Do We Budget for the Number of Invitees?

Should we base our reception budget on the number of people we think will actually attend our wedding or the number of people we are inviting?


Trying to predict your RSVPs is difficult. People you’re certain wouldn’t miss your big day for anything might have a scheduling conflict, and folks you’d throw in the “not a chance” pile might surprise you and show up. If you base your budget on perfect attendance, however, you run the risk of allocating too much money for your reception (which is often calculated by a per-person cost).

The safest bet is to assume 20 percent of your total guest count will have to decline. This means that any per-person costs should be calculated at 80 percent of your original guest count. However, if more than 80 percent of your invited guests end up RSVPing “yes,” make sure you’re prepared to pare down other wedding costs to cover it.

For example, a rehearsal dinner at a fancy restaurant could be changed to a less-expensive venue. Or the string quartet for your ceremony could be switched to the church organist. Once you're read to look at the numbers, check out our Personal Budget Planner. We’ll give you a personalized budget breakdown so you can start planning and spending smart.