Tips & Tricks To Make A Crisper Guest List

This is for being who do not want their "chachi ke nephew ke neighbour ki daughter and her family" at their wedding! Indian weddings are peculiar while being fun, and that's because the wedding is expected to be a grand celebration where everyone you know (and who knows you) expects to be invited! So how do you have a crisp wedding list? Well, for starters, make that clear to your parents, and secondly- follow these tips and tricks!

Image via Aashna & Archit

The first step should be to make a draft wedding guest list. Before you start adding everyone you’ve ever known to your wedding guest list, make sure to find out the minimum as well as the maximum number of guests that you’re allowed at the venue you plan to book. If you’ve received a wedding quote for a certain amount of guests, then keep that in mind too. Also, decide what kind of a wedding you'd want- a closer, more intimate wedding would mean a tighter guest list. If you're having a lavish wedding, then this shouldn't really be a very big area of concern. Also, decide what kind of a wedding you'd want- a closer, more intimate wedding would mean a tighter guest list. If you're having a lavish wedding, then this shouldn't really be a very big area of concern.

Who should you add to your wedding guest list?

• An extension of your immediate family- this includes both your grandparents, your cousins, aunts, uncles, their partners and children. 
• Extended and distant family members- If you’ve got family that you do tend to keep in touch with and would like at your wedding, be sure to add them to the list. Your parents will have such lists too, apart from you.
• Your Friends- Of course they have to be on your list, start with your closest friends, then the ones you speak to regularly, friends from schools or uni- and their families if you're close to them too.
• Neighbours- Especially if they have been your neighbours for long!
• Current or past work colleagues- Depending on how long you’ve worked for the company, you may want to invite your work colleagues or even your boss to your wedding. This can be a tricky decision, but if you work in a relatively small office environment and feel as if you can’t invite some colleagues without inviting others, then maybe invite them all for something like the reception and not the wedding. 
• Your parents friends/ family friends- You may or may not be close to them, but they matter to your parents. 
• Your siblings' friends- They might to like to call someone too at the wedding, so add them to the list too. 
• Faraway forgotten relatives- Indian parents have a tendency to invite them too, so discuss with your parents whether this is something that's feasible or not. 

Things to keep in mind while making the guest list.

• Instead of working by hand on paper, keep everything online. Use Google Sheets and make a document or Excel sheet with properly marked columns and rows, and mark names and whether the invite has been sent out. Share this list with others who can see real time changes to it.
• Make an A and a B list. Having two lists is a very cool hack to keep the guest list tight. Your A-list consists of the essential people who you couldn't have your wedding without, like your family and close friends. They'll receive your first round of invitations. Your B-list should still have guests you still really want to be there, but can do without also. Send out A list's invites on priority, and for B list, a little later than that. You can even have a reserve list- people you can invite when A and B list turn down your invite. 
• Try to keep things fair when it comes to guest numbers for each of your families- both the bride and the groom should speak to their families about keeping the guest list crisp.
• Don't just out of formality verbally invite guests do not feature in your original list. This is something which may cause disappointment or embarrassment later.
• Do not forget to count children and plus ones (if someone requests you, like say a colleague who wants to bring their partner to the wedding)- it does account for a person and a plate of food if you're paying per plate.
• The bride and groom as well as immediate family and siblings account for guest numbers too, so don’t leave yourselves off the list when it comes to your final figure.

Some cutting rules you could implement and follow:

These might be a little harsh, but if you want a crisp guest list, then these rules can make sure that can happen. But of course, you'll have to have your parents on board for this too. 

• Rule 1: If both of you haven't spoken to or met them, or even heard their name before, don't invite them. 
• Rule 2: If both of you haven't spoken to them in three years and they aren't related, don't invite them. 
• Rule 3: If you're inviting anyone only because of sheer guilt- maybe because they invited you or you have a lot of common friends, don't invite them.
• Rule 4: Do not send out mass invites on social media- this can be hard to account for as to how many people will actually turn up. Invite only those who you genuine want should attend. 
• Rule 5: For each person you take off your in-laws' or parents' list, take one off your own as well- it's only fair.

So hope these tips and tricks help you have a crisper, tighter guest list just like you wanted!

ALSO READ: The Wedding Planning Lists Brides Should Maintain At All Times!