So I was thinking, I have this friend from work who’d love to come along to the wedding and keep me company, oh and your Uncle Wilbur! We haven’t seen him in years! And your cousin twice removed on your Dad’s sisters side of the family ... blah blah blah ... Starting to sound familiar?
Uncle Wilbur and Mums best friend from work weren’t who you pictured sitting there, watching as you gazed into your future husbands eyes and lovingly said your vows right? Yup, we’ve all been there, I don’t want to upset mum, what if Wilbur actually sends a Christmas card this year, I’d hate to offend him and as for my cousin ... Uh, what’s his name again? ... Hmmmm.
Weddings can be stressful enough without having to take into account everyone’s feelings on the day so the one thing you MUST remember is that it’s YOUR wedding day and to put it blunty, you should invite whoever you’d like to witness your special day without anyone making you feel bad.
There are a few sure fire ways to keep the stress levels down when writing the guest list.
1. Decide on the numbers and stick to them!
Start with a number of people that you can afford to cater for. Only when you’ve found your number should you start writing up the guest list, writing down all the people that matter most. Keeping the numbers down is likely to save you a fortune and doing it this way will immediately cut out distant relatives, second cousins and friends who you haven’t spoken to in years. Your excuse, "Sorry, we had limited numbers."
2. Decide whether you want children at your wedding.
Children can sometimes be a great conversation starter for guests at a wedding and they can add a bit of excitement to your day but if you’re on a budget, there is certainly an additional cost of catering and entertainment. Don’t feel bad if you have to tell people that their children aren’t invited, I can say with certainty that most parents will enjoy having a night off their children. They will really be able to let their hair down and stay longer at the evening reception which is exactly what you want to happen when you’ve spent all that time and money finding the perfect reception venue.
3. Invite who you want to your wedding and don’t feel bad.
This is the one day that really is all about you and it should go exactly how you’ve always imagined with the people that matter to you most. The most important person on your wedding day is you and that’s something you’ve got to remember when writing up the guest list.
Ultimately, by controlling the numbers, you’re controlling the budget. You’re keeping the guest list strictly in line with your preferences and who you want there and that will lead to a more intimate and enjoyable day knowing you’ve spent on those that are most important to you.