Guests
Guest list, plus-ones, children, dress code and what guests bring.
All things wedding
Plan your wedding
Bring your tasks, costs and guests together for the day.
Invitations and wording
Find the right words for your wedding invitation.
As a wedding guest
Write a personal message and choose a thoughtful gift.
Wedding anniversaries
Explore anniversary names, traditions and celebration ideas.
An introduction
The guest list is the decision that shapes all the others. Venue, budget, seating and the character of the day all hang off it — and it is the only one where every deletion is a name. That is why it pays to talk about categories first and about people second: who belongs to which circle, and does the rule then apply to everyone in it?
The second factor is replies. An acceptance is not attendance, a missing answer is not a decline, and neither resolves itself. Saying early by when you need to know and what happens afterwards saves the week of phone calls — and produces a number you can plan with.
The third part is what guests do not ask: travel, accommodation, children, dietary needs and the running order. Much of it stays unspoken until it becomes a problem. This section treats list, invitation, reply and looking after people as one process — with an eye on the points where guests need orientation and find none.
Guest accommodation: how much is yours to organise?
Recommend, do not pay: two or three places within twenty minutes, a room count read off your guest list and the four...
Your RSVP deadline: when do you need replies by?
Work back from the final numbers date in your venue contract: an RSVP deadline four to six weeks out, with a buffer f...
Children at your wedding: yes, no or a cut-off time?
All children, none, family only or children until a set hour: the four policies, what each costs, where to draw the a...
Wedding plus-ones: who gets one and who does not
Married, engaged or living together earns a plus-one; everything below that is a judgement call. How to set the line,...