We’ve heard it time and time again!

“We said we were only inviting 100 people. Our guest list is at 140 now but I know a lot of my family won’t be able to come.”

Invitations go out. RSVPs come back and all of a sudden you realize your third cousins sister on your moms side who you thought wouldn’t attend, wants to come and has a family of 5! And only 6 people declined! Your budget for 100 people just went drastically over And before you know it you are in way over your head.

PLEASE.

If there is one bit of advice we can give you for making your guest list it’s this:

Only plan for 10% of your guest list to decline.

But before you get to the point of having GSR (Guest List Regret) we’ve got some great tips to help keep you at ease.

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Consider these three things before you start your list:

  1. What is your venues maximum capacity?

    This should be a no brainer – but DON’T invite more guests than your venue allows.

  2. What is your budget? Have you received a quote for a certain amount of guests yet? (This is crucial!)

    Getting a quote from your caterer/venue is a great starting point in figuring out your budget and per person cost.

  3. What is your personal preference as far as style and ambiance?

    This is entirely up to you. If you have a large venue and want to have a intimate wedding- awesome!

Now – who to invite? And who gets priority over the next person? Are there names flying through your brain from left and right? No worries – If it makes you feel better, you can have tiered Lists to categorize your guests. An A List for the must haves- you should fill this list to your maximum capacity. The B List is where you can keep your “refill” guests. when you get denials from the A list, take guest from this one to take their place. And so on as needed. Hopefully you don’t go past List D… if you do- May the planning gods be with you!

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Here’s the line up of contenders:

Immediate Family.

These are the VIPS! Parents, Grandparents, siblings, their partners and children. You can include aunts, uncles and cousins that see/talk to regularly here too.

Distant Family.

I’ll emphasize the words regularly talk to here. You can find yourself getting to the point where your teetering between a friend and a family member – that is ultimately up to you both.

*Disclaimer – be sure to communicate early and clearly about and disagreements, this will keep a stress-free journey!

Friends.

Invite your closest friends. Again, the people your are currently more social with should be on list A, the ones you maybe haven’t spoken with in a few years can go on list B.

Work Colleagues.

At your discretion. Some people like to mix business with pleasure. Some don’t. It also depends if you have a small office or a large list of colleagues – “you can’t invite some without inviting everyone.”

Plus Ones.

Single people need love to? Just maybe not at your wedding – adding the plus one option can double your guest list. It is no crime to eliminate the Plus one option if needed. If budget is no issue, than the more the merrier.

Family Friends/ Friends of Parents.

Its always considerate to ask your parent(s) who they would like to invite – especially if they are helping financially with the wedding.

Children.

At your discretion. I personally preferred having no children under 7/8. To me, the vibe of the party changes and can focus more on the kids when the dance floor opens. But I have coordinated plenty of kid friendly weddings that were a blast! If you have a NO KIDS policy – I will say, prepare to get some backlash at first, even some denials because of it – but just tell people you want to give them a parents night out!

 

You got this!

Now get your WRITE ON!