On what should be one of the most spectacular days of your life, you would want the most important people to be there, right? In other words, your wedding guest list is not to be taken lightly and as a result, should be meticulously vetted. But what is the best way to create a guest list for your wedding?
Well, for one, if you are in the Los Angeles area, hiring a Los Angeles wedding planner would be a tremendous help in narrowing down that list, even according to your budget. But aside from that, you would want to invite your nearest and dearest. But as you start working on the wedding guest list, you suddenly aren’t so sure on who actually makes the cut– especially since you are paying for every seat. . Should you invite your two godparents? Your step siblings you don’t speak to that often? What about your boss at work?
This is totally normal! Creating your wedding guest list is far from easy and cannot be done in a few short minutes. It takes a lot of patience, analyzing, even overanalyzing. After all, you’re paying for every. Seat.
The good news is that we have here five steps to help you create a stellar guest list while reducing all that stress. Let’s go over what to do:
Scratch Off Friends and Family You Haven’t Spoken To in Years: You had a blast with your sorority sisters in college, but when was the last time you all met up? And what about that cousin on the East Coast you only see at funerals? Some friends and family just don’t belong on the guest list, no matter their significance. And don’t worry, they probably won’t get upset, and if they do, just be honest when you explain why.
Create an A-list, B and C List: Break down your guests into three groups: your absolutes, and then your “nice-to-includes.” Your A-listers are the people you can’t live without - immediate family, lifelong friends, and so on. The others would be extended family members, work friends who are definitely your friends, and so on. You might want to split this list in two based on your budget and the RSVP results so a C-lister can fill in for a B-lister who won’t be able to make it.
Create an RSVP deadline with no exceptions: Since your budget matters a great deal for your nuptials, write down the deadline in all of your wedding invitations. Those who don’t respond in time–sorry! After all, this is your wedding and you need to know how many chairs to rent, how many dishes the caterer will be making, etc. Think of all of this not only as personal, but as business as well. As aforementioned twice before: you are paying for every seat.
If you are in the Los Angeles area, a Los Angeles wedding planner could be of wonderful assistance in keeping track of each RSVP as they roll in.
Have a plus-one policy: Do you wish to party and have fun with someone you barely know? Many single guests would feel awkward attending a wedding alone, and that’s understandable. But for the sake of your budget and practicality, allow guests to bring someone they’re already engaged to, have been in a long-term relationship with, or at the very least– that you know. You might also want to consider a singles’ table so that those guests would have a group to team up with. (But please, don’t actually label it the singles table. That could be your little secret and they can thank you later).
Stick within your budget: Above all, make sure that you do not go over your budget when inviting people to your wedding. Weddings are expensive, you pay for every seat, and you cannot please everyone. Make sure to only invite those who you truly want to celebrate with and witness your sacred union. Each guest should be absolutely worth it. So stay true to you, and your bank account!
Wedding guest lists are so critical but can be so cumbersome to create. That’s why having strategies like the ones listed above, or having a Los Angeles wedding planner will help you figure out who to invite and why. The last thing anyone would want is inviting or not inviting someone– and then regretting it.
Since each guest plays into your budget, and you’re likely wearing out the calculator in trying to afford everything, you might want to consider having a Southern California wedding planner to help you figure everything out. The best are skilled in working within budgets while helping out with the invitations themselves. However, the best wedding planners in Los Angeles will not decide your guest list for you. They’ll give advice, but understand that the choice is ultimately yours. We at Cherished Moments know our boundaries when it comes to our clients, but would still help from a safe distance. It’s your wedding, after all!
Good luck on creating the wedding guest list!