Who Do I Invite to My Wedding?

Many couples find the basic details of wedding date and location become a piece of cake in comparison to deciding one of the trickiest questions:

“Who do I invite to the wedding?”

Step One – Find the Factual Data

The best place to start is to find out the capacity of your wedding venue. Having a concrete number will give you some peace as you work through the potentially emotional task of creating a guest list.

Another fact that will help, is figuring out who is paying for the wedding and who is in your wedding. Those people must be invited, so that takes the pressure off of a few names.

You should also consider your budget when deciding how many people to invite. There will need to be a balancing act between your budget, your guest list and your wedding planning decisions. Things like catering, cake, wedding favors and linen rental all depend on how many people you are inviting.

Step Two – Compile a List of People

You may end up with lists from several people (you, your fiancé, your parents and maybe even your grandparents). The bride and groom and the people who are financing the wedding have a say in who comes. Any other lists or suggestions can be considered at your discretion. 

Step Three – Break Down the Lists

Once you put everyone’s suggested guest lists together it could be over the maximum number of guests your venue can hold. Divide the names into three sections (Must, Should, Could). These are the people you must invite, the people you should invite and the people you could invite.

Must Invite – family, wedding party, wedding financiers, etc. (this may be a small list)

Should Invite – these are close friends, old family friends, etc.

Could Invite – these are people you would like to invite (coworkers, old school friends, etc.)

Step Four – Putting It All Together

Put the people on your “must invite” list onto your final guest list. Then add your “should invite” list. Hopefully, all of these people will fit in your venue and budget constraints. If there is room, add in people from the third list. If you need to limit people, take out names from the “could invite” list.

Remember that you don’t have to invite everyone you know, though it is possible to invite a lot of people with a small budget. You may have to decide whether to have a larger guest list or a more elaborate wedding. 




** Photo featured in Elevated Allure styled shoot.

** Photo by Taylor Nicole Photography