Hi Cwtchers, Today we are broaching the sensitive subject of the guest list. Unless you have a secret money tree growing in your back garden we would place bets that the guest list is proving to be one of the biggest challenges of your big day.Its the delicate balance between budget and friends and family’s emotions and feelings.
Over on our Facebook page we asked our readers (most of which are either planning or have planned their own wedding) to share any tips on how to keep control of numbers and stay on budget?
Photography by Victoria Tyrrell
‘Invite who you want to be there and people who you keep in touch with! If you haven’t seen/spoken to them in a year, don’t invite them. It’s your wedding day, invite who YOU want, not who others want! Xxx’ Katie Russell
‘We picked a number and have stuck to it 90 is our magic number!!’ Portia Sheppard
‘We fixed the guest list first then worked out our venue and everything else from that. The perfect venue for us is wherever our friends and family are.’ Nicola Tudor
‘We had a lot as there were lots of current and past friends we wanted to invite and many of them have kids too. we still forgot some! the main cost with larger numbers is food, & our budget was low, so we went for a brilliant suggestion we were given of asking for buffet dishes instead of presents (didn’t want any more stuff!) and everyone bought quiches & salads etc and it was yummy xx’ Vashti Zarach
‘ We were the same as Katie. If we hadn’t seen them in a year then they weren’t invited. A bit ruthless but instead of extended family we didn’t really care for being there we had 44 of our closest family and friends. To save politics we did invite other family and friends to the evening and it didn’t cause any fights’ Charlene McNabb
‘I’m on this task now! The venue can help set a ‘target’ number but I think its important to have people there who you both know and who mean something to you as individuals. People who are your past, present and future ‘partners in crime!’. Having room for more guests in the evening helps to include all the people who you would like to share the day with and say thank you to for being there along the way (my fiancé and I have been together quite a while!)‘ Sally Hart
‘ I invited 30/30/30 split of my immediate family, hubbie to be & close family friends, the rest came to the party in the evening it kept costs down & many understood it’s down to money’ Sarah Brennan
‘Ask family early on for who they think should be included and clear up issues with them early – we’re currently fielding questions about why so and so is only invited for the evening and why can this cousin only bring their girlfriend in the evening. (It’s cos we’re not close to so and so and have never met this cousins girlfriend!). Give people the opportunity to raise their thoughts early on – because even if it’s never invited, the comments will come!
Generally, set rules and stick to them – e.g. only people we’ve actually met!
If you can strike them off the list and not feel regret, they probably don’t need to be there!’ Sarah Coxhead
‘If numbers are tight then adults only, also don’t be under pressure to invite everyone just because you ‘should’ There’s always the evening party instead to catch up with distant relatives and friends.’ The Bloom Studio
‘We had a rule that both of us had to have met everyone who was coming’ Lindsey Harrison
