How to decide the guest list for your wedding

One of the most important things when it comes to planning your own wedding is deciding who to call and who not to. Taking into account that you’re going to be paying for every single person out there, do you want to call friends you’re not in touch with, or relatives that you haven’t seen since you were a kid? Even though you want a big fat Indian wedding, it’s important for sense to prevail and understand that you can’t invite anyone and everyone. Here are some handy tips to call just the people who are needed and will make your big day one to remember. 

A destination wedding
Keeping it in another city or country is a good way to keep the number of guests controlled at your wedding. Considering the fact that it’s going to be a costlier option, you’d want to keep things economical, plus it opens up a window where people have a higher chance of being unable to attend your wedding because they can’t get leave, unable to afford the trip, etc. 

Invite friends from your present
With time, you lose touch with a lot of your friends. Out of the list in front of you, there’s a high chance of people who you haven’t spoken to in ages and have no idea what they’re doing in life. Being your friend from the past doesn’t get an automatic ticket to your wedding, which is why you shouldn’t feel obligated to call anyone just for old time’s sake. 

The numbers could be very less if you only call family
No one will say a word if you choose to keep an intimate wedding and only make it a family affair. A wedding just for your near and dear ones with a party with the rest of your friends and everyone else you know is another smart way to go about things. What you could do here is just call your respective families and a maximum of five friends from each side.

Don’t call someone just because they called you to theirs 
A wedding is the last place to be returning favours. No one’s going to judge you for not calling the people whose wedding you attended. They might say things behind your back, but there’s no need to think about what they say, feel guilty, or conflicted. The bottom line is that you haven’t invited them yet and would have called them if you wanted them to. 

Make a “B” list
Not everyone you call is going to come. So divide your invites into two—the people you call and the ones you call after the first category has been exhausted and sees a number of people back out. It might not reduce the number of people, but can surely keep the number down as you’re splitting the guest list into two instead of calling everyone in one go. Also, keep a tab of which person belongs to which list. 

Do your guests bring a plus one?
You need to explicitly let your guests know about this, because there is every chance that they bring their partner along. A way to tackle the situation is only allowing them to bring their spouse or fiancé (a no if you’re just dating). 

Do you call people from work? 
Only call your colleagues from work if you’re good friends with them. Does your boss make the list? The answer to that question depends on your rapport with them and if you really want them to be present on your special day. 

Set a deadline
Keep a date in mind after which anyone who hasn’t replied to your invite gets an automatic no. Your caterer needs as much clarity as you do.