On average, 60% of invited guests will show up at your event. And here's the best case scenario: If you invite your closest friends and family only, you can expect about 75% to show up. It's painful to think about, but true nonetheless.
A recent study conducted by event management software company RSVPify generally corroborates that 80 percent estimate, finding that, of couples who used their platform to manage RSVPs, an average of 83 percent of invited guests accepted their invitation, while 17 percent declined.
“However, it is never an exact science,” she said. “A general overall percentage between 75-85 percent of wedding guests usually attend.” The breakdown: 85 percent of local guests, 55 percent of out-of-town guests, and 35 percent of destination wedding guests will show up, Buckley said. But then it gets murky.
The First Look ✨
As a rule of thumb, you can usually expect around 75-85 percent of those invited to actually attend the wedding. Sending out save the dates six to eight months in advance will give guests time to prepare for the wedding—ultimately increasing the number of people who will attend.
There's no magical formula to determine exactly how many invitees will RSVP "no" (trust us, if we could predict the future for you, we would), but it's safe to plan for roughly 15 percent of people to decline the invitation (and more like 20–30 percent for a destination wedding).
Things come up, especially urgent, unavoidable things like sickness, unexpected deaths, can't-miss work trips, and other legitimate excuses. Whatever the reason, it's how you handle your RSVP status that counts. Regardless of how close you are to the couple, no-showing is NEVER appropriate.
The Results. On average, 83 percent of guests indicated that they were coming to our users' weddings while 17 percent of invitees declined their invitation. In other words, if you have a 100-person guest list, you can expect 83 guests on your big day and 17 people to decline.
How many guests can I expect to show up? Typically 75-85% of local guests attend weddings. But you can expect less attendance from out-of-town guests or if you're planning a destination wedding. Some couples will plan for this and increase their guest list by about 10% - 20%.
For local guests, plan for 85% of invitees attending. Don't forget to add spouses and children if they are invited! For out-of-town guests, plan on 55% of them attending. However, if most of them are close family who may go the distance to make it, your estimate could be higher—as high as 85%.
O n average, 60 percent of invited guests will show up to a party. If you invite closer friends only, about 75 percent will come. Men tend to show up less than women, so invite more guys if you want the sexes to be evenly represented. Always invite some new faces to make the party more interesting.
According to various reports, roughly 15% of invited guests will respond "no" to your wedding invitation. So, if you invite 100 guests to your wedding, for example, only 85 people will actually attend.
Ideally, the RSVP date should fall three to four weeks before the wedding, and the wedding invitation should be mailed six to eight weeks prior to the wedding.
The ideal time to send RSVP reminders is one week before the deadline. That way, your recipient has some time to respond to the invite. For wedding invitations or corporate gathering invitations that require significant planning, sending the reminder two or three weeks before the deadline may be helpful.
It is inconsiderate, but unfortunately common, for guests to fail to RSVP. Anyone who receives an invitation has an important obligation to reply as soon as possible. And yet so many don't. Some forget; others procrastinate and then feel guilty, so they delay even longer.
While it's rude not to RSVP and people can be flaky or noncommittal at times (some, sadly, all the time), don't hold it against them personally or stew about it. Just ask. And save at least a few extra spots.
Most of us in our society are programmed to RSVP yes to events, but RSVPs are not optional. Letting your host know “yay” or “nay” is an etiquette-do. Without it, they are left guessing if you'll be in attendance or not.
Experts recommend inviting no more than your budget can allow. If you've budgeted for 150 people, you should send out 150 invites. On the off chance some of those prospective guests send their regrets, feel free to send out more invites to “second tier” guests, but only up to that original 150-person total.
The average wedding gift amount hovers right around $100, which is a great place to start, and you can increase or decrease that based on how close you are.
Wedding Plus One Etiquette As A Guest
Understand that not all guests are entitled to a plus one. The couple's budget and venue capacity may determine whether or not a plus-one is extended to you. If you do receive a plus one invitation, RSVP promptly and provide the name of your guest as requested by the couple.
A large wedding is a marriage with more than 150 people. It is officially a larger than average wedding when you have more guests than the average nationwide of 125 guests.
A lot of weddings were put on pause during the pandemic. But now that they're in full swing again, you may be getting more invitations. A recent survey found the average person was invited to four wedding this year. The average person was expected to spend $3,000 as a wedding guest.
The basic rule of thumb to keep in mind when determining dance floor size is that usually about 50% of your guests will dance at any given time.
— How many guests from each side will attend? The average wedding accommodates about 100 of the spouses' closest family and friends. But since this day symbolizes the blending of your families, the total guest list count might be larger than you anticipated.
Mason considers 75 to 150 guests to be an “average” size wedding, and anything over 150 to be a “large” wedding. For weddings under 75, she breaks them down into three categories: Intimate wedding: Between 50 and 75 guests. Small wedding: Less than 50 guests.
The Wedding Guru says: As a rule, invitations are sent to everyone who receives a save-the-date card. Even if they've told you that they can't attend the wedding, an invitation should be sent to close friends and relatives.