Wondering how to choose your guest list? We get it! It’s hard to weave through all of those people you’ve ever met, your parents’ lists, and who you think you should invite.
We’re going to give our top 5 tips when it comes to how to choose your guest list! Hint: read to the bottom to see who not to invite.
The truth is, the guest list is the number one way to adjust your budget. The average person, in our experience, spends at least $500/guest on their wedding. This number can definitely fluctuate on your guest experience, but this is the number that we at Daisy and Sun Events most commonly see. However, this can add up fast. If you have an $80,000 budget, this means you can have about 160 guests (including yourselves!).
After writing down everyone that you could ever think to invite, divide them into two lists – one for partner a’s side and one for partner b’s side. Figure out your maximum guest number – each person gets that many guests on their side. If partner a only fills so many of their guests, they can revisit their numbers or give those numbers to partner b.
Some people feel like it can be mean, but using a few lists is so beneficial. Start by making an A list – this is going to consist of people that are absolute must-haves for your wedding day. You essentially couldn’t imagine your day without them there. These are people that are 100% going to be on your guest list. Next, make a b-list – these are going to be people that would be nice to have, but maybe aren’t as essential. Third, make a c-list – these could be people that you feel like you have to invite, family courtesies, etc. Keep going until you have all of your guests on one of these lists. If you have room on your a list, move some of the b-listers to your a-list and so on.
Okay, I’m going to get a little controversial here. You don’t need to provide plus ones to everyone. However, it is considered proper etiquette to invite plus ones for anyone who is married or lives together. If you have the room, it might be nice to let people have a plus-one, but it’s not necessary. If you decide that you aren’t going to give someone a plus-one, stick to it!
Kids can add a lot of elements to a wedding day – sometimes fun, sweetness, a personal moment, or sometimes pure chaos. Whether or not you choose to have kids is an entire discussion. However, if you’re trying to cut back on your guest list, maybe restrict the number of kids you allow. We’ve seen people only let kids under 1 come, kids over 16 come, or no kids at all. It really varies here. Some venues don’t count kids as part of the guest list, either, so make sure you check that!
Instead of allowing your parents to create a full-fledged guest list, cut it back a little bit. Sure, it’s nice to be able to invite all of your mom’s friends, coworkers, and those they’ve ever talked to, but it adds up fast. Instead of letting them put whoever they want, give them a number. Maybe they can have 10 people, maybe they can have 3, or maybe they can have none.
Lesson 1: You don’t need to invite anyone to your wedding. You might feel this sense that you’re required to put certain people on your list. However, you are not. This is your day, not your mom’s, aunt’s, or best-friend’s-sister’s-cousin’s.
Lesson 2: If you’re wishing they won’t show up, they shouldn’t be on the list.
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Copyright 2021-24
BLOG
Website design by Emily Foster Creative
ABOUT
PORTFOLIO
HOME
PHOTO CREDITS
PACKAGES
CONTACT
PRIVACY & TERMS