This is probably the topic that will create few late nights and discussions with your Fiancé, parents and parents-in-law…Who do we invite? It’s easy to get caught up in the whole excitement of planning a wedding and forget that at the end of the day, it’s about you and your spouse to be and what matters most is the commitment that you make to each other. So, it’s important to remember that your wedding guests should be the people that you want there to share that special moment with you.

Moreover, the general rule used to be that the couple gets half of the guest list and the parents and in-laws get each a quarter of the guest list. But, times have changed and now couples are mostly paying for their own wedding so budget is very important. So unless you are thinking of a wedding abroad with just a handful of close love ones, here are some tips on how to handle a wedding guest list and avoid a big amount spent unnecessary:

• First, decide how much you will spend on reception as it is often where most of the wedding budget will go into. In some cases, nearly half of the total wedding budget is spent on the reception. Most venues charge per-head, so if your budget is €5,000 for the reception, and the cost per head is €55, then you can have no more than 90 guests
• Once you have an approximate number of guests according to your reception budget, draw up two lists; “Must-Have List” and the “Would-Be- Nice List”. “Must-Have List” is made up of those who you cannot imagine not having at your wedding, like your family and close friends. The second list is still made of guests you would like at the wedding but you aren’t so sure. Then check with your Fiancé if your budget would allow to have more people than the Must-Have List
• Instead of inviting too many guests for the wedding ceremony and reception, you could invite some guests for the afters only
• Make some cutting rules: Do you really want to have friends of your parents at your own wedding? People that you don’t know or even speak to? All the cousins and little cousins from each side of the family (remember, if you invite one, you need to invite all so maybe do not invite any so that it does not create any problem)? A long lost uncle by marriage living abroad and to whom you never talk to? People you have not seen or spoken to in the last three years or more…
• Do you need to invite your co-workers? Will you be still friends with them if you leave your job or if the company closes down? Do you have anything in common apart from work? If the answer is no to all of this, then do not feel oblige to invite them at your wedding
• Avoid any last minute adds-on, stick to your list and do not feel guilty about not inviting people
• Lastly, it is not because you were invited to someone’s wedding before that you need to return the invite