It’s one of the hardest parts of the wedding planning process: that invariably awkward matter of who merits an invitation to your wedding. No matter how much thought you put into the process or how obliging you try to be, chances are there will be at least a couple of people who react indignantly to missing the final cut.
Sadly, there’s no way around this. You’ll need to make your decision and stand by it. Before you embark on a guilt trip, it’s worth acknowledging that anyone on your initial guest list who has been married before will know all too well how difficult it is to whittle down the longlist to a more manageable number. Also, if someone directly questions you on why they weren’t included, tell them that you thought of them but budgetary or capacity constraints forced your hand. You could say that you decided to keep it to a very select guest list of close friends and family, but tread carefully as a cousin, aunt or uncle who is invited may end up spilling the beans.
A good strategy for determining your guest list is to firstly write out everyone you can think of that might be deserving of an invite. Once the longlist is completed, prioritise it into four distinct groups, beginning with your closest friends and immediate family. Then check off your first-degree relatives and those friends with whom you maintain contact. If you still have space or budget remaining, you can add work colleagues, long-time neighbours or your parents’ close friends. Unless you’re throwing a near-excessive wedding, that’s probably as far as the final invitation list will get. The core rule is to ensure that the most important people in your life are looked after first before you find room in the venue for the next metaphorical ring in your circle.
This infographic from Commins & Co gives practical, sensible advice about finalising your guest list, dealing with some of the more delicate invitees such as ex-partners, children and parents’ friends. Check it out below and you might find that the invitation list becomes a lot easier to compile.
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