Written by: Anna King
Your wedding is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate your love for your partner with your friends and family. However, a big celebration can come with a hefty price tag, and it could feel impersonal if you invite lots of people you don’t see very often.
Making cuts to your guest list can be tough, but sometimes it’s necessary – there’s no shame in opting for a smaller celebration to ensure your wedding day stays true to your vision. But how do you decide who you absolutely must have there, or know when it’s fair to leave someone out? Here, we share three questions to ask yourself to help narrow down your wedding guest list to a manageable number.
Is this a courtesy invitation?
Most of us are guilty of passing out invites to people we don’t ordinarily spend time with, like distant relatives, colleagues, and acquaintances, simply because we want them to feel included. While this is a nice gesture, you should never feel you have to put the wants and needs of others before your own when it comes to a day as special as your wedding day.
The truth is, not inviting someone doesn’t mean you don’t care – you can still be friendly with people you know whilst only having close friends and family at your wedding. It’s important to note that some people may expect an invite, so if you don’t give them one, you may want to have a reason prepared. Generally, most people will be understanding if you’re honest about simply wanting a smaller wedding.
If you allow each of your invitees to bring a plus-one, your number of guests will automatically be doubled. For this reason, most people opt to just have their loved ones attend their big day.
The beauty about not inviting plus-ones is that you’re unlikely to hurt any feelings, as it’s totally understandable that you wouldn’t want to invite people you don’t know to your wedding. However, some of your friends and family members may see this differently – for a happy medium, you can always limit the number of plus-ones you allow so that only those who are in long-term relationships or are part of the wedding party can invite additional guests.
Should I have a child-free wedding?
Children can bring lots of joy to your wedding celebration, but inviting them will mean more guests to tend to, and additional planning responsibilities too – you’ll need to make sure you have child-friendly food available and entertainment options that’ll keep them engaged on the day.
If you’re thinking about having an adult-only wedding to cut down on numbers, be sure to sensitively include this on your wedding invitations. With the right wording, your guests will likely welcome the opportunity to let their hair down and be off parenting duty for the night.
When it comes to your wedding day, you should invite who you truly want to invite, and leave out those you don’t – after all, nobody has ever regretted having a wedding celebration true to their vision and wishes. So long as you ask yourself these questions and are fair with who you do and don’t invite, you’ll be able to have your wedding day exactly as you’ve always dreamed it would be.
More about the writer
Anna is a wedding planner who works with engaged couples to plan their ideal celebration. She believes that a selective guest list is crucial for a romantic, intimate wedding.
