"We are slashing the guest list in half" - a horror turned into beautiful stories
Have you heard the sentence “We are slashing the guest list in half”? This article actually intends to turn a wedding horror into beautiful stories about love! One study finds that forty-eight percent of couples who plan their wedding would prefer to cut back on the number of guests rather than delay the big day.
Our bride-to-be Coral came for advice:
Well, it’s official. Two weeks out, and we are slashing the guest list in half. Not what I was hoping for, but definitely what’s best for everyone. We are down to about 30 people. Any advice on how to still make it feel special? We can’t reschedule without paying thousands of dollars, so this seems to be the best solution. I’m trying not to be sad, but I definitely am.
The first thing I said was – While it may seem small, the effects of small things are extraordinary. Then one great chat from a few days ago crossed my mind. There happened to be an article in the meantime from that same chat, written by ladies from Plan Desing Events Miami. I find it so exceptional. It’s called We Don’t Like Micro Weddings or Why we love intimate weddings. It’s all about how Intimate weddings are cozier, sexier, and more elegant!
Don’t worry at all. Just hire an experienced planner and finally be excited for your small big day.
The expert advice is in the article about intimate weddings. For this one, I just want to include thoughts of other 2020 brides about cutting their guest lists. It still warms my heart, so it needed to appear here.
Chana
3 days out, we lost our venue because of restrictions. We ended up with 19 people coming to the church/hall for our wedding (initially 80 guests). We lost our band and everything. We still had a lovely day, and you will too! Was it bittersweet, people we wanted weren’t there, and it wasn’t at our gorgeous venue? Absolutely! But it isn’t about headcounts and fancy, and you don’t realize that until the day.
Courtney
5 days before our wedding, New York had tighter restrictions put into place. I was so sad, we had to cancel everything for our reception, but our church still let our immediate people (parents, siblings, aunt’s/uncle’s & close friend circle) in to witness us get married. At the end of the day, it’s about you two getting married!
I forgot how sad I was about not being able to have a reception because I was just so excited to become his wife. Especially on the day of your wedding, all you will think about is you two! You can always have a celebration of some sort later! (We just bought a house, so we will have a back yard BBQ house warming/wedding celebration).
The only people that matter that day is you and him! My dad gave me some good advice when I was sad about everything if your wedding day and the reception is more important than the many years of marriage to come… Don’t get married to him because the day goes by in a blink of an eye. The marriage is the critical part. If you can pull together through this challenging time, you can do anything together! And it will still be an unforgettable day!
I highly recommend doing a first look; it’s an extremely intimate special moment you will cherish forever.
Ashley
We went from 250 to 50, family only and the wedding party. It was still beautiful and elegant. No matter how many people, you’re still the bride. People always look to you and want to make you happy. Honestly, I was glad we downsized because I realized how stressful a large wedding would have been. I did try to think of it as an elegant, intimate wedding. It was so beautiful!
Megan
We went from a 175 person church wedding and reception at a hotel to a 14 person wedding by a pond and invited everyone over for food we had delivered to our new home. All that ended up mattering that day was that we could get married and just enjoy being with each other.
You will definitely feel the losses of the day hit you at some point, but your excitement for what is to come will take over. My biggest concern was that my grandmother, who was 93, would miss me getting married, so I surprised her at her house with the photographer to take socially distanced photos. She passed away the other day, so I’m super thankful I found a way to still incorporate her in my day. If there are people you need to see that are unable to attend, I definitely say find a way to make it work for you. The day can and will still feel special!
Mallory
I went from 100 people to 22. I didn’t do anything to make it feel special… it just was! Don’t worry. Your day will be perfect no matter how many guests you have.
Caitlin
We canceled everything about a month before our wedding due to restrictions and scrambled to plan a backyard elopement with just our immediate families. I was SO sad at first, but as it got closer, I got really excited for our little special day, and it really was SO incredible. Cherish the people who can be there and the fact that you can be authentically yourselves in just their presence.
No big party meant our vows were more emotional, and we got to spend the whole night with just our nearest and dearest. My advice is still to get your makeup done and hair done, get your flowers and photography, pour your heart into the little details, and then just cruise and enjoy.
I didn’t feel any less like a bride because there wasn’t a huge party. I felt beautiful, and honestly, I’ve never felt closer to my husband. I don’t know if we would have felt that way with a million distractions. When the day comes, it will feel perfect. You won’t be able to even imagine it any other way. Allow yourself to grieve this loss, but also enjoy your day!
In case that you have experienced this on your own, let us know in the comment below.
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11 Comments
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This was such an interesting read. I never thought about how COVID would impact weddings.
What I loved about all of these stories is that the beauty of the day outweighed the disappointment of having to cut the guest list.
Exactly. It’s so heartwarming, right, Colleen?
What I love about slashing the guest list in half is that no one canceled due to covid. They still celebrated their love and that is the important thing. Marriage is much more than a fancy wedding. I bet these marriages may even be stronger for it.
We only invited a dozen people to our wedding. It was absolutely perfect and I wouldn’t change a thing.
I think having a small, more intimate wedding can be such a beautiful thing! I love the idea of smaller numbers on the guest list.
I can feel it. Everyone has got impact because Covid-19. Financial, jobs, and health. Dealing with the unforeseen challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a significant toll on people all across the world. But this year, i wish more better, because vaccine already made for this pandemic. But I like these stories is happy ending.
I enjoyed reading this article and understanding what it was all about and how despite coronavirus people like you are making it happen 🙂
It’s so nice to read that all of these people made the best of it and still had a great day. In the end, all that matters is getting married! Sometimes things don’t turn out like we expected unfortunately.
I am a former wedding planning and I have been wondering how Covid has impacted the wedding industry. I loved reading about the positive side of how things turned out for these couples.
I like weddings which are intimate and less people. I think it’s more practical and also more solemn. Only close friends and family. I think it’s a good plan.