Your Wedding Guest List Guide

Writing, and then rewriting, your wedding guest list will be one of the most important parts of your wedding planning journey. It’s always best to get it done early, as the size of your guest list will relate to the size of wedding venue you choose and your budget. You will need to remember to be flexible with this list, as you will need to think of people who may cancel last minute, or maybe there could be people who just randomly turn up (your second cousin may decide to bring a plus one for example). One thing is for certain, your guest list will change right up until the big day, so don’t be alarmed as and when that happens!

Image Credit: Wedding Planner Book, by TheGiftStudioCompany (Link to purchase in the Supplier Credits)

Starting Your List

Right now, it probably feels quite overwhelming as to where to start, but it’s simple, start at the beginning and think of everyone you and your partner might want to invite. Make sure you do speak to both your families about this, so you don’t forget anyone. Now you have your first draft of your guest list, which at this stage looks HUGE!

Image Credit: Wedding Guest List Tracker (Link to Template Download in Supplier Credits)

Who to Invite and Who not to Invite to your Wedding

What to consider at this stage is, do you invite partners, and do you invite children? By doing this you immediately almost double the numbers on your original list, which may mean that you will need to cut down numbers of people who you actually want there.
Also, by inviting children to your wedding, you will also need to consider children’s entertainment, there are now, thankfully, plenty of different options available for children’s entertainment, however this could put pressure on you if you already have a tight budget.

When you are looking at who to cut from your list, you will also, sadly, need to take into consideration what could cause an argument between you and your family or friends, it is always best to get this out of the way early. As they say the best thing to do is to just “Rip the bandaid off”. To make this process easier, set some rules with your partner and stick to them, this could be to remove people you haven’t seen for two years, or people who your partner hasn’t met.

Image Credit: Wedding Invitation by TavernCreative (Link to purchase in the Supplier Credits)

Managing Your Guest List

Your list is now done, yay! However, you will now need to maintain the list by tracking your RSVP’s. This can either be done yourself, or you can enrol one of your wedding party members do this for, or maybe your mum. There are also useful guest list manager apps and websites you can use at a fee or why not create an excel spreadsheet to track your responses. We would recommend using a spreadsheet, as this data can then be easily shared with your Venue or Caterer, for example.

Image Credit: Seating Plan by Boards by Jess

Now for the Seating Plan

You’ve now got your finalised guest list, so it’s time to start looking at a seating plan. This step can be quite time consuming, as difficult guests can make seating plans a little tricky. It’s best to remember that people won’t be sat down for long, so don’t worry about it too much. Get the table layout from your Venue, and start your plan in pencil, you will no doubt have plenty of amendments. Also, don’t forget to include your top table!

Image Credit: Wedding Stationery by Ribbons & Wren

Travel and Accommodation for your Guests

Some of your wedding guests may be travelling quite a distance to attend your wedding and also may not know the area. It’s always best to include recommendations for accommodation in the area and also taxi information on your invites. If you are getting married in a Hotel Wedding Venue, you may have rooms allocated to your guests that they can book at a reduced price, be sure to also include this information too.