Ever heard of the Turkish saying, “Guests bring good luck with them”? This is because it’s true. The kind of people you mingle with is bound to be your blessing…or harshly, your curse. While the ambience, food and the couple are important in a wedding, the guests are those who make the difference. Imagine going through your wedding photos, and seeing nothing but a shabbily dressed audience… or worse; an enormous crowd with no sense of organization. Certainly not a good look. However, it is always a chore trying to decide who to invite. So in this article, we would elaborate on some few steps to help you who to bring aboard and who NOT to.

A perfect example of distinguished guests from Randa and Maxwell’s fabulous wedding

WHO IS ON THE LIST?

1. Find an ‘affordable’ number of guests to invite

Let’s be real, we all wished we could invite everyone we knew to our weddings. Yet, not everyone can fit our budget. Besides guests cost money and venues have a limit of people they can hold. One thing people fail to realize is that a wedding is NOT an opportunity to to break our banks! Instead, it is a time to spend the best moment of our lives with those who matter. But then again, you wouldn’t want a lonely wedding.

So here’s one trick: Always invite 10% more people in the first round. Research proves that around 20% of your invitees are bound to not show up. If you want to have a very private wedding, it is advisable to invite an average of 80-100 people, to get a least attendance of 50-80 guests.

Also, according to the 2015 Newlywed Survey released by WeddingWire, the average number of wedding guests is 120 people..but the most ideal is 150.

Randa and Maxwell

2. Make a list with your partner

The next thing to do, after settling on the number to invite, is to make the list itself. This is the hard part. Good news is, we have some simplified ‘elimination tactics’ to help you start your list.

Family: Okay so family is tricky. We all have that relative that can either cause drama if not invited. So here’s how to go about it:

1. Is the person someone your parents would want there?
2. Were you invited to that person’s wedding (if applicable)?
3. Have you spoken to this person in the past year?
4. Will that person cause drama if left off the list?

If the answer is YES to all these questions, then INVITE him/her. But if there’s a NO at any point, then by all means ELIMINATE!

Friends: Crossing off ‘friends’ is the easy part. No one should hold a real grudge for not being invited to a wedding.

1. Do they know your partner’s name or about your relationship?
2. Do you go to school with him/her?
3. Have you spoken to this person in the past year?
4. Do you regularly spend time with this person outside of school/ work schedules?
5. Have you partiularly spoken to him/her about the wedding?
6. Does your partner want them there? (Exes top the list)
7. Were you invited to his/her wedding (if applicable)?
8. Would his/her presence make your wedding fun?

Again, if the answer is YES to at most the first 6 of these questions, then INVITE him/her. But if there’s a NO at any point, then by all means ELIMINATE!

Work Colleagues/ Business Acquitances: If your colleagues are understanding about you keeping it between friends and family, then don’t invite them point blank period! However, if you feel you want to invite some, you can use these rules:

1. Do you spend time with this person outside work?
2. Would you normally buy dinner for this person?
3. Were you invited to his/her wedding (if applicable)?
4. Would their presence make your wedding fun?

If the answer is YES to at least the first 3 of these questions, then INVITE him/her. But if there’s a NO at any point, then by all means ELIMINATE!

3. Special Guests

Everyone needs a couple of special guests at their wedding. Definitely worth the cost. It could be your role model, your boss, pastor, lecturer, or anyone you hold in high regard. It could even be the vice president of your country, like Randa and Maxwell did 🙂

4. Limit the number of kids

Kids are not exactly ‘kids’. Most caterers consider kids over 10 as guests. They may be smaller in size, but children who attend your wedding will still add to your overall costs. So to be on a safe side, make your reception an ADULTS ONLY one. Or put an age limit in place, teenagers eat a lot haha. Just be sure to make your intentions clear on your invitations.

5. The modern day plus-one theory (+1)

Everybody wants to attend an event with a plus one. But can you pay for that plus one? Make it a point to note that no plus-ones are allowed. Or if possible, try to invite people within the same circle /school/ work/ church so that they cannot use the excuse of being all alone at the event. You’re not obligated to offer every one of your guests a “plus one” to your wedding, but if they’re in a serious relationship of any sort (dating, living together, engaged, etc.), their partner could be included. So in a nutshell; use the modern day trick: “No ring, No bring”!