All day invite - declined for just day

I've never been to a wedding where everyone has stayed for the full event unless it's a wedding that finishes really early (i.e. no evening party). It's quite normal for people with young children to leave early whether or not you allow them to bring their kids - either they need to get home to put the kids to bed, or they need to get home to relieve the babysitter.

As for how many other people will leave early, it depends on your crowd. When I was in my 20s, I'd be ok with an occasional late night before a working day, but as I've got older, I've wanted to be home earlier.

Personally I don't really see the problem with this, I think they're making the effort to come and watch you vow to spend the rest of your life together and they obviously mean enough to you for you to invite them to the whole thing. Instead of them declining the whole invite they've made a choice to come and witness the most important bit.

Now I understand if you're paying for guests to have a sit down meal then you might think it's a bit cheeky but you were going to pay for them anyway because you invited them?

I also worry sometimes about the dance floor being empty but I think that comes from the fear of everyone not having fun, but ultimately it's your day so as long as you're having fun that's all that matters xx

I honestly think this is ok - at least they are letting you know now rather than on the day so you can adjust the evening guest list if you want to.

As a child-free person myself, it’s not always easy to see how important a family’s routine is, but leaving their children for a whole day and evening might just be too much for them. My sister had to leave her own wedding for an hour to settle her daughter because the babysitter couldn’t get her down!