Guest list: this is the first thing you have to do together with your partner, even before you have set the wedding date.
Why is it so important to act now?
First of all, it is one of the few things, along with the table settings, that you two will have to decide. In fact, you are the only ones who know all the people you want to invite to your wedding.
So it is better to think about it now, better sooner than later, in fact better NOW.
Knowing the number of guests is crucial for several decisions you will have to make.
Think about the choice of location. Choosing the right venue for the reception also depends on the number of guests: it is different having 50 or 300 people. Do you want a big event, a party with a few people or a party with a few intimates?
Will there be many children among the guests? It may be necessary to hire a baby sitter or animator.
The number of people will greatly affect the overall cost, having a complete guest list will allow you to better control your BUDGET.
Well, having said that, let’s go and see how to put it into practice.
Download our excel file to make the guest list. Fill in the form that appears.
Sit down with your boyfriend and start writing.
- CLASSIFIC
Divide the guests into categories: RELATIVES – FRIENDS – COLLEAGUES – NEIGHBOURS – OTHER PEOPLE.
Take a sheet of paper and divide it into five parts and each of you write down the names of the people you would like to invite. If you do not know someone’s name, it is good to find out and ask.
- INVOLVE
Consult the parents because they often want to invite someone close to them, especially if they contribute to the expenses. It is good to involve them in the choice and consider together who to add. - SEAT
Once you have written down the names, let the list ‘settle’ for a few days. Put it to one side and don’t think about it too much.
- PERFORM
You will realise that during this waiting time you will have remembered names of people you had forgotten and want to add. You might think about removing someone and you will have some doubts about some guests, things like:
“this friend I haven’t seen for 10 years, should I invite her or not?”
“I really don’t like that relative and I don’t think I want to see him at my wedding”.
“should I invite my aunt from Australia or should I leave it?”
So take a couple more days (I said a couple, not a month) to finalise your list.
If you are still unsure, I recommend you do it this way: leave the name of the person in question on the guest list and highlight it with a felt-tip pen. You will deal with the ‘suspects’ later.
Well, at this point you have a first complete INVITE LIST. It will not be the final one, but it will be the one on which you can make your initial considerations.
So, it is a fact that on average from the guest list to the list of those who will actually be at the wedding, there is a gap of about 15 to 20 %.
So if there are 100 names on your list, it is likely that there will be around 80 to 90 people who will confirm their attendance for that day.
If 250 people are invited, the confirmations will be around 200/ 210.
You have done a great job, BELIEVE ME. This small initial effort will help you not to stress too much in the last days before the wedding, when you will have other things to think about.
It will make it easier for you to make subsequent decisions with more clarity, especially when it comes to choosing the location and the caterer, and it will be very useful if you need to keep the BUDGET under control
The number of people will have a big impact on all the services calculated ‘per person’ such as the catering, location, restaurant, favours, cake, etc.
The next step will be the formation of the tables and we will talk about this in the next post, complete with a matching diagram.
In the meantime, if you liked this, and think it might be useful to someone else, click below to share it on Facebook or other social networks.
A hug and see you next post.
Gloria.
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