Wedding Guest List FAQ

Creating your guest list doesn’t have to be complicated. Being surrounded by friends, family and loved ones will be a moment you never forget. Follow our advice below on how to create the right guestlist for you.

1. Where do I begin with creating my Guest List?

Begin by determining the number of guests you can afford and can be accommodated to the size of your venue. Also, decide if you want to invite children. Once you have come up with the number of guests to invite, be sure to split up the invitations equally between you and your fiancé. Create a list of 3 levels of priority:

First Level

Both sides should include immediate family members: uncles, aunts, cousins, and grandparents; family that you keep in close contact with. This should be your preliminary list, set in stone.

Second Level

Next invite your close friends, extended family, and those you keep in contact with daily.

Third Level

This list includes your colleagues and other friends. If you choose to include people from work, out of courtesy it’s better to invite your entire team or none at all. Only inviting a few of your co-workers could cause hurt feelings or conflict. However, if you have someone really important to you then you should, of course, invite him or her.

2. Our space is limited at our venue, how should we decide on who to invite and who not to invite?

If you have not talked to someone in the past year, have never met them before or don’t like them they probably should not be invited. If you see them regularly or a least a few times a year you should invite them.

3. Should I include my parent's friends?

Ask yourself these questions. Is there enough room in the budget and venue? Do you know the friends of your parents? Have you met them before? In the end, it is your day and you should have the final say, but keep in mind if your parents are paying for the wedding they should be allowed to invite some of their friends.

4. Should I allow my guests to bring a plus one or significant others?

If your budget allows for it, offering to a single guest to bring a plus one if they will not know anyone at the wedding is a kind offer. However, if your guest is single but they will know others attending the wedding you do not need to give them a plus one. A married guest’s spouse should be invited as well.

5. How can I keep my guest list from getting too big?

Have a set number of guests you will invite. Stay within the budget, and if you need to cut people from your list start at the 3rd level, and work your way up until you have an acceptable number of guests.

6. Should I have a backup list?

Expect that 20% of your guests will not able to attend. So creating a backup list may be a good idea. Once you have compiled your finalized list, you may take the names you had to cut from the final list to your back up list. However, if you do send an invitation to a guest on your back up list, be sure to send their invitation in a timely matter giving them enough notice.