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Guest turnout calculator
If you invite 120, how many will come? Pick your event and get a likely range of guest numbers, drop-outs and no-shows allowed for, plus one head count to give the caterer.
Cater for
96
Expect 90 to 102 people.
How we got there
- Local wedding: usually 75% to 85% turn up. We plan on 80%.
- 120 people invited at 80% comes to 96, rounded up. Cater for 96.
These are estimates from published planning guides, not a promise. Your crowd is yours.
How to use it
- Put in your guest list. Count people, not invitations. For an open event, count the people who signed up.
- Pick the kind of event. A local wedding, a destination wedding, a birthday, a kids party, a work party, a casual get-together or an open event. Each one has its own turnout rate, set out below.
- Say how much notice they're getting and how many guests are bringing a plus-one.
- Read the range, then plan on the number. The chairs show who's likely in, who might also come and which seats will probably sit empty.
How we work it out
Nobody can tell you exactly who'll turn up. These are estimates drawn from wedding guides, party guides, a workplace survey and a study of more than 1,000 events. Treat the range as the answer and the number as a sensible place to plan from.
Local wedding
75% to 85%Wedding guides put a local wedding at 75 to 85%, and the usual planning figure is 80%. We plan on 80%.
Sources: Zola, how many guests to expect at your wedding, Destify, what percentage of guests attend a destination wedding, OMG Hitched, what percentage of people invited show up to a party, The Knot, what percentage of wedding guests RSVP yes
Destination wedding
40% to 70%Wedding guides put a destination wedding anywhere from 40 to 70%, lower for overseas and higher for a trip within Australia. We plan on 55%. We plan on 55%.
Sources: Zola, how many guests to expect at your wedding, Destify, what percentage of guests attend a destination wedding, OMG Hitched, what percentage of people invited show up to a party
Birthday party
60% to 80%Nobody publishes a figure just for birthdays. A party usually gets about 60%, and close friends and family about 75%, so we plan a birthday on 70%. We plan on 70%.
Sources: OMG Hitched, what percentage of people invited show up to a party
Kids party
55% to 80%The rule of thumb parents use is that two thirds of the kids invited come. Parents report anywhere from just over half to about 80%. We plan on 67%.
Sources: DISboards, how many to invite to a birthday party, DC Urban Moms and Dads, how many of the kids invited came
Work party
70% to 82%A 2025 survey of office workers found 82% planned to go to the end of year party, up from about 70% the year before. We plan on 75%.
Casual party
50% to 75%Party guides say about 60% of the people you invite come, closer to 75% when it's close friends and family, and a wide, loose list can drop to half. We plan on 60%.
Sources: OMG Hitched, what percentage of people invited show up to a party
Open event or public link
53% to 83%Across more than 1,000 events, a typical free event lost 28% of its sign-ups on the day, a quarter of them lost 47% or more, and paid events lost 17%. We plan on 72%.
- Short notice: we take 15% off. Every guide says late invites cost you yeses, and none puts a number on it, so that one's our call. It doesn't touch an open event, since everyone there signed up themselves.
- Plus-ones: a plus-one only comes with a guest who comes. If half your guests bring someone, every yes is one and a half people.
- Open events: put in the people who signed up or said yes on your public link, not everyone who saw it.
- Rounding: every rate is taken to a whole percent first, the one we print, so you can check any sum on a calculator. Two thirds is 67%. Then the range is rounded outwards and the number to cater for is rounded up. Better a spare chair than a guest without one.
Tips for the host
Book the venue for everyone you invite. Turnout is an estimate. If more say yes than you planned, you still need somewhere to put them.
Give the caterer the number, not the list. Plan on the number above, then lock in final numbers once the RSVPs are in. The party food calculator turns that head count into a shopping list.
Set an RSVP date and nudge the quiet ones. A friendly reminder a week out turns a lot of maybes into answers.
Send save the dates early for a big trip. Guests who have to book flights need months, not weeks. Not sure how early? See when to send invitations.
Count people, not invitations. A couple is two, and a family of four is four.
Questions
If I invite 120 people to my wedding, how many will come?
For a local wedding, plan on about 80%. Invite 120 and expect 90 to 102, so cater for 96. Count people, not invitations, so a couple is two.
How many guests come to a destination wedding?
Far fewer. Guides put it anywhere from 40 to 70%, lower for overseas. We plan on 55%, so invite 80 and expect 32 to 56, catering for 44. Send save the dates early so people can book.
How many kids come if I invite the whole class?
The rule of thumb is about two thirds. Ask a class of 25 and plan for 17, somewhere between 13 and 20. That's kids only, so leave room for the parents who stay.
How many people who sign up for a free event actually turn up?
About 72%. A typical free event loses 28% of its sign-ups on the day. Get 200 sign-ups and expect 106 to 166, planning on 144.
Does short notice really change the numbers?
Yes, people's weekends fill up. Nobody publishes a figure, so we take 15% off. A casual party of 40 with plenty of notice is 20 to 30, planning on 24. At short notice it's 17 to 26, planning on 21.
How many drop-outs and no-shows should I allow for?
It depends on the event. On our planning figures, about 20% of a local wedding list won't make it, 25% of a work party, 40% of a casual party and 28% of the sign-ups for a free event. Chase the quiet ones before you give the venue or caterer your final numbers.
How do plus-ones change the count?
Each guest who comes and brings someone adds a seat. Invite 100 to a work party where half bring a plus-one, and 75% coming means 113 people, somewhere between 105 and 123.