How to Create a Wedding Guest List?

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Putting together the wedding guest list is one of the most crucial tasks that should be on your wedding checklist. It is one of the first tasks that need to be done, even before finalising the venue. When you will be scouting for a venue, you will need an idea of how many guests will be attending the wedding. There has been a dramatic shift from big fat Indian weddings to intimate weddings and destination weddings. This creates a dilemma to decide whom to skip and whom to invite. In contrast, there are couples who like splurging on massive wedding venues and inviting multiple guests. Whatever your preferences may be, you will have to be very specific about your wedding guest list. This might be the biggest struggle because you would not want to miss out on your or your partner’s close friends and family members. Here are a few tips on how you can narrow down the list without upsetting your loved ones.

Tips for Making Your Wedding Guest List

At first, there is no need to feel overwhelmed or panic if you are in this situation. It is common to get confused about who you should invite and who can be skipped. Don’t think from the perspective that you are obliged to invite them if you went to their wedding festivities. You can always send favours to extended friends and family members. Here are a few tips that you can use to narrow down your guest list for the wedding.

Divide Your Guests

Source: Dipak Studios

The first and most important task is to divide the guest quota among yourself, your partner, your family and your in-laws. If it is a destination wedding, you will have to even cut down further by limiting the number of guests. You can either divide and keep an equal percentage for inviting the guests or can see according to the priorities. This will ensure that you are considering everybody’s wishes and that nobody gets upset over the guest list.

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Create a Master List

Next, you need to create a master list of every guest you would consider inviting to the wedding. Compile all the lists created by you, your partner, your family members and your in-laws. Start with immediate family members to extended and distant family members to close friends and colleagues to acquaintances. Once you have a master wedding guest list with all the names, you can further sit to cut it down and make it more precise according to your desires.

Segregate the Top Guests

Source: DotDusk Studios, Ayusha Sanjan

Once you have compiled and created the master list, the task is to separate the top-tier and important guests. These are the guests that are absolutely needed and should be there at your wedding. Filter the master list and create a separate list with the wedding guests you can’t miss out on.

Consider Your Budget

Source: rolling Canvas Productions, Hitched & Clicked

At this point, you need to be realistic about your budget and the number of guests you can afford. If you have created a list of 200 people, you need to check the venues around and their pricing. See if the venues that are in your budget can accommodate the number of guests. In the case of a destination wedding, you will have to consider how much expenses will be there for the accommodation and stay of the guests at the hotel or the venue. Consider all the factors and shortlists on the budget to ensure you do not bombard your wedding guest list. If your budget does not allow you to accommodate more members, you can always have an intimate wedding and send favours to other members later. Be very specific because the venue is not the only thing. There are multiple other categories and you will have to budget it very carefully.

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Take Inputs from Everyone

Source: The Wedding Story Official

Once you and your partner are in agreement, you should consider discussing it with everyone in the family. Take input’ from your family members or siblings. It is the best approach to finalise on your wedding list. Try to be fair when cutting down on the wedding list. If you are inviting two of your cousins and skipping the third, it can make them upset. Even if you do not communicate much with them, it could hurt their feelings and make them feel left out. We would suggest you be fair with everyone or you can consider inviting a few members to your pre-wedding festivities and invite the top close ones to the main event. This will ensure that everybody is satisfied and happily attend your wedding functions.

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Stagger Your Invite

It is not necessary that your first draft would be final. You would always have to make adjustments and go through the list again. Think of how you would feel if you would not be invited to their wedding or functions. Consider the perspective and accordingly make your wedding guest list. There is nothing to panic about while creating your list. Take a deep breath and finalise your potential invites. 

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Wedding Guest List: How to Limit?

Source: Hitched & Clicked, Shutter Down Photography

Limiting the wedding guest list can be a stressful task. Here are a few tips to help you with the task.

Limit or eliminate the extended family members 

While you may have a lot of family members, you need not invite each one of them. Be very specific and think about all the factors. If you are inviting outstation family members, think about how you will manage their stay and if it is extremely necessary to invite them.

Limit the Plus-Ones and Kids

It is okay to ask members to avoid bringing children or limit the plus ones to the wedding festivities. Avoid adding ‘with family’ on the wedding card as it would help send a clear and polite message to the guests.

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Eliminate neighbours and coworkers

Your neighbours and coworkers might be the people you spend the most time with, but you will need to invite people who are closest to you and your blood relations. Invite only those members who are incredibly close to you and your family members.

Keep your wedding guest list private

There is no need to tell everyone about your wedding plans. The more you tell people, the more pressure you may get. It would be best to keep it to yourself and your family members.

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Don’t Overthink and Feel Guilt

There is nothing to overthink and feel guilty for not inviting a few family members to your wedding. If you haven’t been in touch with a few friends, you can consider skipping them. Remember, it’s your day and your priorities matter. There is no fixed rule for setting the wedding guest list. It is all about your relations and budget. If they are understanding enough, they won’t be offended and would rather be happy with your choices.

These are some of the aspects that you must consider while creating and cutting down your wedding guest list. Discuss with everyone in the family and keep your budget in mind while performing this task.

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Signing off,

Deepali