To Zach Kessin: immediate families can pass the 40 mark, B”H.
Depends how you define “immediate.”
And, in any event, if your immediate (which, in my translation, refers to the parents, grandparents, siblings and children of the people getting married — no cousins, no nieces/nephews) family *does* come to over 40 (which, despite the large families in our communities is still quite rare if you use my definition of “immediate” above) then find somewhere else to cut back (i.e. serve a less elaborate meal, etc.)
The Wolf