Anyone nervous/scared that guests won’t show up to your wedding?

So I got married in November, and in Tennessee. Our county has a mandatory mask mandate (as most counties do) anyways, I had a guest list of 75. Our guests were aware the ceremony was outside but the reception was indoors. Everybody showed to our wedding, there was MAYBE 5 people (elderly) that stayed for the ceremony but not reception, and they did inform us before hand that they wouldn't be there for the reception. So I hope that helps you some!

I think this is a completely “know your crowd“ sort of thing. I have seen it go both ways. Some brides have been incredibly upset and disappointed in the very small turn out (inviting 100-150 people and only 20-30 showing up); some brides have gotten just a handful of RSVP cards, and have chosen to postpone due to the lack of guests intending to attend; others have completely embraced the very small ceremony and have actually said they are glad it ended up being very small and intimate! Others have had a medium amount of people show, and still others have had nearly their entire guest list show up! I think it really all depends on where are you live (Whether or not cases are high, or mandates are strict), and how your guests feel about the virus and attending events.

Depends on your crowd. I know people who had upwards of 150 guests show last summer. I also know one couple who had very few guests show up. In the bigger event, the couple was in a low case area in the Midwest. In the event with sparse attendance, the couple was from NYC (and breaking their rules I believe). Knowing people across the country, people in some states tend to be more cautious than others. Where is your wedding?

Hi Richaelyn! I lost sleep over the same fear. August 2020 bride here and most of our guests came. Invited 162 and 110 said yes, 104 attended. Outdoor ceremony and outdoor reception. My biggest piece of advice is to not underestimate guest’s concerns. Rumors fly quickly (“I heard from aunt so and so no one is wearing masks”). An educated guest is a happy guest 👍 My fiancé (now husband) just assumed “of course our families know we are taking precautions, it’s on our website”, but I said “not good enough”. I took the bull by the horns as they say, I called each aunt, grandmother, friend and went into specifics of our safety protocols. I did my homework and had all state restrictions, how we were meeting those, and explained details such as we are not doing a receiving line, who they would be seated with (households), etc. Understandably so, many were worried our venue was turning a blind eye to precautions and it was imperative they heard directly from the bride that would not be the case. We respected anyone who declined and understood, but having guests know the facts so they can make an educated decision.


Sorry it’s long but hope it helps!!! ❤️

View Quoted Comment Houston, Texas

We are sending a "Covid Info Sheet" with our invitations! In our county (Multnomah Co., OR), any gathering over 50 is considered high risk. Unless that changes by July (wedding month), we'll disclose all that information. Our guest list is 49, so including vendors the total amount of people who will be there will be less than 60. But we're also disclosing that half the event is outdoors, listing all of our precautions, and reminding everyone that safety is first! My 86 year old grandma who hasn't left her house since last February is going to come no matter what - and she lives in another state. I think that (practically) everyone we're inviting is going to come because we know our crowd, and it's so small. We haven't sent invites yet so I can't say for sure what things will look like, but that's my assumption that most everyone will come. Maybe talk with a handful of your invitees to gauge a general vibe and that way you will be able to adjust accordingly with plenty of time. I think that aside from our elderly grandparents, I'm the most nervous for holding a Covid wedding! I hope that no matter what, you'll be able to find peace with the decisions, it's really challenging and all of us brides are learning how to figure this out!

View Quoted Comment Yeah it’s definitely challenging and that’s why I’m here asking questions lol. I’m also going to include a covid precautions slip inside the invitations... great thinking!

I was nervous at first but now I'm just okay with however it goes down. I know that my family and close friends won't miss it for anything and to be honest, as long as they're there, that's all I need. We're planning to invite 160 and if we only get 100, I wouldn't even be mad lol. I just believe its going to be a positive day where we are celebrated in a beautiful way, no matter how many attend. Sending positive vibes!

View Quoted Comment Great answer. I have to remember to think about it that way. When is your wedding?

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October 17th. I LOOOVVEEEE your profile pic btw lol.

View Quoted Comment Aww thank you so much. Yours is lovely as well. Very romantic!

You mentioned getting several declines. Did you already send out invitations this early?

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Thank You!

View Quoted Comment No, I haven’t sent out invites yet. I’m planning to send them out in June.

Oh girl, I am a wreck, I'm currently going through that, and I live in California. Fortunately, the city where I'm getting married at is pretty lax. We've invited over 170 people knowing there was a damn good chance a lot of people were going to decline. My RSVP deadline is January 31st, and currently we're at 38 people saying "Yes", with only 12 declines. However, over 120 people still haven't RSVPed yet, so you can only imagine how annoying that is @_@

My goal is to get at least 80 people going, if I can do that, than this whole thing wouldn't be a huge waste of money. =3=;;;

We invited 65 got 40 and we know it’s because those people care about us and really want to be there

My wedding date is 7/30/21, and I’m inviting about 120 people. I’m anticipating that a fair amount won’t come and that our final count will be under 100. However, I’m not very concerned because I know that all of my loved ones and close friends will be there because they are excited for the wedding, and that hopefully most of them will be vaccinated as well!

View Quoted Comment Where is your wedding?

Ours is 2022 and even then I have a nagging feeling no one will show up LOL

View Quoted Comment My wedding is in Virginia on a farm in a barn that we will keep open to the outdoors. Ceremony is in a church!