Creating a wedding guest list is one of the first and most challenging tasks during the wedding planning process. Cutting the list and adding new attendees is a nightmare for couples. But, with a few tips, you can complete your tasks without too much stress.
Put Close Friends and Family First
When creating a wedding list, put your closest friends and family first. Your parents, siblings, bridesmaids, best man, closest relatives and other close friends should be on top of the list. Once you put the close people on the list, you will know how many spots you have for coworkers and other people.
Set the Boundaries with Parents
If you want to involve your parents in the wedding planning, you can let them invite a few of their friends. But, talk with them and limit the number of their friends that can come. Also, ask them if they can invite only people who you actually know.
You probably don’t want to meet new people on your wedding day. Likewise, parents are known to be stubborn when it comes to weddings, so make sure they check with you before they invite anyone.
Consider your Wedding Budget
A wedding budget is an important thing to take into account when you first start making a guest list. Once you set the budget, sort out resources for band, dress, decoration, and guests. Talk with the restaurant about your budget, so the manager can create an offer for a certain number of people.
Keep in mind that your initial guest list will probably suffer some modifications, but try to comply with your budget.
Don’t be Afraid to Make Cuts
Not all guests will find your wedding their top priority. It is important for you and your close friends and family, but other people might think of it as a task they need to complete. If you have a tight budget, you can consider cutting those people from the list without feeling guilty.
Besides, if you know for sure that someone can’t come to your wedding, you can exclude the person from the list.
Avoid Inviting Conflict People
Next, when making a list you can consider cutting conflict people to avoid unpleasant scenes and troubles. Also, conflict people can be difficult to include in the sitting arrangements.
Moreover, alcohol can worsen the situation and make certain people aggressive. Thus, it is better to avoid inviting people who you know can cause trouble.
Avoid Inviting People out of a Sense of Duty
Lastly, your wedding day is about you and you should share it with people you love and respect. For example, if you attended a wedding a few years ago and lost contact with a couple since then, you shouldn’t feel obliged to invite them.
Don’t invite anyone just because you should do it. Invite only people who you want. The same applies to coworkers, neighbours, distant relatives, etc.
The wedding guest list will certainly deviate from the first version. Some guests will cancel their attendance and you will ask someone else to come to their place. You can decide to cut the budget for guests, spend more on the band, make a smaller wedding, etc.
Therefore, your list may increase and you will bring yourself in a situation when you need to increase the budget or cut some people.
That is why it is very recommended not to invite anyone until you have printed the invitation cards.
You may feel embarrassed if you talk with someone months before the wedding, and when the time comes, you decide to leave them out of the list. Therefore, the official time for inviting people is when the list is final, and all invitation cards are ready!
When making a guest list, try to stick to your wishes and invite people with who you want to share the moment and who you love and respect. Don’t be afraid to be selfish and skip inviting distant relatives, conflict people, and anyone who you don’t want to see on the big day.
Be ready to modify the list several times!
