Getting married is a special time filled with love, laughter, and lots of important decisions. One of the most important decisions you’ll make is your wedding guest list. Deciding who you’ll invite to your special day can sometimes be difficult and stressful.
Every engaged couple faces the same dilemma: how to create a guest list that will make everyone happy. This can be one of the most stressful aspects of wedding planning, but with a little careful consideration and some advance planning, you can have your dream guest list without causing too much stress or drama.
However, when done correctly it can help you keep your wedding costs under control, avoid hurt feelings and make sure you have enough space for everyone to have a great time at the wedding.
Before you start looking for bridesmaid dresses, Cairns Wedding Venues, and flowers, you need to tackle the wedding guest list. Here are five tips to get you started.
Remember that this is YOUR day.
It may be hard to hear, but it's important to remember that this is your day, not someone else's. You should do what makes you happy and invite the people who will make your day special. If Aunt Sally can't attend because her son is not invited, then it probably isn't meant to be.
Even if you're on good terms with all your relatives, chances are there are some family members and close friends who matter more than others. Think about who is most important to you and try not to get caught up in adding other guests out of obligation or guilt.
It's important to remember that this is your special day so don't let anyone else dictate how you should spend it. If you're having a small wedding and your mother wants you to invite her friends, stand firm and explain that only immediate family members are on the guest list. Also be sure to remind everyone that it's your day, not theirs!
Determine how you want your day to feel
Long before you begin making a list of names, think about what kind of wedding you want to have. If you want a small but romantic feel, it will be a challenge to accomplish that with hundreds of guests. If you want to throw the party that everyone will be talking about for years, it will be difficult to create that with only your closest friends and family in attendance. Be realistic with yourself about what size wedding is going to achieve the atmosphere you're envisioning. Self-awareness will save you from having a lot of regrets.
Start with the basics first
As difficult as it may seem at the start, the best way to make this process easier is to begin by writing down all of the people who are absolute must-haves at your wedding. This includes immediate family members and any other people without whom you just cannot imagine getting married (like children, grandparents, etc.).
Once all of those people are on the list, then move on to each partner's extended family, and then close friends. Remember: You're not obligated to invite anyone but your own relatives if it's not a family-funded affair.
Finish up with co-workers and acquaintances next.
Don’t invite people out of obligation
If you don’t know if you should invite a certain friend, use this test – have you seen them in the past year? Will you see them next year? If they were getting married this year, would you be upset if you didn’t get an invite? It’s easy to want to invite anyone who was a part of your life at one time but if they’re not part of your present it’s ok to leave them off the list.
This is especially important when your wedding budget is a factor. If kids are invited to your wedding, that means their parents that means more food and drink for you to pay for. Of course, there will be exceptions, but consider keeping your guest list as adults only if it helps with the budget.
Just because someone asks, doesn’t mean you have to say yes. You may feel pressure from family members or other friends to add certain people to your guest list but don’t feel obligated just because they ask!
Stick to your budget and final list
Of course, you want everyone on your master list at your wedding, but if you know how much money you have available beforehand and how much each person costs per head, then this will help make the decision easier when you trim the numbers down.
Stick to the list you've created—no matter what! Do not add even more people after you've already started sending out invitations or else you could end up spending more than you planned.
Conclusion
Although there is a lot to consider when designing the perfect guest list, the most important thing is to make sure you are making decisions that are best for you and your spouse-to-be. While some may not agree with the final list, hopefully, they will understand your decision and respect all that goes into making this big decision.
The guest list is important for two reasons: it helps keep your guest list under control by only inviting the people you want to invite, and it helps cut down on wedding costs because you spend less money on food and drinks!