Is Having A Big Wedding Worth It?

A big wedding is usually worth it if you can afford it and it’s something you want. Wedding ceremonies and receptions are momentous occasions that bring families closer together and set a solid foundation between partners. However, those who spend the most on their weddings ($20,000 or more) are at greater risk for divorce. Factors such as intention, budget, and the number of guests involved can influence the cost of a wedding.

A big wedding may be expensive due to the larger number of invitations, catering costs per-person, and wedding favors. The average cost of a wedding was $28,000 in 2021, but some reports suggest that the cost of a wedding is higher than expected. Elopements or small weddings can be more affordable and closer to your dream wedding, but not everyone can attend due to being in a foreign country.

The cost of traditional weddings largely depends on the number of guests couples choose to invite. The average cost of traditional wedding vendors and services includes an engagement ring and wedding dress. If you plan on having 25 guests, a big wedding may be better for you.

While an expensive wedding is not necessarily bad, it does not directly affect the trajectory of your marriage. A small wedding can also be romantic and has no limit to the guest list. A big wedding can be a beautiful and memorable event, but it can also be expensive and stressful to plan. Consider your budget and whether you want a big or small wedding to create a unique and memorable experience.

Do you really need a big wedding?

2. How many guests? Next, think about how many people you want to invite and who you really need to be there. If you’re planning a big wedding for 25 guests, you probably want to invite all your cousins, college friends, friends’ significant others, kids, co-workers, etc. If you want just the two of you or fewer than 12 people, an elopement is better. Most parks limit groups to 12 people to protect the environment. Instead of inviting everyone, you could invite your immediate family, best friends, and/or dogs. Keep it to your closest friends and family, who will make it the best day ever!

3. Location. Where you get married is one of the most important things to think about when deciding between an elopement and a big wedding. If you want a big wedding, you’ll need a traditional venue like a barn, resort, church, country club, or winery. Some wedding venues are unique, but most are still the same. If you want to elope, you can go anywhere in the world! Your favorite place, the mountain top where you got engaged, the beach you grew up going to, or the island you’ve always wanted to visit… your options are endless! You might even find a place that no one has ever gotten married at before! If you want to elope in a natural area, remember that your group needs to be small. The environment can’t handle large groups, and we want to respect the land. Learn more about how to Leave No Trace with your adventure elopement here! Think about your family when choosing your location. Where can they travel to? How much will it cost? How much time can they take off work?

Is it okay not to have a big wedding?

Can I have guests? Just the two of us? Yes, you can have guests. A small wedding can be as small as 25 guests or as big as no guests. You can invite your family and friends to an amazing place or Airbnb. Does someone have to witness or officiate our wedding? Yes. To make your wedding official, you need to sign some documents in front of an officiant. We have a wedding officiant on staff who can host religious or secular ceremonies. Some states require witnesses. Check your state’s rules before eloping.

Want to skip the officiant? In Colorado, you can self-solemnize without an officiant or witnesses.

What is considered a huge wedding?

How many guests are invited to a wedding? A small wedding has 50 or fewer guests, a medium wedding has 50 to 150 guests, and a large wedding has over 150 guests. If your family has big weddings with lots of guests, a small wedding might seem small to you. Similarly, if you’ve only been to very small weddings, a big wedding might seem huge. These numbers will be different for everyone. How do you decide which size is right for you? The main factor in creating a guest list is usually budget. Your guest list and budget will help you decide which size wedding is right for you, says Tara. If your family is big, you can’t have a small wedding. How does budget affect this? Think about what you can afford when choosing the right size event. If your budget is $65,000, it would mean two different things for 50 people versus 200 people, Tara says.

Do more expensive weddings lead to divorce?

Money can’t buy happiness, including at weddings. A study of 1,000 people who married in the last decade found that spending too much on a wedding leads to divorce. The average wedding costs about $34,000. However, 60% spend less than $10,000, with 44% spending less than $5,000. These are the reasonable couples. Some couples spend tens of thousands of dollars on their wedding, thinking that the more they spend, the happier they will be. This backfires. Too much spending can lead to marital problems. More than 80% of couples said that paying off their wedding debt caused problems in their marriage. Wedding debt contributed to divorce in 79% of marriages. More than 12% spent over $40,000 on their wedding. Another 12% spent between $30,000 and $40,000. Almost 7% spent between $20,000 and $29,999.

