Stop! Don’t elope just yet…. Creating a wedding guest list doesn’t have to be that hard!
The number of wedding guests you invite is usually dictated by the venue you choose and the budget you are working by.
Unfortunately the arduous task of choosing who makes the cut becomes more like picking who will be on your sport team at school. It can laden you with guilt that you are “choosing” this person over that one.
So keep these tips and points in mind and your road to a finished guest list will be that much smoother.
Vivid Photography
A wedding is not the time to gather all your facebook friends & find your long-lost pals!
Focus on people who matter to you off-line and in the present!
If the parents are chipping in financially – it’s only fair that they can add a few to the guest list.
Set limits upfront so there is no confusion and they have a number to work with. When discussing the guest list with your parents remember to choose your battles, be firm with voicing your wants, but give in if it’s a small issue. You don’t need to bring emotions and stress into the task.
If in doubt, don’t invite!
It is your day and you should only be surrounded by people you really want there.
Photography on Hermitage
Drop the ‘plus ones’.
Friends who aren’t in long term relationships can fly solo for the night. Good friends will understand that space it tight and you can’t add their latest fling to the guest list.
Skip your co-workers.
If you are not close with your colleagues then leave them off the guest list. It gets tricky to invite some and not others, so unless you are inviting all, it’s best to decide not to have any.
Steer clear of chain groups.
If putting one friend on the list obliges to you to add five other people from the group, then skip them all. If once the guest list is complete and there is space, then you can invite away.
Think about some alternatives:
a. Celebrate with everyone at a big engagement party.
Just don’t do what my brother-in-law did at his engagement party and add at the end of his speech “See you all at the wedding!”
b. Have a casual pre or post wedding party.
This works well if you are planning a destination wedding.
c. Invite your work colleagues to your Hen’s or Buck’s party.
d. Allow your mum to invite her group of friends to the kitchen tea.
Don’t worry about offending people, it is your day and people will understand that you can’t invite everyone.
To get started with your guest list – go to Modern Wedding’s free planning tools, enter your list into the guest list tool and specify special requirements as they come in, check people off as they are invited, when they accept or decline. This tool is also connected to a simple seating chart that can be emailed or exported for your venue.
Happy planning and inviting!
Have you finished your wedding guest list? Do you have any advice to add? Leave your comments in the section below or on our Facebook or Twitter.
Kate x
modernweddingblog 
Great article!!, I helped a bride with her seating chart guest list and it was a huge mess, since she wasnt sure who would go where. But we finally worked it out.
Reblogged this on Wedding Planner on the Go! and commented:
Great article!!