Who Will You Invite To Your Big Day?
Whatever the size of your wedding, you’ll have some serious thinking to do when it comes to the guest list.
If you’re feeling anxious about working out who to invite to your wedding, then you won’t be the first happy couple to experience a mix of nerves, guilt and frustration when putting together a guest list. Your wedding day should be about celebrating your nuptials with your nearest and dearest, but problems can set in when your parents or in-laws become too demanding, or you feel obliged to invite your boss and his wife who you’ve never met before. Here are some ways to deal with your guest list conundrum.
Be Realistic
Some couples prefer a small, intimate wedding whereas others have the mindset of ‘the bigger the better’ when it comes to their ceremony. Whichever camp you fall in, it’s important to have a sense of realism when it comes to the numbers. Even if you would happily invite 300 people to your wedding, you may well be restricted either by the maximum numbers allowed by the venue, or possibly your own wedding budget. So begin by working out how much each individual wedding guest will cost you in terms of catering, drinks, stationery and favours for example, then you’ll be able to determine the maximum number of guests you can afford.
A List and B List
The next step is to divide your potential guests into two lists – people who absolutely have to be there should go in the A list and those who you’d just quite like there fall into the B list category. If you have a number of declined invitations from your A list, then you’ll be able to invite a handful from your B list. Another option is to have a separate list of guests to attend your evening reception only.
Be Careful About Financial Help
If your parents and in-laws have offered to help pay for the wedding, be very careful about understanding guest list expectations before accepting their finances. Once you have put down deposits for your wedding with your in-laws savings, it’s very difficult to argue that their best friends from college shouldn’t be allowed to attend your big day. Although this may be a difficult conversation to have, it’s important to understand who they’d like to invite and whether or not you consider this to be acceptable. If you’re not comfortable with their input, then it may be better to use another means to raise finance for your wedding.
Logistics for Non-Local Guests
If you’re inviting friends and family from far-flung locations, then you might want to put a bit of effort into helping them suss out the lay of the land before they RSVP their acceptance. If you let them know about the local transport options, taxi firms and activities to enjoy in the area, then they’re more likely to be willing to make the journey. In terms of accommodation, some Essex wedding venues are able to offer their own rooms to wedding parties, whereas others can make suitable suggestions for nearby B&Bs or hotel rooms.
Once you’ve put together a final guest list, you can send out the invitations and wait for those RSVPs to flood in. Then the next task on your list will be organising the seating plan!