Guest list calculator
Not everyone you invite will come. Work out how many invitations to send for the headcount your venue and budget allow, or how many to expect from the list you have.
Invited guests by group
| Close family & wedding party | 29 / 30 |
| Local friends & relatives | 51 / 60 |
| Guests who must travel far | 15 / 25 |
| Colleagues & acquaintances | 11 / 15 |
Rates are planning rules of thumb, not guarantees. Your RSVPs are the real answer: track them in the RSVP tracker.
Why a group-by-group estimate beats a flat 80%
Wedding planners often quote that 75 to 85 percent of invited guests attend. That average hides big differences. Close family and the wedding party come almost without exception. Local friends mostly come. Guests who would need flights, colleagues and “we should invite them” acquaintances decline far more often. A list heavy in out-of-town guests can come in well under 70 percent; a local, family-heavy list can top 90.
Destination weddings are the extreme case: many planners expect only 50 to 65 percent. Send save the dates early and start the RSVP tracker as soon as they're out.
Using a B-list
If you invite in two waves, send the first invitations ten to twelve weeks out, and B-list invitations as declines arrive, no later than six weeks before the day so they don't look like afterthoughts. The invitation timeline shows those dates for your wedding.
Questions people ask
What percentage of wedding guests actually attend?
A commonly used planning figure is 75 to 85 percent, but it varies with how many guests must travel. Destination weddings often see 50 to 65 percent.
How many people should I invite for 100 guests?
With a mixed local and travelling list, around 125 to 130 invitations. Only do this if you can accommodate everyone should they all accept.
Should I count children and plus-ones?
Yes. Count seats, not envelopes: every invited person, including children and named plus-ones, needs a place.