Small Wedding Guest Lists Explained

Small weddings are becoming more popular than ever thanks to recent shifts in the wedding industry. It has me thinking – what does having a small wedding really mean? We’ve probably all encountered someone who states they are having a small get-together when in reality there are 100 guests! The same applies to small weddings. The term ‘small’ is pretty subjective. What one person thinks of as small might be another person’s idea of something quite big and extravagant! So, is there a rule of thumb on what small wedding guest lists are supposed to look like? Is there some maximum cut-off number of guests that makes your wedding no longer eligible to be called a small wedding? Let’s explore this in more depth.

What Should Small Wedding Guest Lists Look Like?

I recently came across an article in Martha Stewart Weddings discussing the guest counts for small, medium, and large weddings. One point the article makes that is probably the most important thing to remember is that a ‘small wedding’ is very subjective. The actual number of guests for each size of wedding will vary depending on who you ask. Some people are used to a wedding having 300+ guests so that doesn’t seem particularly large to them, and they might consider cutting their small wedding guest lists to 100 people quite intimate! However, they do go on to give a brief guide on how many people should be expected at weddings of various sizes:

• A Small Wedding generally has less than 50 guests
• Medium Weddings are those with 50 to 150 guests
• Anything over 150 guests is usually considered a Large Wedding

I would maybe sway more towards the lower end of the small wedding number at 10 to 30. However, as noted that’s subjective because at wheretoelope.com we deal mainly in elopements and intimate or micro weddings!

Want to Know More About Planning a Small Wedding?

If you are thinking about planning a small wedding yourself, but are not sure where to start, why not register for the Small Wedding Expo? The virtual small wedding expo takes place on Sunday, November 7, 2021, and will give you access to a variety of vendors specializing in small weddings. You will also pick up lots of tips for small wedding planning and every bride gets a copy of our small wedding planning checklist, budget spreadsheet, and my BIG Weddings SUCK! ebook!  Don’t know? Use our new Small Wedding Decision Guide to find out!

What are your thoughts? How many guests would you expect at a small wedding? More or less than 50? We’d love to hear your opinion.