ahh! guest list is up to 143!

[DisneyDeeFL]

We're getting ready to send in our list for save-the-dates to go out, and i added up all of the guests (kids included)...the total is 143!! We are really shooting for 100 or less to actually come. This has been a crazy guessing game trying to figure out who we think will go/not go. i figure everyone should get a save-the-date just so they know the details of the wedding...but i'm worried that somehow everyone will decide to come and that will put us way over budget (not that i wouldn't want everyone to be there, but at $100 pp, that really adds up!) but i also worry that the majority of the people won't come, and that we'll be stuck with a huge venue (the ADH) will only 25 people!

guess i just came on here for some reassurance. i haven't sent the list to the planner yet, we're still messing around with it. i think the biggest stressor has been deciding whether or not to include EVERYONE'S kids. i feel like we have to because a) my four little nieces are going to be there-they're in the wedding and b) it's disney which is pretty much kid heaven-how can you say kids can't join in on the fun! my feeling is that if you invite one couple's kids, you should invite them all.

well i have done enough thinking about this for one night..it's bedtime!!

 

[StephSFL]

Don't worry, it will all work out! We live in FL and of the 180 or so we invited (I lost track), 120 came! ADH is a wonderful location and will be a lot of fun. It's a Disney wedding so I am sure you will get more than 25!

 

[dmslush]

Why not set up some kind of daycare situation for the children? That way, the kids can come to wdw with their parents, but won't be on your wedding tab?

 

[Skylarr29]

I think I would faint lol! Also remember that Disney has a much higher acceptance rate than other locations (or so the planners always say).. the people who you would expect not to come may just surprise you and use it as an excuse to take a vacation. I don't even think I know that many people lol. I agree about perhaps hiring kids night out to have a children's party or send out info so the parents can book them themselves. Just because your nieces are in the wedding doesn't mean you have to invite all children if that is a huge part of your list.... most people don't invite children to weddings etc. Good luck.

 

[Thumper's Tara]

We're getting ready to send in our list for save-the-dates to go out, and i added up all of the guests (kids included)...the total is 143!! We are really shooting for 100 or less to actually come. This has been a crazy guessing game trying to figure out who we think will go/not go. i figure everyone should get a save-the-date just so they know the details of the wedding...but i'm worried that somehow everyone will decide to come and that will put us way over budget (not that i wouldn't want everyone to be there, but at $100 pp, that really adds up!) but i also worry that the majority of the people won't come, and that we'll be stuck with a huge venue (the ADH) will only 25 people!

guess i just came on here for some reassurance. i haven't sent the list to the planner yet, we're still messing around with it. i think the biggest stressor has been deciding whether or not to include EVERYONE'S kids. i feel like we have to because a) my four little nieces are going to be there-they're in the wedding and b) it's disney which is pretty much kid heaven-how can you say kids can't join in on the fun! my feeling is that if you invite one couple's kids, you should invite them all.

well i have done enough thinking about this for one night..it's bedtime!!

Oh my. I think you and I have been having the same nightmare! I can't tell you how many different ways I have "run" the guest list.

The kids are a big problem for me as well. I have about a billion first cousins, so I decided to just invite them and not their kids. Well, I was talking to my MOH and she was insistent that it would look bad if there were some kids and not others. So...I rearranged everything and I think I have it worked out. We are inviting 100, but the max Ariel's holds with dancing is 85. I am really hoping that at least 15 people don't show.

I agree that it seems like more people are saying they are planning on going then I thought would. Although, my Wedding Consultant said they normally see a 20-25% wash!

Anyway, i thought it would help if you see that you aren't alone. I have faith it will work out for the both of us. Having everyone show up is one of my biggest fears - we would be WAY over budget (planning for 50-75 people) and wouldn't be able to have it at Ariel's.

-Tara

 

[magdog79]

We are in the same boat. Our list is is at 130. We decided to do a Pre Save the Date letter. Our date is on April of next year so we still have time to change reception venues if needed. I know my family and my DF's are penny pinchers so we booking the Napa room at the California Grill which can hold up to 50. We picked the middle hoping we'd get around 40 but who knows what will happen.

 

[balatonbabe]

We've got about 160 on our list including kids. I'm also hoping we'll come in under 100 ppl to keep the tab down. DF & I have talked to alot of people on our list already, and think we'll end up at around th 60-80 mark. Crossing my fingers for us all....

