Your all-important questions about who to invite and put on your guest list, answered!
Struggling to sleep because you still haven’t sorted your guest list even though it’s been on your to-do list since day one? Whether you’re worried about numbers, about pleasing your parents, or about accommodating all of your other half’s distant friends that you’ve never met before, guest lists seems to give even the best of us a little trouble.
The good news? It doesn’t have to be that way, and by following these simple steps, you should be able to finalise your guest list and make sure it stays that way. Let’s get to it, shall we?
Keeping it in the family
Knowing where to draw the line when it comes to family invitations can be tricky. The simplest solution is to apply one rule to everyone so that no one ends up feeling hard done by. For example, if you’re inviting cousins, invite all of them. Relatives that you rarely see, who live abroad, or whom you simply don’t get along with can be cut from the list. If you never see them, they probably wouldn’t expect to be invited anyway.
Parents know best
True or not, your parents will likely want to weigh in on your guest list ideas. More often than not, this also involves them adding a few of their own guest suggestions to your list. Unlike family invitations, one size doesn’t fit all here. We recommend considering each additional guest on a case-by-case basis.
If they’ve been a big part of your life growing up, then it might be nice to have them there. On the other hand, if inviting them means one of your friends gets the cut, you might want to think again. Remember that the day is all about celebrating your commitment and future as a couple. It’s okay to sift out the guests who haven’t been involved in your life together so far.
And if you’re worried you’ll upset your parents if you say no to some of their guest choices, why not allocate them a few guests each from the outset? That way you’ll know how many people to expect and they’ll be happy too.
Kids don’t go free
They may be smaller in size, but children who attend your wedding will still add to your overall costs. This is especially true if they join you for the wedding breakfast. Now is another time to keep one rule across the board, so either invite children or don’t. Beyond that, you do have options. You might want to think about having an exclusively kids free day. There’s also the possibility of an adults only ceremony with children attending the evening reception, or a day for all ages. It’s entirely up to you as a couple. The key thing? Make your intentions clear in your invitations to avoid any last-minute mix ups! Oh, and make sure you plan some kid-friendly entertainment to keep them happy too!
Time to downsize
If there’s a cavernous gap between the number of people you’ve budgeted for and the number you’d like to invite, it’s time to get tough and really whittle that guest list down – here are three people you can cut from the list right now. Likewise, if you and your groom have hugely different ideas, a conversation about the size of your wedding is in order.
If you or your partner haven’t both met the person, cross them off. And if you haven’t met their plus one and they have other friends attending, consider making it a one-person only invitation. Not spoken in the last 12 months? Ask yourselves if you really want them to take the place of someone closer to you. And in a pinch, a quick solution is to ask yourself this: would you be invited to their wedding ceremony, reception, or not at all? Our guest list quiz will help you decide.
Just make sure you don’t leave one person out from your social groups and you should have your guest list shortened in no time.
