Small Wedding Advice

Just exactly how you said it, were having an intimate wedding, sorry we can't have everyone there even though we appreciate your friendship but you're welcome to come hangout another time for dinner or drinks with us

Just as simply as you said it. We did the same thing and it was hard to know where to draw the line and I’m sure some people were hurt but unfortunately that happens sometimes.

The venue only has enough space for 60-65 people including vendors so I'm trying to narrow that list to a small amount of people. I'm already utilizing the guest list on WeddingWire to help with people who MAY not be able to come.

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Say what you originally said and you could throw in due to venue size and budget we decided to have an intimate wedding. You would love to have more people but this is what you two plan to do.

Don’t say anything if asked. Only if asked exactly what you shared is very considerate “We’re having a small intimate wedding.”

I’ve had the same issue. Ours is even smaller, max 25 but would like to keep I at 16.


When friends ask, I just say we’re keeping it very small and intimate with just our immediate family. You don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings but you have to do what’s right for you

Honestly I don’t think you need to explain yourself to people. But if they ask, say we’d love to invite you but we are having a small intimate wedding and really had to limit our guest list.

We invited around 275 people to our 240 capacity venue. There are still a tone of people trying to figure out if they are invited. My mom just keeps explaining to people that we have a limited amount of space and wanted to keep things small... if we can use that excuse with 275 people invited, you can certainly use that excuse with 60 people on your guest list.

We're having a small wedding as well. I have a large family & many of them have asked about their invite, but we've had to let them know that it's just close family and friends.

I would just tell them exactly that. Say the wedding is only for family and close friends and the venue has limited seating. Most people will understand and those that don't don't care enough about what you want for your day.

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What's your plan if more than 240 rsvp yes to your wedding?

First off, Good Luck! I would just say that you and your FH want to have a small intimate wedding and you are limited by your venue.

View Quoted Comment It would have been to add a chair or two to some tables. And maybe a couple rectangular tables.
We didn't think it would be an issue at all. And we got nos from 4 couples who had a total of 23 children among them.
And most children are being left home as most of our guests know we don't like kids.

View Quoted Comment Sounds like you will be under capacity then. But just an FYI, if someone goes over capacity, you can’t just add another table. That’s the maximum number of people that can be there due to fire codes and other regulations.

View Quoted Comment My grandfather was the fire chief, and my father was the fire chief for over 30 years. So I'm aware of fire codes. I'm also aware that many places will list their max capacity below fire code capacity for some wiggle room. [Most brides don't account for catering staff, DJ, photographers, event staff, etc.]
So in our case, adding chairs and a couple tables was pre approved and added to our contract. We confirmed this before signing a contract.

We’re having 65 people and it has been a little uncomfortable, but people seem to understand. I just explain that the venue can hold 65 people and though we’d love to have more people, we’re constrained by the chapel so it’s a handful of friends and immediate family only.

Three words... By Invitation Only

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Great Answer!!

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Yup, I definitely agree with you 100 %

We knew that we wanted a small wedding from the get-go so as soon as we got engaged and people started asking our plans, we began telling people "not sure the details, but we are looking to keep it very small!" That way, people were prepared/not necessarily expecting an invite. I haven't had any complaints... especially if you are doing a destination wedding, lots of people don't necessarily want to pay the travel fees!