While you are immersed in the happiness of getting married, don’t forget to share the joy with your friends and family. Invite them as wedding guests to your wedding event, ask them to join your special day. Refer to our 10 essential tips for making a wedding guest list before you invite guests:
- Think About The Wedding Size
- Consider Your Budget
- Find Out The Size Of Venue
- Draft The List
- Categories Wedding Guests
- Indicate Special Requirement
- Set The Cut-Off Rule
- Estimate Number of Guests
- Use A Collaborative Guest Management System
- Start The List As Early As You Can
Tips 1: Think About The Wedding Size
Whether it is a small, medium or a large wedding, it is necessary to think about the wedding size you want before starting to plan anything. Typically a small wedding includes less than 100 people, a medium wedding with 100 to 300 guests or a large wedding with over 400 attendees.
Basically, you can carry out a small size wedding, if you like more intimate and a little bit closer with your wedding guest. Whereas, a bigger size wedding if you are good at socializing and definitely feel comfortable with a large number of wedding guests.
Tips 2: Consider Your Budget
One of the biggest factors affecting the wedding size is generally your wedding budget. The more guests you invite, the higher cost you are going to pay. It requires a higher cost to carry out a medium or large size wedding, why not consider a small and cozy wedding if you have a tighter budget.
To avoid overspend during wedding planning, here are some tips to plan your wedding budget. Read more on How To Plan a Wedding Budget? What To Consider?
Tips 3: Find Out The Size Of Venue
Even though it is a small size wedding, you better have a check with the organizer regarding the size of your wedding venue. Ensure the wedding venue can accommodate the number of guests you invite, and make sure it is comfortably fit. I am sure you want to make every invitee feel good and comfortable when attending your wedding.
Despite that, don’t forget to consider the space for the decorations, cake table, live band etc. You can prepare a checklist for selecting your wedding venue, to double check with the venue vendor.
Tips 4: Draft The List
Once you decide the wedding size, setted the wedding budget, you can start drafting the guest list. The list should include your guests, your fiance’s guests and parents guests. Be honest to parents, let them know the wedding size and target number of guests you are going to invite. Write down all the guest names you want to invite to your wedding and assist parents on their guest name list.
Wish to make their wedding guest list well organised and easy to manage? Find out more on 7 Tips for A Stress-Free Wedding Guest List.
Tips 5: Categories Wedding Guests
To get the wedding guest list tidy up, you are advised to group invitees into different categories. For example, group coworkers and guests who are related to your work as “colleagues” guest category. This is an effective way to organize the wedding guest list, which helps in guest seat planning as well.
Furthermore, it will be great to group guests into categories, so it will be easier to plan a guest seating chart. It can help to plan guests seating with guests, groups or categories accordingly.
Tips 6: Indicate Special Requirement
Mark down guest dietary requirements while making your wedding guest list. For example, vegetarian, halal, nut allergies, dairy-free and etc. That is such an intimate experience for your wedding guests, making them feel important and respected.
Despite that, a kid’s welcome wedding would be great if you can mark down guests who need a baby chair or stroller for their children.
Tips 7: Set The Cut-Off Rules
Set and sticky to the guest list cut-off rules, it can effectively help to control and manage the wedding guest list. For example, don’t invite the person neither you nor your fiance has ever spoken to. Similarly, skip the person you didn’t speak to in 3 year or more.
Can you imagine how awkward it would be if you don’t recognize or don’t know what to say to the guest. So set your own cut-off rules to avoid the awkward situation during your special day.
Tips 8: Estimate Number Of Guests
Once the guest list is done, sum up the total number of guests. Now you have an estimated number of guests in your guest list, but we would recommend to spare a little bit more space. Be prepared for guests who didn’t respond or told you they were unable to attend, but suddenly show up at your wedding actual day without any notice.
Tips 9: Use A Collaborative Guest Management System
Normally people use excel or google sheets to create a wedding guest lists, it is quite straightforward and easy to use. However, you can make the whole process even more seamless and effectively. For example, Thebigdays Wedding Planning System provides live synchronization across all login devices, which allows users to edit the guest list anytime anywhere.
It’s designed to faster check-in wedding guests, track and monitor LIVE guest attendance. Gain greater insight on wedding guest check-in in table view. You are able to understand which table is full and which are empty at a glance.
Generate and send unique guest QR code to wedding guests in the app via your social media. Wedding guests just simply present their guest QR code as an invitation for helpers to scan QR code check in with Thebigdays wedding guest management.
You can UNLIMITED SHARE your login access with your wedding helpers, so that they can faster check-in your wedding guest and you can monitor the live guest attendance statistics at your fingertips!
Tips 10: Start Creating The List As Early As You Can
Wedding planning is a complex process, especially the job of creating wedding guest lists. You are advised to start making your wedding guest list as early as you can, normally 3 to 6 months before the wedding. Therefore, you can have enough time to make the perfect guest list. Avoid last minute jobs that make you feel anxious and stressed.
Ready to start planning your wedding? Read our article 7 Tips For How To Start Planning Your Wedding.
