Medium weddings are always a popular option for Australian weddings. A guest list of between 50 and 100 people allows you to invite extended family and wider friend circles, while still being suitable for a range of different venue types.
They're a classic option because they allow you to include all of your loved ones and have a celebratory party without things getting too overwhelming.
Although smaller weddings have been gaining popularity in recent years, medium sized weddings are still currently the most popular in Australia, according to Easy Weddings, with between 75 and 100 usually given as the typical desired and actual guest count for Aussie weddings. Medium weddings are a perennial favourite as they're big enough to feel like a proper celebration, but still small enough to maintain the personal touches and intimacy that make a wedding day truly special.
balanced guest list
A guest list of this size allows you the room to include a wider circle of family and friends without things getting overwhelming. It's large enough that you shouldn't have to worry about excluding anyone that you'd like to share in your day, while still being small enough to maintain an intimate and warm atmosphere.
You'll be able to chat with each of your guests, but the higher number of invitees also means that people can mingle and chat amongst themselves. Knowing that the majority of your guests are already friendly with someone else who's attending can take some pressure off you as a host, and can add to the celebratory mood of the day.
There's also enough flexibility to let you choose to stay in the spotlight throughout the day, or step back and make it more of a communal celebration, depending on what you'd prefer.
potential for easier planning
As this is the standard wedding size, you'll be able to have your wedding at almost any venue type, and can use styling to tailor it to feel either more spacious or cosier depending on what vibe you're going for.
Most venues and vendors offer packages based on this size guest list, and often have deals that are tailored for medium weddings, meaning that a lot of the details of planning are already taken care of, which can save you both money and time.
A lot of wedding planning information you can find online is also made with medium weddings in mind, so you'll be able to find helpful guides and first-hand experiences from many other couples.
However, this doesn't mean that your medium wedding can't be unique - there's still plenty of potential for personalisation and custom options that will help your day stand out. For example, if you'd like to include DIY elements or something custom for your guests, it's still possible to do so if you're making 100 or fewer.
atmosphere
A medium wedding strikes the perfect balance of feeling personal and intimate while still providing a lively, celebratory atmosphere. At these weddings, energy often grows as the event goes on, starting out more subdued for the ceremony and shifting into a more raucous, party ambience for the reception.
There's enough people attending to make socialising and conversation comfortable, either with existing friends and extended family catching up, or your different social circles meeting and mingling for the first time. The dance floor is likely to be full and you're sure to create many beautiful memories that will be cherished by every one of your guests.
There's such a joyous atmosphere that comes from celebrating a milestone event with a larger group of loved ones, and you'll feel yourself surrounded by love for the entire day.
more complexities
As the size of your guest list increases, so do the complexities of coordinating all of the details of the day. The logistics of organising invites and RSVPs, seating charts, catering for different dietary requirements, planning activities and transportation all becomes more difficult as the guest list gets higher.
More vendors and coordination will most likely be needed to ensure that your guests have all of the information that they need and are kept comfortable and entertained throughout the day.
You might feel more pressure to include things that you don't necessarily want to, but that you know your guests will be expecting, which can lead to you feeling like you have to compromise - which is not something you ever really want to do when planning your wedding, even if it is sometimes required.
higher costs
Generally speaking, the more guests you have, the more your wedding is going to cost. With every guest added, you're looking at higher catering and bar costs, and will require either a bigger venue or additional furniture rentals - or both. You'll definitely need to consider your over all budget when planning your guest list, as you'll be surprised by how quickly the per-person costs can add up.
If you're stretching your budget over a larger guest list, it can sometimes mean that you're unable to provide higher calibre or more personalised experiences for each guest. It's important to remember not to lose the quality of the day in the quantity of your guests.
a busier day
A bigger wedding often means a bigger bridal party, which means that your schedule for the day will be busier, and have less wriggle room for the inevitable small delays that happen on every wedding day.
The more people who have to get ready, especially when their hair and make up are being professionally done, the earlier you're going to have to get up and get going, and the longer your day is going to be. It's harder to keep track of larger groups to ensure everyone's running on time and knows what they're supposed to be doing, which can increase stress.
less intimate
Although it's an amazing experience to have all of your loved ones there to celebrate your wedding with you, it can be difficult to find the time to actually see them all on the day. You may not get to connect deeply with every guest, and if that is one of your goals, it can be all too easy to get stuck in hosting mode and spend most of the night circulating instead of celebrating.
The medium wedding is a classic for a reason - it provides all of the charm and warmth of celebrating such a momentous occasion while being surrounded by your loved ones, without being so large that it becomes overwhelming.
You won't have any trouble finding venues, vendors or event packages, which can take a lot of the stress out of wedding planning, but there's still plenty of ways you can customise your day and make it unique.
If you decide to host a medium wedding, you're sure to have an amazing party, and provide your guests with joyous memories that will last a lifetime.
In terms of typical modern, Australian weddings, more than 100 guests is a high guest count. And, as I've discussed here, the more people you invite, the more complicated the event planning can become. But, if you've got a lot of love to share and a lot of guests to invite to your big day, you'll be interested in the next article in this series, which is all about large weddings.
