One of the most challenging parts of wedding planning is creating your wedding guest list. There are a few things to consider when choosing who to invite including venue size, budget, and who should be prioritized.
How to Make a Guest List
You don’t need to have your guest list 100 percent finalized before booking a venue. However, you do want to have a rough number of people in place. You don’t want to fall in love with a venue that only accommodates 75 people if you have 125 non-negotiables on your invite list. For help curating a wedding guest list, a wedding planner can also steer you in the right direction. That’s what’s so great about Andre’s Banquets and Catering. Andre’s venues can accommodate a small wedding of 50 people or a large wedding of up to 350 people.
Budget Concerns
Not only can the size of your guest list impact the venue you choose, but it is also the biggest factor when it comes to stretching your budget. The number of guests you host has a direct impact on your budget. Therefore, it’s important to form your wedding guest list with that in mind. If you’re fortunate enough to receive help paying for your wedding from family, consider how that will impact the guest list. Many times, when parents or grandparents contribute financially to your wedding budget, they may assume that the investment will include a say in the invite list.
Decide early on in the wedding planning process about how you want to account for that input. Will you give your parents and grandparents 25 percent of the guest list? 50 percent? Will you split it three ways between each set of parents and yourselves? Include everyone in these conversations and settle on a guest count allocation that works for everyone. Andre’s Banquets and Catering is an excellent, budget-friendly option for those weddings that may come close to maxing out your budget.
Who do you invite?
A-List
The easy list and the most important. This list is made up of your immediate family (parents, siblings, grandparents, close aunts/uncles, sponsors) and your VIP friends (wedding party if you have one, their plus-ones, and their families if you’re inviting children).
B-List
The B-list is the extended family, your parent’s list, and overflow of really great friends you’d love to have but are not immediate family or in the wedding party. Think of your distant uncle that doesn’t live in the area but is very close to your parents. This list might also include sorority or fraternity friends, your college roommates, childhood buddies you’re still friends with, bar-mates, and co-workers that you are close with.
C-List
This is the obligatory list, meaning people that you invite out of obligation. These are the distant friends and far removed family members. For example, your aunt may be very close to your mom or you, so she wants to have a list of her own. They are still family but you’d be appeasing them out of obligation. Unlike family and friends, deciding whether or not to send a wedding invitation to certain co-workers can be a tough decision. It’s awkward when you’re all chatting in the office about your big day only to exclude someone that isn’t invited. Eventually, you may feel the need to invite these people out of obligation. This list doesn’t exist for everyone. The smaller the wedding the more likely it is that you won’t have room to even consider a C-list.
Additional Reading: Average Wedding Guest List Size in the U.S.
Andre’s Banquet & Catering in St. Louis
At Andre’s, we are a full-service catering company. We provide the meal, 4-hour open bar, china dinnerware, linen tablecloths, chair covers, the personnel, as well as an onsite coordinator. We are a one-stop-shop facility that can offer guidance in planning and organizing your day. Andre’s coordinates with several different vendors to make your planning process painless! Andre’s we take the tangle out of tying the knot!!! Contact us today for any questions or reservations.