This is Part 3 of 5 in a series: “How To Plan Your Dream Wedding“
How To Determine The Wedding Guest List
Most people think they want as many people as possible at their dream wedding.
Of course, there are cost constraints to this.
And possibly travel constraints, too.
Depending on how you actually structure your wedding ceremony (and the reception), the number of people you have in attendance could definitely send budget constraints out of whack.
But typically, everyone you’re “close” to is invited to your dream wedding — because what good is a dream wedding if you can’t share with those who know you best, right?
One thing’s for sure. When you’re deciding on your guest list, you have to be willing to let go of the popularity factor:
- So-and-so gets invited simply because so-and-so is also invited
- You don’t want any hurt feelings.
To that, I say: baloney.
It’s your dream wedding, not theirs. It’s one day. Not a lifetime. And it’s your call. Not anyone else’s.
Just know this going in…
Not everyone will be able to participate in your dream wedding — especially if you choose an extravagant location or an itinerary that requires people to be away from home for an extended period.
This actually made the process of deciding who to invite much simpler for Jim and I.
We just invited everyone.
If they could come… great.
If they couldn’t… it was understandable.
One bonus for us: Everyone’s travel expenses were on their own dime, so we had no real planning to work around.
One bonus for them: If they were able to join us, they got a mini-vacation out of it at the same time!
Our views about who to invite to the wedding coincided in a lot of ways with the author of this post: Why I Didn’t Invite Family Or Friends To My Wedding.
I planned my own Destination Wedding and everything went off without a hitch — we got married barefoot on the beach in the Bahamas! I like to help brides-to-be find unique ways to do things that will ultimately save them time & money on their wedding. I write about "outside the box" wedding ideas that most people wouldn't think of! When I'm not exploring the latest wedding trends, you can find me at the corner of Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites).
