invite list is larger than our venue limit so I’m curious if we should cut back significantly before sending invitations. Thanks!

Sincerely,

Worried about the numbers

Wedding guest counts can be a tricky thing and are sometimes hard to estimate. On average you can expect that 20% of your invited guests will RSVP they cannot come to your wedding. However, there are a few things that can make that percentage decrease or increase.

Location

If you’re wedding location is farther away from where the majority of your guests reside, then you could experience more ‘no’ RSVPs. When it comes to destination or travel based weddings you can typically expect everyone who RSVP-ed ‘yes’ will come. This is because they will need to make arrangements and spend money on travel, which is a motivator to not skip out on the day.

Example:

Clients of mine had their wedding in Kalamazoo, where none of their guests resided. People had to travel anywhere from 45 minutes to across the country. They invited 294, they had 189 yes RSVPs and 189 came. Disclaimer they did have 9 cancel the week of, but they were able to adjust their numbers.

If you’re having your wedding close to where the majority of your guests reside then you could experience a larger amount of ‘yes’ RSVPs, however that could mean that you may have a larger number of people not show to your wedding. This is because when it is closer to home and no money is needed for travel people can tend to not carefully consider their RSVP and if they are actually going to make it.

Example:

A friend married at home where the majority of her guests resided. 300 were invited, there were 225 yes RSVPs and 210 actually attended.

Guest Count

If you are having a super small wedding of about 10 people I would expect that all 10 would show. If you have a massive 1,000 person wedding I would expect a little more than 20% to RSVP no. Typically weddings ranging from 100-300 guests follow the 20% guideline closely.

You should also be prepared for guests to show that did not RSVP. Often times people will bring their children, spouses or plus ones to a wedding without RSVPing for them. Some people will not RSVP at all and still show up to the event. I cannot tell you the reasons why people do this, but to save yourself some time and stress I would chat with your venue and caterer about having a couple extra chairs, place settings and meals on hand just in case.

Time Of The Year

Keep in mind that holiday weddings (Christmas, New Years Eve, Valentines Day, Fourth of July, etc.) can effect the number of guests that will RSVP or no show on your wedding day. Most people want to spend these holidays with their family and friends so you may have a larger increase of ‘no’ RSVPs or an increase in wedding day no shows.

Example:

When I used to work at a wedding venue we had a New Years Eve wedding that nearly 30% of the guests that said they were coming did not show.

Warm months are an easy time for events and most people expect to attend weddings during those times, but weddings during inclement weather seasons (hurricanes, blizzards, tornados, etc.) can sometimes greatly effect your attendance on the day due to accidents, unsafe conditions or people not wanting to brave the weather.

I recommend that you plan for your budget and space as if all of your invited guests will attend your wedding. I say this because it is better to be over prepared than stressed the week of your wedding trying to figure out where to seat everyone and how you are going to feed them. Plus if you do have a lower amount of guests attend than invited, then that extra money you budgeted for will be a nice little cushion the week of your wedding.

I hope you found this post on how to estimate your wedding guest count helpful! If you are looking for more wedding planning tips check out my post on My Stress-Free System For Packing Wedding Decor!

How to Estimate Wedding Guest Count | Stellaluna Events (2024)

FAQs

How to Estimate Wedding Guest Count | Stellaluna Events? ›

If you are having a super small wedding of about 10 people I would expect that all 10 would show. If you have a massive 1,000 person wedding I would expect a little more than 20% to RSVP no. Typically weddings ranging from 100-300 guests follow the 20% guideline closely.

How to estimate wedding guest count? ›

For local guests, plan for 85% of invitees attending. Don't forget to add spouses and children if they are invited! For out-of-town guests, plan on 55% of them attending. However, if most of them are close family who may go the distance to make it, your estimate could be higher—as high as 85%.

How many wedding guests will actually show up? ›

As a rule of thumb, you can usually expect around 75-85 percent of those invited to actually attend the wedding. Sending out save the dates six to eight months in advance will give guests time to prepare for the wedding—ultimately increasing the number of people who will attend.

