How to Create your Wedding Guest List
Photo: JB Marie Photography
Whether you’re hoping for an intimate elopement with twenty guests or a big bash with 500 wedding guests, compiling your guest list is one of the first steps in the wedding planning process. There is an art and a science to it all. Once you have an initial list, you can group it into your A-list (must-haves, besties, nearest and dearest) and the B-list (maybes, love ya but..). This will help keep that goal number on track and avoid budget blowouts or etiquette oopsies. Here are some tips for compiling your guest list.
How to get from A to B, and then back to the A List
Decide on a target guest count.
Gather all of your guest names in one long list.
Add in any important family members + plus ones.
Start making cuts, by sorting names into an A List and B List. Ways to cut: superfluous plus ones, if you haven’t spoken to the person in over a year, if your fiancé has never met this friend...
Send Save-the-Dates out to your A List only.
IF you want to add back a couple names from your B List after some early no’s, do so with caution and in a timely manner.
Firm up the A List before you send out wedding invitations.
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Kristine Cooke, owner & lead planner at Simply Charming Socials, has been helping her clients plan the wedding of their dreams for over a decade. Now, she’s sharing her planning expertise with you! Sign up for Cygnet: A Simply Charming Socials Newsletter to receive helpful tips and resources delivered straight to your inbox, so you can stay stress-free while planning your special day.