How do you get that wedding guest list down to a manageable size? We give you tips and pointers to get the list to a manageable level. The big decision here is do you downsize the guest list, or change the type of wedding reception you will have? Or will you do a combination of the two? You do have options.
The following article is an example of the content we have in our online wedding planning membership site HappyWeddings.ca under the heading of Guest List. To learn more and get useful wedding planning tools for FREE, click here!
By now, you know what your costs are—and since you are keeping track, you should know the approximate cost per guest. Remember, there are things we haven’t added in yet like the florist bill, the wedding cake, the ceremony musicians, the decorations, and the wedding rings! If the total cost so far is giving you the shakes, and you’ve chosen those options that you can’t live without along the way, what do you do? One answer is to trim the guest list—a response you may not like! The other answer is to change the kind of wedding reception you have planned—another response you may not like. Life is about choices, and the bottom line is your budget. You and your fiancé need to communicate clearly and respectfully about your desires for your wedding.
More family arguments arise from this task than any other—and more arguments between yourself and your fiancé stem from this simple and treacherous list. We have some guidelines to help you get through it.
Right now is the last chance you have to revise your entire wedding plans based on your guest list. Up to now, you have booked the key players of your wedding, and have gotten prices on what you would love to have for your wedding. Before working on details like menus, flowers and decorations, now is the time to review the guest list.
You have your wedding guest wish lists from your parents and from yourselves. You know your numbers. Now you have another decision before you.
What is more important—the guest list or the budget? AND, how do you make it work?
If you are choosing the guest list, then you need to revamp your plans of the kind of wedding reception you are going to have. If you choose the budget as more important, then you need to trim the guest list. Maybe you want to revisit the guest list AND your wedding plans. Give it some thought, and before you jump into a decision, be informed. Check out the next two topics in this module to help you consider all sides of this prickly decision.