Create a wedding guest list in 3 easy steps!

Creating your wedding guest list will allow you an opportunity to exercise your negotiation skills for sure. Hopefully it will be just a small test and not like going for a PhD in human psychology!

Keep in mind that if you are paying for your own wedding, you have more control over who gets invited!

Having an approximate number of guests you can comfortably afford to entertain in hand...let’s get started on that list!

Step 1

You, as a couple need to just start brainstorming names and write them down. You can either make your list together at the same time or each make up your own list. There is no right or wrong here.

Start with the most important and closest people to you and then work your way out to general friends and acquaintances.

Step 2

Allow both sets of parents an option to provide you names of those that they would like to be sure that are in attendance.

Reserve the tendency to shut them down at this point and just let them know that you are just collecting names and not committing to a definite invite.

Step 3

Combine all the lists together into one list in order to get an accurate account of where you are in relation to your estimated number of guests you are looking to invite.

Optional step 4

If you have way more people than what you can comfortably entertain, then you will need to do some negotiating. If you are a few people over, that shouldn’t be a problem since not everyone you invite will be in attendance.

Negotiating is not easy, but if you play fair with all parties and go at it in a diplomatic way, no one should feel slighted. After all…there are only so many seats!

Tips:

• If you have made the decision that you don’t want children at your wedding, that is perfectly fine...but be consistent with all guests! No exceptions!
• For single guests, it is polite to allow them to bring a guest with them if they wish; you can offer that option when addressing your invitation to them.
• Oh...and for all of the “ex’s”...ask parents to be on their best behavior as it your day and never invite ex-spouses or boyfriends/girlfriends...no matter how good friends you may be...it just is not right. It is your day to celebrate the beginning of your NEW life.
• Don’t forget to include your Officiant, Photographer and your DJ as part of the guest list as well since including them in the headcount for food will be needed.
• Keep your wedding guest list organized in a way that you can use to keep track of responses and wedding gifts to make it easy to send thank-you notes!

Tidbit: It is better to be surrounded by a few important people in your life than 300 people you don’t know.

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