What''s your favorite kind of wedding to attend?

[musey]

Out of curiosity!

 

[neatfreak]

I really like going to smallish weddings where everything is really personal. The kind where it was obvious that the entire family pitched in to help the bride and groom get everything done.

While big fancy weddings are certainly fun in their own right, I greatly prefer smaller personal ones. Both as a bride and a guest!

 

[musey]

I've only been to four weddings in my lifetime (I haven't hit that everyone's-getting-married age yet). Three were intimate (40-60 guests) and one was a big bash (about 150, I'd guess).

I have to admit that I had the most fun at the wedding with the largest guest count. There are so many people to mingle with, absolutely no chance of running out of socializing opportunities, feeling awkward, etc. etc. However, that was also the only wedding where I wasn't far under the average age of the guests, so maybe that had something to do with it.

Ironically, I'm planning quite the opposite! We've been shaving down the guest list wherever possible because, as a bride, I don't want to share those moments with a ton of people (not to mention the budgetary bonus of a smaller affair). But something tells me, it might be more fun for everyone to pump up the guest list... am I overthinking it?

Anyway, just wondering! There seem to be plenty of both types of weddings being planned here, so I'm a curious how peoples' experiences as guests may have influenced (or not) their own wedding plans!

 

[AsscherGirl]

I have only been to eight weddings and they have all been big weddings (min. 100, max 400(!)). I am also having a big wedding myself (current yes count: 158, current possible yes count: 192 - still waiting on some stragglers).

I come from a big family, so nothing is ever small or intimate. A simple birthday party could have 100 people at it!

But I think weddings are fun in general, so I think small, big, medium, huge, they are all great! As long as the people included are having a great time, I don''t think it matters if there are 25 people there or 250 people there!

 

[anchor31]

I haven''t been to many weddings, and the only one I was old enough to care about or even remember the details was 4 years ago, so I can''t really vote for sure... But although I have a big family, it''s not a big party-making one, and I''m generally very uncomfortable around a lot of people. My guest list is at 90, and I''m freaking out. So, I would say a smaller wedding would be more fun for me.

 

[zoebartlett]

I''ve been to a ton of weddings and all of them seem to have been average to slightly above average in size. I love the thought that with smaller more intimate weddings, everyone can socialize easier and it''s more of a personal affair. Having said that though, I''ve never been to a small wedding, and my own will most likely have 100-120 guests. We had originally hoped to have 80-90 but then my mom got hold of the guest list. Since my parents are paying for the reception and they have lots of family friends, I went along with it. Nothing''s been decided so far though but I''m assuming my wedding will be larger than expected.

 

[Pandora II]

I voted small and intimate - but that was thinking 150 and under is small

Big for me is 300+

 

[musey]

Date: 8/3/2007 6:26:32 PM
Author: Pandora II
I voted small and intimate - but that was thinking 150 and under is small

Big for me is 300+

I think it''s all relative, whatever "big" and "small" mean to you--we all get the idea!

 

[Mandarine]

I voted big, but 100 people is big to me! hehe...

I just like a "bash" better....dancing until the sun comes up. That''s the way it is back home!!! I wish I could have a wedding like that here but that would require way too much $$!!. Back home when you get a venue, it''s pretty much until the next day....same with all the other vendors!. My sister''s wedding ended at like 7am...that''s when the DJ stopped and we were all shocked that it had stopped! everyone was having such an awesome time you just lose track of time!. It is not uncommon in Venezuelan weddings to serve breakfast after a dinner reception!!! haha.

So, I vote for a big bash, small or big, but a bash!

M~

 

[surfgirl]

I prefer to be a guest at bigger weddings because you can get lost in the crowd and it can be rather romantic! Small weddings are so small (talking under 50 ppl) that you cant disappear into the crowd. But for my own wedding I''m eloping so go figure. I dont want anyone around! That either makes me a hypocrit or very smart. I''m not sure which!

 

[KimberlyH]

Hmmm, I''ve been to and like both big and small weddings. My opinions start to form when discussing things like food, music, bridal parties, seating arrangements, traditions and such but it doesn''t matter to me how many people are in attendance.

 

[diamondfan]

I think overall my knee jerk reaction would be smaller and more intimate. But I have certainly been to a couple of big bashes that felt more intimate than one would have imagined they could, which is nice. Really depends on the whole approach to it.

 

[Mandarine]

I agree with diamondfan...it really depends on the approach.

I think when the bride and groom look comfortable, happy and are having fun...then the rest just follows.

I gotta say though, if there will be any kind of dancing, music is key (IMO). Bad music will kill a big or small wedding.

M~

 

[Miranda]

I didn''t vote because I love all kinds of weddings. They just make me feel so happy. We had a small intimate wedding because I just don''t like to make a big deal of anything. My sister had a HUGE wedding and it suited her. They were both special and fun.

 

[iheartscience]

I love big bashes, too, Mandarine! I''ve been to tons of weddings but the best ones I''ve been to were fairly large, (over 100 people) with good music, dancing and guests shutting the place down! 2 of those big fun bashes were for my older siblings, so I''m hoping my wedding will be just as fun! My family members (at least 60 of them will probably be at my wedding) love to dance so it shouldn''t be a problem!

At my one good friend''s wedding, almost all my friends who attended the wedding and reception ended up coming over to my house afterwards and we ended up hanging out and having fun until like 5 am! I think I''m definitely too old for that now, though-but I used to be able to literally stay up for days just a few years ago!

 

[qtiekiki]

Most weddings that I''ve been to were big (over 200 guests) since it''s typical of Chinese weddings. I''ve only been to one that was small, around 75. Our wedding was a combination of both. We had a small civil ceremony with like 11 people including us at Vegas, then we had the traditional Chinese Tea Ceremeony and a banquet reception of 240 guests in L.A., and another banquet reception of 200 guests in Bay Area. I love attending weddings, so I always have fun regardless of the wedding size. Most of the time, I think it''s really up to the guests to have an enjoyable time.

 

[ChargerGrrl]

i've been to more weddings than i can count on my fingers. although i tend to lean towards the "medium" side (about 75 guests), it really depends on how welcome i feel as a guest. i've been to 200+ guest weddings that felt much more intimate than one of 50 guests. i usually have no problem having fun in almost any situation.

the dullest wedding i ever went to had about 100 people. the bride and groom were out during most of the reception for their tea ceremony. they didn't say a word to the guests about it, just left for about 45 minutes, along with about 1/3 of the room. now, this was a daytime wedding, and there was no dancing or a bar. our "entertainment" was a 15min slide show that re-ran 3 times!

 

[qtiekiki]

Date: 8/5/2007 1:24:45 PM
Author: ChargerGrrl

the dullest wedding i ever went to had about 100 people. the bride and groom were out during most of the reception for their tea ceremony. they didn''t say a word to the guests about it, just left for about 45 minutes, along with about 1/3 of the room. now, this was a daytime wedding, and there was no dancing or a bar. our ''entertainment'' was a 15min slide show that re-ran 3 times!

That''s horrible. Why would they do the tea ceremony during the reception? It would be different if it''s done in front of the guests during reception. So the guests can observe and learn about the cultures.