We're planning on getting married several hours away from most of my family, near where my ILs live and closer to where we plan on moving sometime in the future. Given my extended family's past history with OOT weddings, I'm expecting not very many of them to actually attend. This has me concerned about how many people are going to actually attend and what venue options we have available. I know it's not acceptable to have a venue smaller than your guest list, but I'm worried about how empty a room built for 300 would feel if only 40 or 50 people actually show up out of the possible 150 we might invite.
We've got two large-sized options (+/- 300), a medium-sized option (+/- 80), and several smaller-sized options (30-50) for a reception space. Ceremony space is outdoors and if it rains we'll just move the ceremony to our reception spot (praying it doesn't).
For the "everyone we can think of" guest list size we can rent either an all-inclusive hall at a hotel or a blank-slate venue and we'd still have a lot of extra space. The AI hotel option has a NR $500 deposit due at booking and additional $1250 due 30 days prior, with expected bar/food tabs due before the event starts. The blank slate has a $450 deposit upon booking that is fully refundable until 2 weeks prior and $150 of that is refundable after your event if you clean up after yourselves thoroughly.
The medium-sized option is at the same hotel, with a $500 NR deposit, nothing additional due at 30 days, and food/bar tabs due before the event starts.
I may express my concern regarding size to the hotel coordinator and see what she suggests. The room that would fit 200% of our possible GL is $1250 more than the room at the same hotel that would fit the number of people I expect to actually come.
Formerly known as flutterbride2b