Once you've celebrated the fact that your happily ever after is happening (basked in the glow of the gorgeous engagement ring!), and found the perfect venue for your celebration, it's time to begin narrowing down your guest list!
All too often guest lists can become massive many legged octopi that eat up your wedding budget and leave you feeling like you're at the center of a three ringed circus surrounded by an endless assortment of seating charts. If that's how your feeling, take a deep breath grab a cup of coffee (or something stronger) and review these tips to help manage your guest list and save both your sanity and budget!
A first consideration is the degree of closeness. As you check off your guest list, it should be comprised of people who are important to you and a part of your life on a more than occasional basis. If your contact with a particular person has been limited to a FaceBook like or two over the last few years, it's safe to say you should reconsider whether this person makes the cut.
Limit family contributions to your guest list. It's all fun and games when your Mom, Dad, and siblings start adding their picks to the list - until you realize you're hosting close to five hundred individuals, rather than the low-key one hundred and ten that you were originally aiming for. You get it, your family is excited about your celebration and wants to include as many people as possible, but unless your family is contributing financially to the celebration, it's a good idea to ask your family to be mindful as they compose their guest list and create a specific cap on the number of invitees each side of the family is allowed to contribute.
When you deliberate your guest list, it can be helpful to think of it instead of a party invite, as a gathering of your future community as a couple. As you combine your lives and last names you're also merging social circles and families. The people who come together on your wedding day are there to celebrate and support you as you take this exciting step. Who we surround ourselves with both influence and have an impact on the direction and tenor of our lives. With that in mind, be intentional of your choices of guest selection and realize that these people are part of not just this amazing celebration, but the landscape of your life as a couple.
Taking all of this into consideration, go forward, find the people who matter most and begin addressing those beautifully calligraphed invitations!
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