Planning a wedding is oftentimes stressful, even though it should be an enjoyable season in your life. Your to-do list becomes consumed over the next months with hiring and booking vendors, finding a reception venue, choosing your bridesmaids, and much more. One of the most stressful tasks is choosing who to invite to your wedding.
Day Dreaming
The first step to figuring out who to invite, is to day dream. When you think, wedding day, are you envisioning a massive amount of people or a simple ceremony just for the family and close friends? Do you have social anxiety? Is your fiance a social butterfly? These are all things to think about.
Excel Sheet
Next, create three separate lists (for each partner). I highly suggest using Google Sheets, or Microsoft Excel. Label one, priority, the other non-priority and the third filler. Once this is complete, it is time to take a look at the budget.
Budgeting
While we may dream of having 500 people to celebrate the big day, it might not be written in the stars if that budget can’t afford it. It is important to remember that no matter how many people there are, it is still YOUR big day. If you want tips on how to save money, read 48 Easy Ways to Save Money on Your Wedding Day on the Knot’s website.
How to Reduce The Number of Guests
After determining your list number, there are ways to casually exclude certain people in order to reduce the number of guests. The number one rule that will easily reduce your list quickly is don’t invite anyone you haven’t seen in over 10 years. EVEN IF THEY ARE technically family.
Which is Better, a Big or Small Wedding?
There are pros and cons to both a big and small wedding. A larger guest list will allow you to reunite with distant relatives and friends and share your day with more people. While a small guest list will give you more time to spend quality time with the smaller amount of people that are there.
Quick Stat
It is important to note that only 70% of guests will typically show up to the wedding, even if they did RSVP. However, plan ahead for either fewer or more guests so that everything goes smoothly.
Stress Less
The most important tip of all is to remember that this is meant to be a happy time in your life. Enjoy it, ask for help if you need it, and rest easy.
