Planning a Wedding for 240 Guests in a Small Space

More unconventional things we did for our wedding – after all, (most of us) only get married once 😹

Since we chose to hold our wedding at an event space, many will assume it’d be small and restrictive – and you are right! Most event spaces max out at about 120 guests, maybe 130 if you really squeeze. But with a guest list of 240, there was simply no way to fit everyone into one session. Sure, we could’ve found a larger venue, but that would mean compromising on aesthetics and our preferences.

Then came the lightbulb moment: what if we split the sessions? That meant holding separate celebrations: one for family and one for friends. And honestly, it turned out to be one of the best decisions we made for our wedding journey *pats self on back*.

Our thought process was this: since we were doing our solemnisation on the same day, we could have our family witness the ceremony in the day, and show the video highlights to our friends at night, kind of like an after-party! After all, most friends don’t sit in for the solemnisation anyway. We ended up splitting the guest list equally: 120 family, 120 friends – which made venue hunting so much easier.

A lot of event spaces offer half or full-day rentals. We were lucky that Ida’s (our venue) only had full-day rental back then, which made it far more worth it on a cost-per-hour basis. And splitting sessions actually made planning smoother. We could customise each session instead of forcing everyone through the same programme for example, skipping games for the family session since some elderly might not be into that. I’ve included our actual day schedule run down for your reference, hope it helps you in your actual day planning!

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Our day started early – programme kicked off at 7am, and I was already up at 4:30am for makeup 😴 (We followed timing advised by a master we consulted for our date – totally optional, of course) We didn’t do a gatecrash; my groom came to pick me up, and we headed straight to his place, which was only a 20-minute drive. Traffic was smooth, thankfully. Definitely plan for potential delays in your timeline!

Because we didn’t host many family members at our homes and did the tea ceremony at the venue (only for parents and siblings at home), the morning felt very chill. We had time to relax, breathe, and even take some extra shots with our PG and VG. We promptly made our way to the venue after the morning ceremonies were done and when we arrived, setup was 90% done – thanks to our friends who helped with the reception table and our wedding coordinators who were already on site.

Solemnisation started right on time and was done within 30 minutes. We loved our solemniser, Mr Lai (DM me if you’d like his contact!) – he brought such fun energy to the room and helped ease any awkwardness, which was helpful since we had 120 family members present. After that, we did the tea ceremony while others helped themselves to lunch.

Only one hiccup was that midway through lunch, people started leaving without informing, which honestly felt a little disrespectful. Not sure if it was due to our emcee (a freelance hire from Carousell) not managing the flow well, or if we didn’t explicitly tell guests to stay till the end. But I guess that’s the nature of buffets where some guests really just come for the food 🥲 Luckily, that segment only had a montage playing in the background else no one will be playing the games 🤣

That experience really affirmed our decision to split the sessions. After the lunch segment, we had plenty of time to rest (like, a lot of time 😂). Around 4pm, my makeup artist came to refresh my look for the evening, and the main hall was also refreshed. We set up a second reception table for games and lucky draw.

Before the evening session started, I was super nervous but seeing our friends arrive brought such relief and joy!! We spent time at the reception area welcoming them, mingling, chatting, and taking photos with them. It was exactly the vibe we were going for: a chill, laid-back celebration with friends. The venue looked even more magical at night, and the energy was just ✨immaculate✨.

Although it was a mix of friends from both sides (many of whom didn’t know each other), it still felt like a big, heartwarming reunion. You definitely wouldn’t get this kind of vibe if extended family were present. Even during the programme, people were free to move around and weren’t forced to sit down for dinner. With games and activities planned, the whole night felt super fun and relaxed! Honestly, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

It was such a loooong day, but our hearts were so full. We’re just so happy everyone had fun. And me? I was just so glad that wedding planning was finally over 🤭

Hope this post gives you a fresh idea or perspective as you plan your big day!

Ida's Bar

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