Help - need small wedding stories!

We had about 40 people at our wedding, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat--despite some of the guilt trips I got from some extended family members. It was intimate and fun and I actually got to spend quality time with ALL of our guests.

We had 46 guests and absolutely loved it! One of the best moments was sitting at our sweetheart table and looking out at the 6 guest tables, being able to see everyone and what a good time they were having. We were actually able to visit with all our guests. It didn't cost a fortune which was a serious plus

I just noticed you are not getting married for 2 years. I would not stress that guest list right now! If you haven't booked a venue, look at ones that hold 50-100 guests and then you can finalize the guest list a year from now. In the next year, family dynamics may change, you may change your mind, etc. I am sure it is on your mind since you just went to that shower, but let it take a back seat for now.

@Kelli - I'm trying not to stress it but I think after going to the shower and seeing everyone (and everyone asking "When's the wedding?") it's on my mind. Also, I'd ideally like to have a venue booked by June at the latest since in my area, venues book really quickly. I'm definitely not looking at large venues, but the shower made me think...am I going to feel bad if I don't invite these people?

I had 35 people total at my wedding. I did this for several reasons including budget, my DHs paralyzing fear of big crowds, and the fact that while I have a small immediate family I had a HUGE extended family and so the jump from would have been from 35 to probably 400+ if we had upped the guest list. Honestly, if I could go back I would still have a small wedding though there are a handful of people I would add in. People that I left out trying to keep things UBER small but looking back really would have made the night more fun. Even if they weren't our closest people we would have enjoyed them being there. I likely would have taken it from 35 to 45.

I love my small weddings. You can actually visit with the people who mean the most to you and not be stressing out about the budget from now until then. You can treat an intimate group of people really nicely, and everyone there will be engaged in the party (no pun intended) instead of checking their iphone because they could be anywhere.

You have a lot of time to decide, but don't make decisions out of guilt or obligation.

I'm going to have 55 at mine. Yes, it would be nice to include everyone but it wouldn't be nice to feed everyone!

We are having 40 people and I'm SO happy about that! I think it will be great to know that we're super close with every person there. We'll have time to chat with EVERYONE and our wallets will thank us.

I agonized over this for a while too. I moved the wedding from my home town to where I live now, and only had a few people when I realized I didn't want all the typical wedding details and stress. Since I had very few people, I could easily ask guests what they would like for this and that, made decisions so much easier!

One thing was that I had planned the wedding for afternoon and not over the dinner hour. I thought about booking the chapel for longer and having a meal, but everyone told me that all they cared about was the ceremony and having cake, so we did! I was able to relax, have cake and talk to everyone and relax. At one point I did freak out wondering if I should have had the wedding at home with the 10 bridesmaids, and the brides of WW pointed out that I was never interested in that sort of thing, and that I was indeed having the wedding I wanted. They were right MacToBe is right, you get a chance to relax and chat with everyone there. You can also relax and enjoy that after the wedding time without piles of bills to pay off.

Less people = less stress and I am so glad I went that route!

btw- I've seen posts where brides went a certain way with the idea it would ensure certain people being able to attend that in the end didn't come anyway. As it turned out, most everyone that I would have wanted to attend in my hometown wouldn't have been able to between pregnancies, military duty, or being sent to Europe for work. I was worried I would regret going small, and it actually made for the wedding of my dreams!

I had 48 people. Multiple people commented on how special they felt because they didn't know it was going to be such an intimate affair. It shows the ones you invited truly how special they are to you.

There were 33 people total at our wedding, including us. It was fantastic. Of course there are people that I enjoy seeing that I could have invited, but we're not close. It's just nice to see them on occasion. My wedding was very intimate and we were able to enjoy conversation with every single person there. I really enjoyed knowing that everyone there was in full support of us and only the people we held close to our hearts.

It was beautiful.

We're having around 50 people. We're excited to share our day with the people we're closest to.