6 Things To Consider When Making Your Wedding Guest List
What are the things to consider when making your wedding guest list?
- Budget and time
- Parents and in-laws
- Relatives
- Friends
- Co-workers
- Plus-Ones
One of the stressful parts of planning a wedding is making the guest list. Although it might seem simple, there are plenty of factors that make it complicated. You don’t want to let someone down by not inviting them to your wedding but you also have a limited budget that you’re working with. Or maybe your future spouse knows a lot more people than you. So the question remains, how do you form your guest list in the most efficient way? Here are some things to consider when making a wedding guest list. Read on.
Budget And Time
The first thing you should consider when making a guest list is your budget. By setting one, you have a better reason to limit the number of your invites for your special day. Do this early, so you have more time to edit the final list with your spouse.
Speaking of time, make sure to set a deadline when finalizing your guest list. Send your invites early, so you can confirm people’s availability sooner. When you don’t hear back until a certain date, you can call to confirm.
Parents And In-Laws
Before you set out on making a guest list, it’s a good idea to have a meeting with everyone involved first — your future spouse, parents, and parents-in-law. This is important whether they’re paying or you’re shouldering all the wedding bills. This way, there’ll be no surprises when it comes to the guest list.
A good starting point is to divide the guest list two ways. You and your spouse each get 50% of the list. Then you can divide that with each of your parents into 25%.
Relatives
For most of you, your relatives will be the next thing on your wedding list aside from your parents. The general rule is when you invite one member from their branch of the family, you need to invite their parents, siblings, and kids too.
But it doesn’t mean that when you invite all of your cousins, your spouse has to invite all of theirs too. They might not be as close as you are. The general rule is that you shouldn’t feel pressured to invite all the people in your family tree, especially if you haven’t talked to them in ages.
Friends
Other than your closest friends, you might have other people that you’re considering inviting to your wedding in order to not hurt their feelings. Some people do this in the hopes of rekindling an old friendship.
This is understandable, but a busy event such as a wedding is not the best venue to bond with your old friends. Instead, you’ll be far too busy mingling with all your guests and going through the program.
Co-Workers
You might be wondering if it’s considered poor etiquette not to invite your co-workers. The general rule of thumb is to invite everyone in your department or invite none at all. There’s an exception though. If you have a truly close friend that you talk to outside of work, it’s okay to invite them too.
But what about your boss? Just like your co-workers, this will depend on your personal and professional relationship with them. If you’re worried that it’d be over the line to invite them, you can schedule a quick meeting to ask them if they’re comfortable with an invitation.
Plus-Ones
When making your guest list, don’t forget to take your friends and family’s plus-ones into account. This might be their significant other or spouse. Again, this will depend on your budget and the type of wedding you’re celebrating. If you have an intimate event, most people would understand if you’re not inviting plus-ones.
A general guide is that married, engaged, and cohabiting guests get a plus-one. If you’re inviting a single VIP guest who doesn’t know anyone in your wedding, it would be polite to invite their plus-one so they won’t feel awkward in your event.
Key Takeaway
By knowing the things you need to consider when making a wedding guest list, you can lessen the stress for you and your future spouse. Keeping these guidelines in mind, don’t forget that it’s your wedding celebration and you deserve to be happy without breaking the bank. Stick with your priorities, be realistic with the number of guests, and send your invites early to avoid stress later on.
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