How Many Guests for Wedding: Budget, Cake, Decor & More

When you’re planning a wedding, the number of guests isn’t just a number—it’s the guest count, the total number of people invited to your wedding, which directly shapes your budget, venue, and experience. It decides whether you need a grand hall or a backyard table, whether you can afford a live band or a playlist, and how much cake you’ll actually eat. Most couples don’t realize how much this one number ripples through every other decision—from catering to photography to seating charts.

That’s why wedding budget 100 guests, the estimated cost of hosting exactly 100 people at a wedding, including food, venue, and decor shows up so often in planning guides. If you’re thinking 100 guests, you’re not alone. That’s the sweet spot for many: big enough to feel celebratory, small enough to keep costs manageable. But it’s not just about money. A wedding cake for 100 guests, the standard serving size and tier structure needed to feed 100 people without waste or shortage follows predictable math: roughly 100 slices, with a little extra for safety. Too few slices? Guests leave hungry. Too many? You’re paying for leftovers you won’t eat.

And then there’s wedding decorations budget, the amount you allocate to florals, lighting, linens, and centerpieces based on your guest count and venue size. More guests mean more tables, more centerpieces, more lighting to fill space. A 50-guest wedding can feel cozy with a few string lights and wildflowers. A 150-guest wedding needs structure—rows of chairs, aisle runners, lighting to avoid dark corners. You can’t just copy a Pinterest board and expect it to work. The number of guests tells you what’s realistic.

Some couples try to invite everyone they’ve ever met. Others cut it down to immediate family and a few close friends. Neither is wrong—but the choice changes everything. If you invite 200, you’re looking at $50,000+ in Australia. If you go with 60, you might have room for a photographer you love, a cake that tastes like heaven, and still save for your honeymoon. It’s not about being stingy. It’s about being smart.

And it’s not just the big stuff. Who stays with the groom the night before? Who gives the groom’s mother a gift? How many photographers do you need? All of it ties back to the guest list. Bigger crowd? You need more help. Smaller crowd? You can afford to splurge on details that matter.

There’s no magic number. But there are real consequences. The right guest count gives you space to breathe, money to spend on what you love, and memories that aren’t drowned out by noise. Below, you’ll find real advice from couples who’ve walked this path—how to cut costs without cutting joy, how to pick cake sizes that don’t leave you with a mountain of leftovers, and how to make your decor feel luxurious even when you’re working with a tight guest list.