Wedding-guest lists are like compound interest – they grow incredibly fast! When you dive into your cousins, aunts, uncles, friends, plus-ones, children of your friends and family…well you can see how fast it will grow! (Oh, and that’s just YOUR guest list – not even including your fiancé’s!) We’ve got you covered though – here’s how to create your wedding guest list.
How to Create Your Wedding Guest List
Start with your Venue
Before considering the size of the guest list, you need to have chosen your venue first. That is unless your guests are more important – then start with your guest list.
The reason for this is that your venue may have a max occupancy – including all vendors present.
So if your guest list is at 300 guests, but your venue says 120 max…well, it’s time to downsize that venue.
(By the way, here are some of our favorite venues in Central Arkansas and Northwest Arkansas that allow guest lists of all sizes.)
Consider the Children
It doesn’t matter how big or little they are – every child included is an added head to your guest count. This is when you have to make a hard choice – do you or do you not invite children?
There are many thoughts on this, so I’m just going to provide my own.
Children can be a wonderful addition to the party. Particularly if the reception is a dry reception.
That said, receptions can often get rambunctious if the guests get inebriated. How you feel about children seeing your drunk Uncle Bob is up to you. It can also mean your sister doesn’t get to join in on the fun because she’s worried about her children being surrounded by dancing, drunk guests.
(I’m not here to say exactly how to create your wedding guest lists – only giving things to consider, so don’t come at me!)
Aside from the party, there’s also the matter of food – will they even eat from the selected menu? Because you’ll have to pay for their meal or add an additional kids menu.
This is actually a great time to go right into the next subject.
Costs of Food and Bar
Meals can easily cost $25 to $100 and higher per head. Meaning a guest count of 300 guests can easily cost anywhere between $7,500 and $30,000 (pre-tax). You will also be very surprised to see how easy it is to grow a list to 300 people!
Decreasing the guest count can really cut down on costs – although costs are rarely the reason to exclude people you truly love. This brings us to the final point…
Who You Really Want to Invite
There’s this stigma that you have to invite the world to your wedding. Whether it be “because they babysat for you years ago,” even though you don’t remember them. Or she was at your sister’s wedding and it would be rude to not invite her. Or…
Stop.
The only people you should invite to your wedding are the people you actually want to be there.
In recent years, one thing I have come to love is the emphasis on who is invited. Not out of obligation, but because of love.
That’s why we have seen a massive increase in macro-weddings that are smaller, intimate, and have a new air about them.
Because at the end of the day, this is your wedding day, and you owe it to no one to invite them. You have my permission to make this day whatever it is you want it to be.
Ultimately, that’s how to create your wedding guest list.
