Choosing who to put on your guest list can be one of the toughest and most guilt-ridden aspects of planning your wedding, and it doesn’t have to be. With carefully set ground rules and a combination of gut instinct and logic, http://andersonzgmx529.image-perth.org/photography-7-things-about-wichita-falls-wedding-photography-you-ll-kick-yourself-for-not-knowing you can make this a simple task that is completed joyfully with your fiancé(e) and your families!
The first step to planning your guest list is establishing how many people you want to have attend your wedding. This is dependent on your budget as each person who attends comes with a venue cost, a catering cost, a favor cost and more. Also bear in mind that many venues cap the number of guests you’ll be able to invite. Do some research beforehand and know ahead of time what the average maximum number of guests is for venues in your price range. This will make setting a guest limit easier.
Next, you’ll have to talk with your families about who to invite. Traditionally the bride and groom take 50% of the guest list while each half of the family takes 25%, but if either set of parents is helping to cover the cost of the wedding it may be better to divide the guest list into thirds. Be sure to talk to your parents in person and discuss ground rules. Talk over cutting rules such as no guilt-ridden invites, only people you’ve spoken to in the last 18 months, or relatives you’ve seen in the last few years. While it may seem unpleasant, try making different lists; your A list is people that you can’t imagine getting married without, your B list is extended family you don’t see often, etc. Then you can begin eliminating people that are less important so you don’t have to miss out on having those who are very important present.
Plus Ones: If you are planning to have a small, intimate wedding or have a guest limit in place because of a venue or budget constraints follow this rule of thumb: Plus ones are for those who are in a long term relationship. Sometimes people will still write in a guest, but you are absolutely allowed to call them up and let them know, politely, that though you would love to be able to invite everyone your venue and budget simply won’t allow more guests than were already invited!
Children: The best way to avoid children, if you don’t want them to attend your wedding, is to address the invitation to the parents only, not the family. If you have out of town guests that have to bring their children, offer to pay for a babysitter at the hotel. It means a little more expense, but it’s a small price to pay to provide your guests with peace of mind and to keep your wedding a kid-free zone.
Office Invitations: In general, if you work in a small office then you’ll want to invite everyone, but if you work in a large office then go ahead and invite the co-workers you’re closest to. Whether or not you invite your boss depends on your relationship with them. In most cases your boss and co-workers will understand if you want to keep your wedding between close friends and family.
Exes: Inviting your ex is often considered taboo, but if you have children with an ex or if you have developed a friendship over the years then sometimes inviting them is appropriate. This is, however, a decision that both should talk about as the other half of the couple may not feel comfortable with an ex being invited.