How to Compile a Guest List for Your Wedding

The first thing to know when compiling a guest list is to realize that you are really making two lists, one for the bride and one for the groom. Read on to learn how to compile a guest list for your wedding.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Start with a list of your immediate family: mother, father and siblings. Get your partner to do this as well.

2. Expand the list to include your close family: grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Once your partner completes a list of close family, both of you can move on to friends.

3. Make a list of your friends and neighbors that you wish to be present at your wedding. Don’t forget about friends from work.

4. Take a moment to list any personal heroes or role-models that you wish to invite to your wedding ceremony. Look over the list you have made and fill in any names that you have forgotten.

5. Compare your list to your partner’s list. Compile the lists and begin the process of final selection.

6. Eliminate any guests that you don’t want at your wedding.

Tips & Warnings

• Decide ahead of time how large you want your wedding to be. Divide the total number of desired guests by two. Each of you gets to select half of the total guests at the wedding.
• Don’t forget that single family members or friends may want to bring a guest to your wedding and these additional guests need to be included in the total number of guests at your wedding.
• You will be pressured to invite every family member in existence. You may not like or even know these family members. You shouldn’t be afraid to say no.