How do I ask how many guests will attend a wedding? ›

Another way is to include the line "(#) of seats have been reserved in your honor" and use the next two lines to include the guests' names and another line for their +1. This way your guests will be informed of how many people can come along.

How to estimate the number of guests who will attend a party? ›

Simply take the number of people invited and multiply it by . 6 to get a really good idea of how many people will actually show up. And don't let your optimism get the best of you, thinking that your event will be different. I've coordinated close to 100 events, and the 60% rule hits the mark almost exactly every time.

What is a good guest count for a wedding? ›

How many guests are typically invited to each size wedding? These numbers may vary a little depending on who you're speaking with, but a small wedding typically includes 50 people or under, a medium wedding has a guest list of anywhere from 50-150 guests, and a large wedding has over 150 attendees.

What percentage of RSVPs show up? ›

Depending on when your wedding is, its location and other guest-influencing factors, what percentage of guests will say they'll attend a wedding varies widely, with some studies drilling down that 83% are likely to confirm their attendance, while others say it could dip to 60% and go as high as 85%.

What is the rule of thumb for a wedding guest list? ›

As a rule of thumb for wedding guest lists, you can typically expect 75-80% of the invited guests to attend the wedding. But is there a template for how to build the perfect guest list? "I recommend looking at the wedding guest list as a pie, where each family gets a slice to work with," says Strausser.

How many no shows to expect at a wedding? ›

What Is the Average No-Show Rate at a Wedding? While there's no documented average no-show rate for a wedding, we've heard other outlets report that you should expect 5 to 10 percent of guests who RSVP'd yes not to attend.

What is the average guest list count for a wedding? ›

It all depends on factors like the size of your families and friend groups, your culture and religion, and even your vision for your big day. But you asked, and we shall answer! Typically, a guestlist of 75 to 150 people is considered an "average" wedding size.

How do you politely limit wedding guests? ›

Be as specific as you need to. The more vague the addressing is the more questions you could raise. They can rsvp for 1,2,or3 guests but they cannot bring 4 of 3 guests are their are only 3 seats. WE HAVE SAVED ____ SEATS IN YOUR HONOR.

What is an example of a guest count? ›

A guest count is a record of the number of customers in a group on the same receipt. For example, at a restaurant, the guest count would represent all of the people sitting at a table who are on the same check. At a mini-golf location, the guest count might include all of the people in a group playing together.

How many guests is a lot for a wedding? ›

What is Considered a Big Wedding? What is considered a large wedding can vary between cultures and regions, but we consider any wedding over 100 people to be a big wedding. The Knot's Guest List Manager comes in handy no matter what your wedding size may be, but especially if you've got a long list of attendees.

How to estimate event attendance? ›

Over a set period of time, measure how many people come in through the door, and how many people leave. Now use that information to estimate, since the beginning of your event, how many people have come through the door total and how many people have left.

How do you calculate guest capacity? ›

Six square feet per person is a good rule of thumb for a standing crowd. If you are planning a co*cktail hour for 100 people who will all be standing, you will multiply 100 by 6 to determine you need a venue with 600 square feet of available and workable space for the event.

How many people actually come to your wedding? ›

“However, it is never an exact science,” she said. “A general overall percentage between 75-85 percent of wedding guests usually attend.” The breakdown: 85 percent of local guests, 55 percent of out-of-town guests, and 35 percent of destination wedding guests will show up, Buckley said.

How many people can I expect to RSVP no to my wedding? ›

On average, 83 percent of guests indicated that they were coming to our users' weddings while 17 percent of invitees declined their invitation. In other words, if you have a 100-person guest list, you can expect 83 guests on your big day and 17 people to decline.

How do you calculate cost per guest? ›

Calculate the price per person by dividing the variable costs and the number of guests. Calculate the number of guests per person. This includes “half” or “third” guests, if multiple Hosts invited the same person. Calculate the variable cost per host by multiplying the price per guest with the number of guests.

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