The Perfect Wedding Guest List

With all the hustle and bustle that goes into wedding planning, the guest list seems to be the first thing to wheel out of control. And before you know it, you’re intimate ceremony of 50 guests has now turned into a crowd that could easily compete with all the painted faces and torsos of Super Bowl XLIII!

Don’t let this happen. When planning a wedding, it is important to remember one key fact: it is YOUR wedding. You don’t have to be a Bridezilla to plan a wedding day celebration that will be enjoyed to the fullest by you and yours, but you should also take charge in setting limits. Essentially a wedding guest list is bringing two sets of family and friends together and making one big happy bunch. And while some people want to include everyone, embracing a long list of after-school-bosses and favorite lunch ladies; others are happy with a close knit group of their favorite people.

But like most things in life, weddings provide a setting where adding on is much easier than subtracting off. Many brides fall under the trap of, “if I include person A, I have to include person B. And if person B is invited, then I have to invite X,Y,X.” Just remember that locating limits and finding a compromise will leave both your sanity and your budget in a much better place. Be sure to listen to your fiancé, and if you have parent’s or grandparent’s helping with the finances, be sure to keep their means in mind as well.

Every dad across the globe can relate to Steve Martin’s character, Frank Banks, in Father of the Bride when he goes light headed over all the returned RSVP’s. And no bride wants to send their dad to jail because he’s caught cutting out hot dog buns at the local grocery store to save money.

In the end, it is a celebration that’s all about your love. So be sure to include all the people that have helped you develop that love and hold a special place in your heart without going overboard. Let your guest list flourish with people that you’ll be able to look at fondly on your 50th wedding anniversary, and remember not only who they are, but why you needed them there.