Creating a guest list can be one of the hardest things to do when planning a Wedding. Your guest list will not only determine who you will invite to share this special day but also determine who will and will not be invited due to your budget and how big or small a wedding your would like.
Who Do I Invite and Where Do I Start?
Start at the very beginning starting with yourselvesas the happy couple your wedding party, immediate family mum, dad and siblings, wedding party partners and your children if this is the case. Spreadsheets are perfect for this as you can add more information later on such as rsvp’s, dietary requirements and creating seating arrangements
From there you can add extended family, friends and work colleagues.
You may want to ask your parents if there is anyone they would like to invite but remember not let them go overboard with the list as before too long the list will blow out and also the budget.
Inviting children will be a personal choice as depending on the type and style wedding you will be having. A home style wedding would be perfect with children for example.
Having a wedding reception or a venue at a cost higher per head will need to be considered within you budget and family expectations. The cost of having children can sometimes be at a lower price per head as the menu can be catered for children. For example they could have a roast meal rather than the lobster.
When you prepare your invites be clear on who you will be inviting this can help avoid the plus ones.
The Guest List Has Blown Out !
You have created your guest list received a guest list from your parents and you have realised that the guest list has double or even tripled to what you were expecting. DO NOT PANIC!
Collate your guest list into one list. You may want to create your list in colours so 1 colour for the people you have invited another colour for 1 set of parents and another colour for the other set of parents. This way you will be able to determine who has invited whom.
From this master list you can then check for duplicate names between your list and your parents list. This may reduce your list dramatically.
From there you can break down by going through each person and noting the list to must invite, to maybe invite, to no I am not inviting.
Your master list will be changed several times before you come up with a final master copy. Create addtional pages to your spreadsheet and keep 1 page as the original masterlist so your don’t loose all the names. As you may need to swap names on and off the list.
Remember to be realistic on whom you invite. Inviting distant cousin Harry whom you have not seen for 10 years is not necessary a must invite but either a maybe or no.
Be respectful of your parents not to offend especially when they may have provided financial support towards the cost of your wedding. In most cases parents help towards the reception costs when putting in for a wedding that you as a couple maybe paying for in all other aspects of the wedding.
DON’T FORGET TO ALLOW FOR SUPPLIERS SUCH AS DJ, WEDDING PLANNER, MASTER OF CEREMONIES, CELEBRANT OR PRIEST TO YOU LIST OR YOUR BUDGET WHERE REQUIRED. Most couples don’t realise this when planning as it’s not known at this early stage of planning. This information comes up later on once more and more suppliers and vendors are booked.
Once the invites go out, work on your worst case scenario. Once the rsvp’s come in and you do find people may decline this does not mean for you to replace with guest’s you did not invite in the first place.
If you are trying to save money where possible this can save you hundreds of dollars.
