After staring starry-eyed at your beautiful engagement ring for hours on end and practicing writing your soon-to-be name over and over again, one of your earliest wedding planning tasks should be deciding on your guest list. Who will you invite? How many will you invite? Of course you want to shout it from the rooftops and invite everyone you know, but the reality is you’ll probably have to make some cuts and compromises. Take some time to think about who is really important in your life and who you really want to be there as you begin your forever. Is it really the people you only have a casual relationship with, rarely see, or feel you owe a reciprocal invitation? Repeat after us: invite the people you who truly matter to you. Yes, it’s a big task, but you can do it, and these tips will help make it more manageable.
Don't forget to check out our Free Printable Wedding Planner Worksheets to help you along your planning journey.
Start Early There are a couple of important reasons to start planning your guest list now. First, the size of your guest list can directly determine what size venue you’ll need. Once your guest list is narrowed down, you may find you need more (or less) room. Also, the size of your guest list will most likely affect your budget. If you are having trouble figuring out a good plan for budget, use this free budget planning printable download. More guests equal more money, so if budget is a concern, you’ll want to keep your guest list a little more intimate. You should also decide on the guest list for pre-wedding events like engagement parties and showers. Remember, if they’re not invited to the wedding, they shouldn’t be invited to these pre-wedding celebrations. Got it? Good! Now let’s get going. Get Input Begin by creating an initial list with input from your fiancé and both sets of parents. You can do it casually with a notebook and pen, or on a computer. These Tassel Journal Paper Clips are perfect to help organize within your journal/notebook. This list should include relatives, friends, and co-workers you consider “essential”. Remember, this is just a starting point on the way to your A List. For some couples, your guest list will end after immediate family members, and then it becomes an all-or-none situation. For example, if you invite one cousin, you should invite all cousins. Same idea for work friends: invite your whole team or nobody – unless you socialize with them outside of work. Don’t feel obliged to invite friends or co-workers simply because you were invited to their weddings. Only close friends or friends you see throughout the year should make the A List (with a few exceptions, of course). Now repeat the process with your fiancé and both sets of parents, but this time make a list of people it would be nice to invite if budget and capacity allow. This will be your B List. 
Narrow it Down Done with both lists? Now combine them. Put these colorful journal tabs on pages that are important if you have planned your guest list by paper and pen. Is it a large number? Do you need to make some cuts? Deciding on a few more things will help you whittle down your list:
- Will both sets of parents get to invite the same amount or will the family that contributes more to the budget get to invite more? To be honest, that could be a very uncomfortable conversation, so brace yourself if that’s a discussion that needs to happen.
- Are kids invited? If so, put their names on the invites. If not, leave their names off. You may want to suggest childcare options in your area or look into having a nanny service look after children in a separate kids-only room at your reception.
- Can guests bring a date? That will most likely depend on your budget, since you'll be paying to feed them. To keep your budget in check, skip the “plus one” unless guests are in a serious relationship. In that case, address the invitation with both of their names. When you're ready to send out those invites, refer to our Mailing Your Wedding Invitations advice!
Remember, not everybody will attend. Average attendance is 75% of a guest list.
By now you should have a guest list you’re happy with. If you’ve done it with paper and pen up to this point, jump on your computer and create a master guest list spreadsheet that includes: Name, address, email, number of guests included on invitation, likelihood of attendance, and events guests will be invited to. Eventually you can add columns for RSVPs, gifts received, thank you's sent, etc. If you’d like to see a visual, print it out and add it to your wedding planning organizer.
Way to go, bride-to-be! With eleven months to go, it’s time to choose your venue, decide on your wedding colors and theme and select your wedding party. Did you love this Wedding Seating Chart DIY? Go check it out!
Follow our Month-by-Month Wedding Planning Guide for more tips for every phase of your planning process. Feeling crafty? We’ve handpicked our favorite DIY wedding projects too! We also have Free Printable Wedding Planner Worksheets to help you plan your entire journey.
Article written by: Heather Clark
