12 DAYS OF WEDDING PLANNING - DAY 3
12 Days of Wedding Planning
DAY 3 - GUESTLIST
Well done on getting yourselves an ideal wedding date in mind. A lot of couples tend to find today’s task of creating a guestlist quite a difficult one so we’re going to jump straight in…
Our top tips on how to make your guestlist work for you…
Make a start on your guestlist by listing ALL your family and friends that you’d love to invite - think of this as your ultimate dream list.
Remember, guests can cost you on average, anything up to about £100 each on your wedding day. Yeah, expensive! So if your guestlist has snowballed, then it’s time to be realistic and maybe a little cut throat!
We’d suggest you split your dream list into 2 – one side that has all the people you couldn’t imagine your wedding day without (immediate family/ friends you’ve seen in the last year) and the other with everyone else that’s left (distant relatives/ work colleagues/ old pals you see once in a while).
Remember this is your wedding day and it’s going to be expensive too! So if your Great Auntie Pauline that you’ve not seen since you were 5 is on the list simply because your Mum thinks you should invite her, then maybe it’s time to have that difficult conversation with Mum and explain your reasons for not inviting the family you’ve not seen in forever. I’m sure Mum (and your Great Auntie) will understand!
Same goes for that friend from uni that you text perhaps once a year. It might sound harsh but you’ll thank yourself afterwards for making some difficult decisions early on.
Now it’s time to split your list into ‘full day’ and ‘evening only’
If you didn’t have to cut down too many guests, you may even simply turn your previous list into your ‘full day’ and ‘evening only’ that way you’re pleasing those long lost relatives but at a fraction of the cost to you. Win win!
You should now have a ballpark figure for full day guests and total evening guests!
Make sure you break your full day guests down into adults and children (usually under 12’s) as this will likely affect your quotes and costs with venues.
This list will naturally change and develop, shrink and grow, and that’s completely normal. But at least you have some pretty solid guest numbers to work with over the coming days!
Have a gin, you deserve it! We know this bit isn’t easy but you got here and remember this is still only a rough draft, we won’t be telling you to send out your Save The Dates just yet! The next step’s a good one - it’s all about what you both REALLY want and also don’t want for your wedding day!
If you like what you see so far, then we’ve plenty more for you…
Katie
Wedding Coordinator
Our lovely Katie comes from a fashion background, so not only very creative and organised but super passionate about weddings. A winning combination!
She loves it when couples push the boundaries and try different ideas for their weddings, so don’t be scared to ask her to create any weird and wonderful concepts you may have!
What is Katie’s favourite part of a wedding? “When the wedding couple come out of the ceremony room once they are married, they are so happy and it’s lovely being one of the first people to congratulate them!”
What else should we know about Katie? She is a Mum to some very cute kitties!