Choosing who to invite to your wedding is one of the most important (and difficult) decisions that you will have to make. You don’t want to leave anyone out, but you also don’t want to overpack your big day with people that you really aren’t that close to. Here are some of our best tips on how to make these decisions.
What’s Your Max?
Figuring out from your venue what is the maximum seating is a great point to start. This will tell you the highest number of guests that you are allowed to invite (even if this number is a lot higher than you want) it will at least give you a starting point.
Consult Your Future Spouse First
It’s imperative that you and your spouse are on the same page about the people that you want to invite to your wedding. It’s best to sit down with just them at first and make a preliminary list of guests and begin to build or subtract from there. Chances are the people that are put on that list at the start are going to be the ones that are the most important to you.
Decide Your Limit
Determining your limit is very important in making this decision. How far out with family do you want to go? Just immediate? Aunts and Uncles? Cousins? It’s important to draw the line somewhere and stick to it. If you start inviting a lot of extended family sometimes it can be hard to figure out where to draw the line and before you know it you have 300 invitations to send out!
Don’t Let Anyone Bully You
Some family members may try to convince you to invite certain people that you may not care to have a part of your big day and it can be hard to say no to them, but it’s important to stand your ground. This day is about you and your spouse and no one else.
Return the Favor
If you attended someone’s wedding in the past year and half it’s courteous to extend an invite to them for your wedding (especially if you or your spouse were in their wedding party). But if you attended someone’s wedding 4 or 5 years ago, you probably do not need to invite them if you don’t want to.
Plus Ones
Make sure your guests know that plus ones are only for serious relationships or spouses and not just for a friend or tinder date. Plus ones can really add up if everyone is bringing someone.
Children
This decision is solely up to you whether you want to allow children at your wedding or not. Many people may feel that it’s rude to ask for no children, but at the end of the day this is YOUR big day and no one else’s. Just think about what kind of reception that you want to have and if it would be appropriate for children.
Featured Image from PaperKuts Studio
