How to cut down your wedding guest list?
That’s something no bride and groom-to-be would like to have to deal with. After all, telling someone they are no longer invited to your wedding is..well, not fun.
But you know what? In these crazy post-pandemic times it’s something almost every couple had to deal with. And I can guarantee you, it’s not as hard as you might think.
So how do you do it without hurting someone’s feelings? Let’s find out.
Before you begin, it’s important knowing what’s your budget (aka cost per head) and have secured a venue that can host all your guests.
There’s no point in trying to scale down from 150 people to 100 if you can only afford to host 50 guests. Or if the venue you chose can only accommodate 50 of your closest and most beloved friends.
Once you’ve got those sorted, you can think about how to scale down your wedding guest list. If you are not sure about how to create your wedding guest list, check this article first.
Cut on plus ones
This is by far the easiest way to reduce the overall amount of guests. It’s not ideal (nothing in this list is!), but it will work wonders.
How do you do it?
Simply write only one name on your invitation card. Or get in touch directly with your guest to let them know they won’t be able to invite their partners to your wedding because things have changed.
Say no to children and parents’ friends
At the end of the day, your wedding is exactly that: yours.
If you are not able to accommodate everyone, people will understand and move on.
Even if it means saying no to children. You never know, some parents might be more than happy to leave their little ones behind!
Also, if your parents have gone wild inviting their friends, you can kindly ask them to reconsider that. Because the most important thing of the day should be for you (the couple!) to be happy, not everyone else.
Work colleagues
So by now, you should have an idea of how to cut down on your wedding guest list. That’s great!
But what about your work colleagues?
It can be tempting to invite your colleagues, not the boring ones of course, only the funny ones ! But stop for a second and consider if you are friends outside the office? How often do you guys catch up for a drink and a chat?
This should allow you to decide easily who to invite.
The 12 months rule
This is quite straightforward. It can be harsh, but it works and it can be applied to both family and friends.
Simply put, you’ll force yourself to cut down on people you have spoken to within the last 12 months.
Of course, there might be some exemptions to the rule. We all have some close friends that have disappeared from our lives for one reason or another. But we would still be happy to have them at our wedding.
If that’s the case, keep them in. Otherwise, cut them out. Easy!
If you have to do it, do it nicely
It’s something tricky but if you have to cut down on the list, there’s no other choice.
However, you should keep in mind your guest’s personalities and consider how they could react to the bad news.
Just think about how would you feel if someone uninvited you to their weddings? Yup, it would suck.
So when you are getting in touch with the people you have decided to uninvite, explain your reasons calmly, and most importantly, honestly. Explain that the situation has changed and you’re forced to make this tough decision.
Someone will take understand right away, others won’t. But at least you’ll have done your best to tell the bad news without hurting their feelings.
There you have it. I hope you’ll find this list useful and if you would like to add some extra info, let me know in the comments below. Ciao!
