Reducing the size of your guest list is a vital step toward successfully stretching your wedding budget.
It can also help you to plan more efficiently an intimate wedding–if that is the sort of affair you have envisioned your dream wedding to be. But where do you draw the line to avoid hurting other people’s feelings? Here are some ideas to help you whittle your wedding guest list.
Make it a 50/50 Split
Set aside time to discuss the guest list with your fiancé. Agree on the wedding budget first, and then tailor your guest list around that. Create a master list of all your prospective guests. Fifty percent of the guests will be from your side while the remaining half is from your fiancé’s.
Pare Down by Category
Trim the master list by category. Group as immediate family, close or extended relatives, close friends, acquaintances, coworkers, etc. This technique ensures minimal chances of resentment should your office colleagues, for instance, wonder why they did not get an invite. You can explain tactfully that you plan a small wedding, thus the lack of invites sent to all your coworkers. Your wedding venue and reception area can only accommodate a limited number of people. So consider eliminating entire categories, such as children or people you haven’t seen or interacted with for a long time.
Navigate Sticky Situations
Your wedding guests should be the handpicked group of people with who you genuinely want to share your special day. Thus, you and your future spouse should discuss whether or not to invite exes, stepparents who could potentially alienate the in-laws, and the like. The important thing is to decide as a couple when it comes to culling and paring down the wedding guest list.
How to downsize wedding guest list
1. Start Early
2. Create your wedding A-List
3. Talk to Your Parents and In-Laws Early About Who They’d Like to Invite
4. Limit Children
5. Stand your ground
6. Cut out Plus-Ones
7. Eliminate people you work with
8. Only invite people who will be part of your future.
