Your guest list is one of the most important and most stressful aspects to your wedding planning. So you will need to have it sorted before you order your wedding invitations, especially if you plan to have your guests names individually printed on each invitation.

Pictured above are Wedding Invitations by ‘DreamDay Invitations‘.

Firstly, as a couple you should decide on the type of wedding day you desire. Do you want something large and lavish, or small and intimate? Your guests, your family and friends, all want to share this big day with you, and their attendance will most certainly make your wedding day complete and memorable, but the number of guests, and who you invite, is entirely your choice and will hugely influence how the day will run.

Decide roughly on how many people you will most likely need to invite. This will depend of course on your budget, wedding style and location. You may have your heart set on a particular reception venue, but it may have a more expensive per-person price, so guest numbers might have to be limited. Or your priority may be the inclusion of all your guests with no number limits, in which case you may have to compromise on the location or venue.

Which ever is your case, you need to make your list early. Consult both families for numbers and expectations, and be clear from the start on advising how many guests your parents can invite if numbers are limited.

Start yourself an Excel spreadsheet to record all guest details from both families as you receive them. Include columns for the guest first names (eg John, Louise and Jenna), Envelope title (eg.The Smith Family) and the envelope address. You could also include a column for the RSVP response, table and seating number, and even notes on gifts received – great for the future when it comes to writing the Thank You cards.

DreamDay Invitations has one you can download from DreamDay Invitations website, fill in at your own leisure, and then it can be uploaded back to the website when you order your invitations.

It will be a huge help to you if each family could their prepare their own comprehensive list of guest details, family members and friends, which should include the guests’ preferred name, salutation (eg Dr, Miss, Mrs, Mr, Ms etc), full address, and phone contact numbers. Give them plenty of time to do this so they can collect all the necessary and correct information as changes after ordering invitations can be tricky.

Do you go ahead and  invite co-workers, acquaintances, friends that you haven’t seen for years, your parents’ life long friends, and family friends from your childhood?  Break it down into main categories. The ‘Absolutely Must Invite’s’- family, close friends, and people you see on a regular basis, close friends of your parents. Then the ‘I would like to invite’s’ – old friends you haven’t seen for a while, overseas family, co-workers who you are closes to, etc. Then the ‘Maybe list’ – people who may be friends with the family but not really part of your life, distant relatives, or friends of parents, or co-workers whom you see at work only etc.

Take stock, and after looking at the initial numbers, decide as a couple(very important for your future relationship), the cut off point for guests, for yourselves and for both families, keeping the same rules for everyone.  Remember it’s your wedding, so don’t feel obligated to invite anyone you don’t want to just because you attended their wedding years ago.

Also decide on whether children are going to be invited. Inviting children can greatly increase your numbers as well as the price. Small children at weddings can cause stress for parents, stress for other guests, stress for wait staff, and consequently stress for the bride and groom. Many couples these days are choosing childless weddings or excluding children under a certain age for these very reasons.

Another way to cut down an over long guest list, is to limit single guests to one person invitation only. You don’t have to invite a ‘plus one’ to any single friend’s invitation unless they are in a serious relationship or married.

When it comes to family invitations, it is considered etiquette to send anyone over the age of 18 their own invitation especially if they have a special partner that you would like to invite.

Always order 10-20% extra wedding invitations and envelopes than you think you need to allow for calligraphy errors, last minute additions and unexpected changes.

You will almost certainly have some people who may not be able to make it. So keep this in mind when organising your guest list. You may be able to include some extra people after the RSVP’s are received back.

When basic etiquette is followed and communications are open and amiable between the families, and the bride and groom, the task of preparing the guest list can become a pleasant experience for all.

Bottom line; Everyone loves a wedding! Every guest will be thrilled to receive an invitation to your wedding day, and the thought that you wanted them there, with you, on your special day, will delight their minds and strengthen your friendships forever.