Trust us, you'll be spending countless hours thinking about this...
Your wedding is a special celebration that you share with your most loved friends and family, but what happens when you can't pick which friends and family to invite or who to boot? We're here to help you decide whether or not to invite your third grade BFF, or your chatty over bearing co-worker.
Who you'll invite to your big day is one of the biggest tasks in the wedding planning process and finalising that guest list can be quite a stressful task.
We've put together some tips to help you knuckle down that list!
Your venue is your best friend - it has a maximum capacity of guests allowed so narrowing down your guest list is already that much easier.
This is also something to ponder on. Your venue will charge you per guest. Stick to your guns and your budget, you don't always have to invite the number of guests that your venue allows. If your venue charges a little over your budget per guest, adjust your guest list accordingly.
Our advice is to sit down with your partner and decide on the total number of guests you'd like at your wedding. Decide from there who fits into that number. A hack we love: you and your partner should write down the first few names who come to mind - let that guide you into choosing your guests.
It's terribly tempting to invite every single person you've called a mate or shared a friendship bracelet with, but this where everything gets real - fast. Cutting your guest list forces you to review the nature of your relationships, it boils down to inviting the friends you keep in touch with on a regular basis. When the decisions get tough, remember the difference between your friends and acquaintances.
A key question to ask yourself when deciding which friends to include is: Can you imagine having dinner with them within a year? If yes, add them to your A-list. If at one stage you were close, but you haven't been in regular contact with each other for ages, add them to you B-list.
This is quite a tricky one as your coworkers are who you spend the most of your time with. Our advice...If you spend time with your coworkers out of office hours, then you've probably become good friends and they should be added to your guest list.
However, don't feel obligated to invite all your coworkers or the entire department unless you know it's a friendship that will last for years out of normal working hours.
This is the toughest nut to crack, for obvious reasons...
Your family members will always have a special bond with you and probably your parents, no matter how unfamiliar you are with each other. So often enough if you don't invite aunt chatty Cathy, you'll hear a chirp via the grapevine. So honestly, how do you make a choice? We suggest compiling a list from immediate to extended family, and listen to your parents as they know and understand your extended family better than you do.
All in all, don't be tempted to create a B-list if your guest list is becoming too daunting - it will only make matters worse! Trust your instincts and you'll create the best guest list ever.
