Well, good for her on saving some dough, but 160 guests makes this sound like not only a First World Problem but a rather upper class first world problem at that.
In contrast, I have moved a lot as an adult and nearly 6 years of homelessness taught me that poverty is very hard on your social life. I would have trouble coming up with, say, six people to invite to a hypothetical second wedding for me. I just do not have a big social network of that sort.
Congrats on getting a wedding for very little money. But I strongly suspect that knowing 200 people well enough to even invite them to your wedding makes you more upper class than you likely realize.
I eloped at age 19. Including rings (bought on sale), dinner and a movie, marriage license, blood testing and cab fair, it was under $300. So you sound like you did amazingly well.
Your testimony doesn't change my opinion that a mock cake for 160 guests is a rather upper class first world problem.
That just depends on what you define as "well enough". I've been invited to quite a few weddings of people I barely knew.
Redacted.
I'm tired and maybe misreading your comment.
I'm outta here folks. Talk at you good people some other time.
I had a simple courthouse wedding both times. My sister, though, wanted a "fancy" wedding.
She was able to have the ceremony in the church she attended and use their place for the reception, all pretty cheap. All the formal wear was rented save for one bridesmaid that decided to buy hers for herself: She was using the same dress for another formal event. I personally made the cake, though my sister paid for supplies (that was my wedding gift). My mother did most of the simple decorating.
The reception was mid-afternoon, between lunch and dinner. No food beyond cake and non-alcoholic drinks were served.
I live in the Third World (well, we call it "the developing world" nowadays). 160 guests is totally normal. The last wedding I was at had 500 guests.
The US is not like developing countries. Inviting 160 people to a wedding tends to be an upper class thing here.
It's a different culture.
That said, ...
Edit: I'm tired. I've redacted argument here. Let's just say I did use a qualifier and let's leave it that.
Word play!