Everyone you ask would tell you that becoming engaged is just the beginning. Now you have to do the real work: that of planning your wedding and making sure that everything goes as smoothly – and as perfectly – as possible. This isn’t too difficult if you know what you are doing, starting with your guest list.
We all have an idea of the guests we’d like to have at our wedding. But ask yourself this question: can you really afford to invite everyone you know and want? You have to think about your budget and your wedding venue, as these are the two most important factors that will influence how many guests you can really have. Here, then, is what you can do to simplify your guest list.
Take care of the parents
Your parents will definitely want to have their own guests at your wedding. But to be fair to everyone, make sure you speak with your parents at the start and let them know as early as possible how many guests you are thinking of inviting. Set aside a number for your parents – 25 percent is a good number to begin with for each pair of parents, both the bride’s and the groom’s. If your parents are responsible for the wedding budget, however, you might want to allot a higher percentage for them.
Create levels
Once you have written down the first draft of your guest list, consider creating levels for the guests. These levels would specify the type of relationship you have with them. For instance, there should be a category or level for immediate family, such as siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and first cousins, and another level for close friends. You can also add a level for colleagues, and another one for not-so-close friends. Once you have a good idea of the number of guests you can really afford, then you can begin paring the list down from the bottom level going up.
Ask yourself a very important question
One other way to simplify your guest list is to ask yourself one important question: “Have I seen or spent time with this individual in the past year?” If you haven’t, then it might be a good idea to remove them from your guest list (unless you really want to see them, that is).
Think about a smaller wedding
If you are not up to inviting everyone you know and simply cannot imagine offending many people, why not just think about a smaller, more intimate wedding? You can keep your guest list down to just immediate family and close friends, and save yourself a lot of time and effort (and money). Wedding venues Doncaster such as The Regent are perfect for small, intimate gatherings – and for bigger occasions as well.
