Friday Quickies: Managing Your Guest List

Creating your guest list for your wedding is not an easy task. Adding names to the list is the easy part. But when it comes to manage those names and deciding who is actually going to receive and invite that is the hard part. When creating your guest list, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. The first is that size of the venue. How many guests can your reception location hold? Is that more or less than the number that your church can hold? If your church can only seat 150 guests, but you have booked a reception hall that can hold 300, you need to either lower your guest count to 150 or decide to get married at another location other than your home church.

One must also consider that you have to feed, serve cake, and provide favors to everyone that is invited to your wedding. The more people who attend your reception, the greater the costs. Not only does your guest count affect the cost of food, but it also increases your decoration costs. More guests means more tables, which means more linens, chair covers, centerpieces, etc. The reception is the largest part of your wedding budget, and your guest count has a direct correlation to that cost.

To manage that overpowering guests list, you should divide the list into three parts: A list, B list, and C list. The guests on the A list are close family members such as grandparents and siblings. A list guests must be invited no matter what. B list guests are close family friends and loved ones. These are people who you socialize with on a regular basis and are activley involved in eachother's lives. C list includes co-workers, church members, and distant relatives. If you have not spoken to them in over a year or your only conversations include a "Hi, how are you?" on Sunday mornings or in the lunch room at work, then they should be on the C list. If you are forced to cut down your guest list, start with those guests on the C list and then work your way up.

So when you sit down with your family and your fiance's family, remember to be fair and work together to create a guest list that is representative of both families. Just because your side of the family is paying for the majority of the wedding does not give you the right to invite more people to the wedding. Remember that you are joining two families together and that it is important to work in a positive and understanding manner towards eachother. But ultimately, remember that the wedding is about the bride and groom, and the when you are inviting guests they should be invited with solely that thought in mind. To celebrate in this joyous union of two people in love.

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Be Inspired,

Nicholette