Planning your wedding is no easy task, and the list of things that you need to do is almost endless. In fact, you may start off by making a list, and then begin to realise that there are sub-lists that have to be added as well. You really do need to sit down and spend a couple of hours thrashing it out so that you get things in the right order, and don’t get into a panic at the last moment because you have forgotten something.
One of the most difficult issues can often be planning the guest list. This is because unless you have an unlimited budget (you don’t, do you?) the wedding guest list is going to have a bearing on everything else, especially the venue, but also the catering, the bar, the entertainment – everything.
While it would be nice to invite everybody you know, including the milkman and his dog, in the vast majority of weddings it is simply not practical. This means that you have to set a realistic maximum, and then try to keep a bit below it. If you have already chosen your venue, then there will be a maximum number that it can handle anyway, but if you keep a bit below the maximum number, it means that you always have room for one or two extra if you want to invite them later on.
While it may seem unkind, you need to prioritise your guest list into two parts – those who must be there and those whom it would be nice to have along for the ride but are not essential. The best way to select is to work with both families together – the bride’s and the groom’s – so that there can be roughly the same number from each side.
Once you have your priority list, you can start sending out invitations to them at least a couple of months before the big day. Once you have started receiving acceptances from your A list, you will then know how much spare room you have and can start sending out invitations to the B list. This could be distant family, work colleagues, and so on, whom it would be nice to have present, but not essential.
Furthermore, you don’t have to go mad with your invitations if you can’t afford them. You need to work to your budget, and it is your wedding, after all, so you get to choose who gets invited and who doesn’t.
You also need to plan the layout for your wedding reception. Obviously, the wedding tables need to be decorated, and at Kenza Creations we can help you with wedding table centrepieces hire and other decorations, as it is one of the most important parts of the day. Your guests may be sitting down for at least a couple of hours for the food, the speeches, and so on, so the tables have to look spot on.
You also need to consider who sits where. This can be difficult if Uncle Joe absolutely hates Cousin Sheila, and vice versa and they need to be separated, but Cousin Sheila also doesn’t want to be anywhere near your Aunt Maud. In addition, you need to decide who sits at the head table and who does not.
So, yes, planning your guest list can take some considerable time, and if you look around the web at some wedding sites you will see that many people say that it is actually the worst part of the whole business. But it is something that needs to be done and done in such a way that it fits with your budget and that everything works smoothly.