Number of regrets

tbridges629

Not sure if this is this right board to post this question but does anyone know the percentage of regrets for the wedding?  We are trying to stay at an 80 person wedding, and it is proving to be hard.  Ive always heard that there is a percentage that people use to stay at or under thier guest list number and im not sure what that percent is

Thanks

MISSCOURTNEY20

I heard that it was 20% of people don't show.

MyNameIsNot

You can expect anywhere from 50-100% to come.  There is no hard rule.  There are averages, but what happened with my guests at my wedding has no bearing on what your guests will do.  Many people on this board have gotten 95-100% attendance.  

Always plan on 100% attendance.  If you can only seat/feed 80 people, your guestlist should only have 80 people.  

charlsie26

always plan for 100%.  My mom planned for 150, I said there will be 175, 195 showed up....

danieliza1127

There is no real percentage, it's impossible to tell.  You should plan for 100% attendance. 

SuMmErKuTiE

Plan for 100% to attend, that's what we're doing even though we're pretty sure that won't be the case.

NAClark

There certainly is no hard and fast rule for this - it really depends on who you are inviting. Of course ideally you invite exactly how many people you want to have come... buuuut in the real world this isn't always workable. We for example invited a number of family members from overseas who do want to be invited but many of whom are not able to make the trip over. We're being realistic and not having them influence our count. Similarly there are local family members who will definitely come. That only leaves maybe 30% of our guestlist as people we are unsure about until the RSVP. So I would suggest going through your guestlist person by person and see if there are some people you already have a good idea about. And obviously use common sense - if you're going to pull your hair out with stress because a few extra people are there then obviously don't risk that.

aerinpegadrak

The very first RSVP we got was from FI's aunt and uncle, who both FI and FMIL swore up and down wouldn't possibly come.  Guess who's coming?

Unless there's absolutely no way they could possibly make it (like my grandparents, who have been in and out of the hospital and can't travel), don't count them out until you start getting declines.  If 80 people is all you can afford/your venue can hold, you'd better get that guest list down to 80.

NAClark

Yeah there might be a few people who shock everyone by coming - crazier things do happen - but I think it's just that, a few people. So as long as a few people won't throw everything into disarray, I think it's ok to assume certain people probably won't make it.

spinner84

Think of the people who bring an uninvited +1 though. Be careful!

amwilli5

That uninvited +1 or 2 is really getting me.  If I addressed the invite to Mr. and Mrs. Smith I didn't not mean for Mr and Mrs. Smith grown kids who live out of state to come too!  Luckily I've had enough room so far, but that could  totally screw me if other people hadn't declined.  I invited 95 and so far 70 are coming only 62 of which were actually invited.  I'm not confrontational enough to tell them I didn't invite them, I guess i could grow a bit more of a spine.  Stick to your guns when the uninvited start being RSVP'd