Is 120 a big wedding?

What is a small wedding? There’s no one-size-fits-all wedding guest list. Different amounts of guests feel right to different people based on family, friends, culture, and religion. Mason considers 75 to 150 guests to be average, and anything over 150 to be large. For weddings under 75, she has three categories: Intimate wedding: 50 to 75 guests. Small wedding: Fewer than 50 guests. “That number can fit in a backyard with 6 or so tables,” she says. Tiny wedding: Fifteen people or less. You might also see “minimony” or “micro wedding” used to describe a wedding of this size.

How to Determine Your Wedding Size. The number of guests doesn’t matter. It’s about who’s important to you. Who do you call or text first when you have a big moment? Mason says the people you want to celebrate with are the ones you put on the list first.

Does a big wedding lead to a better marriage?

What did they find? Couples with big weddings were more likely to stay married. Couples whose weddings had fewer than 50 guests were happy in their marriages just 31% of the time. Researchers defined happy marriages as those in the top 40% based on survey results, although they admit this number is arbitrary.

The difference might be because of witnesses. More guests means more people see a couple commit to each other, which could make them more likely to stay together. The sociologist Paul Rosenblatt came up with this idea in the 1970s, but it may be outmoded today with so many people sharing photos on social media. Researchers also thought that the “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” effect, a 2002 comedy about a bride and her family’s over-the-top wedding, could appear because a larger wedding shows greater community support. Couples with larger networks of friends and family may have more help and encouragement in married life.

Is a 100 person wedding too small?

Is 100 people too small for a wedding? A wedding with 100 guests is not too small. A wedding is either small or large depending on who you ask. Some couples want big weddings with lots of guests, while others want small, intimate weddings with just close friends and family. Your wedding should reflect your preferences and the type of event you want.

Cost of feeding 100 wedding guests. Feeding 100 guests is one of the biggest wedding expenses. The cost per person varies depending on the menu, venue, and location. The cost of feeding a wedding guest is between $10 and $150. If you want a budget wedding, think about how much it will cost to feed your guests when you decide how many to invite. A smaller guest list costs less to feed. Think about what you like when choosing the menu. If you want a fancy menu, it will cost more per person.

What are the cons of a big wedding?

Con: You pay for the fancy venue and more. You’ll have to pay extra for a bigger venue and more things at the reception. This is part of the cost of a big wedding. Pro: Many hands make work easier. If you’re good at delegating, you’ll have help to make everything go smoothly. Your second cousins can put up decorations, your high school friends can be ushers, and your dad’s golfing buddies can set up tables and chairs.

Con: Planning a big wedding is hard. You have to be in charge of your wedding. With more guests, there are more opinions and more chaos. If you have to micromanage, extra help won’t help.

What is the #1 reason married couples divorce?

What causes most divorces? Studies say the four most common reasons for divorce are lack of commitment, infidelity, too much conflict, and lack of physical intimacy. The least common reasons are lack of shared interests and incompatibility.

19 Most Common Reasons for Divorce. 1. Too much conflict. No one wants a marriage where they argue all the time. How long could you stick it out when your home is more stressful than your worst day at work? In a good marriage, your spouse is your partner, your support, and your cheerleader.

Is 200 people too many for a wedding?

“Verdure” by Paperless Post; photo by Saje Photography. The big one: 150-200 guests. Want a supersized wedding? You can invite everyone on your list plus some extra guests. You’ll have room for friends, family, plus ones, friends of your parents, college friends, and second cousins.

A supersized wedding has benefits:

— A bigger party. A guest list this big is a recipe for a great time. Photo booth selfies after too much champagne? Check. Your best friend DJing to your favorite songs? Yes.

Does a big wedding matter?

There’s no right answer when it comes to eloping or having a big wedding. Each couple should think about what matters most to them before making this important decision. Think about your lifestyle, budget, and preferences.