 

[KJET54]

Not to scare you but we invited 109 without adding the children and 103 are coming. thank goodness we said no children cause that would have added another 20 and the Living seas would not have been able to accommodate us if everyone came.

 

[DisneyDeeFL]

glad to see I'm not the only one stressing!

i have a huge extended family...DF does not. I have a brother & sister who are both married w/ 2 kids each...and cousin after cousin..and most are married w/ kids as well! Almost all of them live up north though, and we're in FL.

From our list of 143, i counted the # of people that I KNOW 100% absolutely will be there (i.e. our parents & immediate family, wedding party, best friends)...and that total was 36. Then I counted the number of people who i know for sure AREN'T coming (such as elderly relatives who can't travel), and that added up to about 10.

Yes, I've heard that the turnout for a disney wedding is generally higher than for other destination weddings. And a great deal of our guests will be traveling from all over Florida...which makes it a lot easier for them since they can drive.

Our date is kinda close to Christmas (Dec. 16), so that might affect people's decision to go as well. Guess we'll just wait and see!

Thanks everyone for your input/suggestions It's nice to have a great group of people to turn to when you have those moments of freaking out!!

 

[Thumper's Tara]

Not to scare you but we invited 109 without adding the children and 103 are coming. thank goodness we said no children cause that would have added another 20 and the Living seas would not have been able to accommodate us if everyone came.

Oh god. You have me stressing my list again. I was thinking of adding a few of my parents' friends. Oh bother. Oh well, we will work with what we have and go from there.

 

[slbervine]

I am in the same boat as you 131 people are invited and I though only 75 would come I was so wrong it now appears as if around 100 are coming,(my grandmothers sisters who do not go anywhere) people are facinated with Disney. I also do not know what to do with the children, my DF cousin who got married last year, and did nit invite our daughter (2) to her wedding asked if she could send her daughter to Disney with us and she will come for the wedding, her child is 6 I asked him if she fell and bumped her head. We just came back from the planning and children are 1/2 price (3-9yo) and children under 2 are free. I did put Adult only no my invatation (tacky I know) but I don't bring my child to other peoples wedding and I think unless it a close family member they should not expect to bring there children

 

[pintradingwedding]

... i was SHOCKED that many people came. i'm so glad -- it was an AWESOME time. but our venue was NOT big enough for everyone we invited so thank god they didn't all come!!!

i bet you'll get about half who say yes

 

[ryantab02]

hehe. Yeah, this is why we can't have a WDW wedding! Both of our families have a lot of friends. So, yeah, I have 152 families that are getting invited on my side alone. Ryan's side is coming out to be around 160 families. Yeah, it has the potential to be a big wedding. But, who knows what will happen? Ryan's father works on a big air force base and we are just lucky enough to have a lot of people who like us!

I hope each of your weddings are beautiful at WDW! We'll be there for our Disneymoon though!

 

[DisBride2007]

We were also closer to the 50% acceptance mark... we probably invited 55-60 and 31 came. Sorry to say this but there is absolutely no way to predict how many of your guests will come. We were trying to keep even numbers on my side and DH's side, and one day I might be up by 5 guests, the next day he would, and it went on like this until literally 3 days before the wedding. Your best bet is to come up with some kind of Plan "B" like the daycare, if everyone chooses to come (but they probably won't!)

 

[catmorgan4]

We are using the ADH as well and invited 150 people. The actual amount coming is about 80. When we sent out save the dates we guessed 75 and hoped for less.

It is hard to say no to kids when your wedding is at Disney, but they do have options. You could have a group babysitter or a seperate kids party. We decided to invite the children but I plan on not counting five of them since it is a buffet. Hopefully no one will notice and they wont eat much.

Oh and just to let you know if you are having an open bar it is probably going to be more than 100pp. Not to scare you but I wish I would have know that information before I was dead set on things.

 

[StitchBride]

I know the planners say there is a higher turn out, but not for us at all. We invited 110 people, thought 70-75 would come but its looking like only 60-65 are coming (I'm still waiting for the last few rsvp's) Its just hard to say what people will come when it actually comes down to it, we were sure some of ours were. As for children, we have a number of parents leaving them home (too little, etc) but when we get the final number of kids we're going to figure out an alternative (babysitting or kids party)

Good luck!

 

[DisBride23]

We are in a similar situation. We originally thought that out of the 180 people or so invited, that 130 would come. Well, we haven't even sent out the invitations yet and we already have 135 people that have booked hotels! The people that never thought would come seem to have been the first to book! So, we will make a few changes to the menu, but I think it will all work out ok.