“Tips on how to cut down your guest without feeling guilty”
There’s no doubt your wedding day is one of the best days of your lives as a couple, and being surrounded by your favourite people is so important. But planning a guest list without feeling pressured to invite your cousin’s boyfriend or that friend that you haven’t seen in years can be really stressful too. So before you start pulling your hair out we’ve come up with some tips on how to cut down on your guest list without feeling guilty.
Pick your venue first!
Before you even think about your guest list you need to settle on a number based on capacity and budget. Find your perfect wedding venue and see how many people it accommodates and then know the cost per head. This will help you determine how many people you can ultimately have there.
Split the guest list with your partner!
Once you have your venue and the capacity you can have at the wedding, split the guest list in half. The first half will go to you, while the second half will go to your partner. Make sure to allocate mutual friends to certain lists, not to overlap!
No plus ones!
We all have that friend or family member who has a new partner every couple of months. It can be hard keeping up with people’s love lives when you have a wedding to plan. Of course you want your guests to be happy and sometimes that means allowing them to bring a date, but consider only giving your plus ones to those that are in a long term relationship or are engaged.
Set a limit that your parents can invite!
Parents can quickly get carried away with inviting all their friends and family, especially if they have financial input. Give your parents an exact number they can invite and tell them how important it is to you that you keep things intimate. Afterall it is your wedding
The one year rule!
If you’re not sure whether to invite someone, just think about when you last spoke with them. Of course, there are probably plenty of people you may not have spoken to in a year that you still want at your wedding, but this is great for eliminating those who you are not 100% sure on.
Consider your photos!
This one is so important. From a photographer’s perspective, consider your photos. If you do have a big guest list of lots of people with varied importance, be sure to speak with your photographer and let them know who’s most important to you. With such a big guest list, the last thing you want is to get your photos back with the focus on people that just weren’t that important to you.
Lastly, be realistic!
The most important thing when it comes to creating a wedding guest list is to be realistic. You can’t invite everyone you know, and some people are going to be disappointed for not being invited. Remember that this is your day, so do what is best for you!