Guest Count

Welcome 2014!!!

I know it's been a while since I was on here, the end of 2013 and beginning of 2014 was just crazy!! And to top it all off, my email has been down!  So it's time to get back on top of blogging. :)

Today we're going to talk about your guest list.  How do you know who to invite, who not to invite, and how much is too much for your budget?  If you think about it, almost everything you're doing to plan the wedding will vary depending on how many people are going to be attending.  The venue itself may not be able to hold everyone, they may charge for tables and chairs, how many centerpieces you'll need will be determined by how many tables you have, even security may be required depending on the guest count as well, the favors you provide for them to take home and what you use for the send off.  

One of the biggest hits you take in cost when planning your wedding is the catering.  99% of the time the catering is charged per person, which can definitely start to add up if you have 300+ people.  If you don't have a very large budget but your initial list is 250 or more, I'm willing to bet dropping that count will dramatically drop your cost.  Let's say your catering cost per person is $15.  If you have 200 guests coming that's only $3,000 in food, but if you have 350 guests coming, that's $5,250 in food; with that difference you could pay for a photographer!  And that's just the food itself, that's not counting the increased service fees you'll have with more people; more people means more servers to take care of them all night and more clean up fees.  

Another cost that typically will come with your venue is the tables, chairs, glassware and chinaware.  Some venues, like The Orion, includes those in the cost of the room, so it won't matter how many people attend.  However, the average cost for garden chairs, not even pretty Chiavari chairs, is $4 each.  So for the same 200 vs. 350 guest count in the food, you're looking at a difference of $600 just in a place for your guests to sit.  That could pay for your cake!  Also, some venues require security so for 200 people, that may only be 2 security guards versus 4 for 350 guests; that cost also adds up quickly.  

The next biggest hit you take with a high guest count, is in your decorations.  Whether you're making them yourself or you're hiring a decorator, 20 tables vs. 35 tables is again, going to almost double the cost.  Decorations can be very costly depending on what you want so keep that in mind as well, especially if you're doing chair sashes or covers.  The more chairs there are, the more that cost will skyrocket.  I know some places charge $3 per chair sash.  I'm sure you're thinking, "Oh well that isn't bad!  Totally do-able."  Well 200 chairs would cost you $600 in sashes, where as 350 chairs would cost you $1,050!  At that point I'm sure you're thinking has changed to, "Hmm...is that really worth it, or would I rather have favors for my guests to take home and sparklers for our exit with beautiful pictures?"

Now for the million dollar question:  How do you lower your guest count??  

I know it isn't easy.  Some people, like myself, have very large families where others might just have very large work families.  But I'm going to tell you a secret that no one has probably ever told you:

 You DO NOT have to invite them all.  

*Gasp!!*  What did I just say???  No, you read it right.  You simply don't have to invite everyone you know.  Nowadays, most everyone knows how expensive it is to plan a wedding and will understand if they don't get an invite; especially if you aren't really that close.  I found a cute infographic on Pinterest the other day to help you figure out who to invite and who not to invite.  There are some good questions to ask yourself in there, like immediate family vs. extended family?  Is it someone you've talked to specifically about the wedding or have spent your free time with recently?  Don't feel bad for not inviting your really good friend from high school that you haven't talked to in 2 years.  It's your big day, fill it with the people that mean the most to you and have been a part of your and your sweetheart's life.

As always, the most important thing about this day is that you are getting to marry the love of your life.  Never let the stress of planning or pleasing everyone get in the way of the true meaning behind the ceremony.  Make it a fun experience, so make sure to invite the ones that will make that happen!

Brooklyn Hicken

Special Events Coordinator

The Orion Ballroom