Finding a Wedding Venue: How Many Guests can be Invited to a Wedding?

As you excitedly plan your wedding, the first item on your list to check off should be a venue. The reason wedding venues come first is that this will dictate nearly all of your other choices. From the dress you wear to what date it is on to how many people can attend your wedding, the venue narrows down all of your options. In fact, this last one is what we’re going to talk about today. Your choice in a Reno venue is going to be one of the deciding factors in how many people you can invite.

Large vs. Small

According to The Knot Real Weddings Study, the average wedding size in 2021 was 105 guests. This is a major increase from the 2020 figure of just 66 guests. In 2019, the average guest count was 131 people. data indicates that the average number of guests reached an all-time high of 153 in 2007. Clearly, the COVID-19 pandemic made people adjust their wedding plans and keep their events smaller. We’re happy to see larger weddings are slowly coming back. 

That’s not to say your wedding has to be the average. Your guest list is a matter of personal preference and what your finances allow. There’s no ideal or perfect single number to aim for. If your family typically marks a wedding with 300 guests, a 100-person reception might feel small to you. One person may say, “The bigger the better!” while someone else loves the idea of cherishing a special day with only a handful of loved ones. Brides.com tells us that a large wedding typically consists of 150 plus attendees while more intimate “micro weddings” typically have fewer than 50 guests. 

There are a number of factors to consider when crafting your guest list with your partner, but the main one is generally budget. Narrowing down the guest list is one of the most stressful parts of planning a wedding. If you are staring at a list of hundreds of people and thinking you cannot possibly invite them all, try asking yourself a few questions about each person:

• Do I personally know this person?
• Are they a positive influence on my life?
• Did I attend their wedding?
• When was the last time I saw this person?
• Do I spend holidays and birthdays with this person?

Asking these questions will get you in a better frame of mind for who should come and who may need to be left off. 

Inside vs. Outside

As you consider Reno wedding venues, we encourage you to think about whether you want to be inside or outside. Imagine a massive ballroom with 30 guests. That’s not going to feel intimate and charming; it’s going to feel like a lot of people didn’t show up! Now, think of a smaller room with 150 people packed inside. It’s difficult to walk around and enjoy yourself. 

For large weddings, it’s best to either be outside or in a room that can comfortably fit your guest list. If you’re planning a smaller wedding, either outside or in a smaller room would be better. The key is to ensure your venue is large enough to where people can freely move, without being so spacious it makes your wedding feel insignificant. If you’re not sure at this point whether you’ll have 20 or 120, you may want to settle on outdoor wedding venues and worry about the guest list later on.

Contact The Club at Arrowcreek to Learn More

Determining your guest list is one of the most important tasks on your wedding planning checklist. It’s something best tackled at the same time you’re deciding on a venue, so you can ensure it’s the right size and style. The size of your guest list will affect your venue choice, remaining budget, and many other aspects of your wedding. As one of the premier reno wedding venues, we want to help you plan your special day! If there is any way we can help, we’d love to do it. Couples can create the country club wedding of their dreams at The Club at ArrowCreek!