Would you cry in front of a stranger?
Weddings are emotional events, so it’s not unusual to shed a tear or two. So if you’re more than likely going to let tears flow that day, would you be comfortable doing so in front of someone you hardly know? Of course, there’s nothing wrong if that’s not something that concerns you. If it is, however, something that you’d like to address, here are some questions you may want to ask yourself before jotting down names for your wedding guest list.
How to Narrow Down Your Wedding Guest List
Have I talked to this person recently? Or at least in the last year or so?
It’s great to be surrounded by people from different times in your life while you embark on a new one. You may need to re-consider sending out an invitation to your 3rd grade best friend whom you haven’t talked to since 1998, though. If you haven’t gotten in touch with them in the last decade, it might not be a great idea to spring an invitation their way all of a sudden. They may not know how you have been doing since you last kept in touch. Would you want a stream of awkwardness filling your wedding?
This goes for family members as well. If they’re immediate family, then definitely invite all of them (unless you have a problem that even a life-changing occasion can’t fix). If they’re some distant relative who can’t even pronounce your name correctly and whom you haven’t seen since you were little, don’t feel obliged to put them on the wedding guest list.
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Has your future spouse met them?
Since you’re not going to get married alone, taking your spouse-to-be’s take on the matter should also be of utmost importance. Has your significant other met whom you want to be part of your celebration? Are they comfortable with having the people you want to invite on your special day? If it’s a friend who is dear to you whom you happen to have not introduced to your future spouse yet, you can perhaps pencil them in. If it’s a neighbor from your childhood home, though, there might not be a need to make them part of your wedding guest list.
Were they able to witness your relationship grow? Do they even know that you’re planning to spend your lives together for as long as you could?
Should I agree to them bringing a plus one?
Weddings are great occasions for spreading and feeling the love. So you may encounter a friend asking to bring their significant other or someone they are seeing on your wedding day. Would you add more to the guest list or boot someone off to accommodate this? If you have not met their special friend before, politely turn their suggestion down.
Are you going to have a family-friendly celebration? Or is it something that you want to be attended by adults only?
Would they invite you to their wedding?
It’s more a matter of closeness than anything else. Are you comfortable enough with the person and is your friendship with them tight enough for you to know for sure that if tables were turned, you would also get an invitation from that person?
Will you regret not inviting them?
Picture yourself on your wedding day and the people who are celebrating with you. Do you see them there? Or can you push through with the celebration without feeling even a tinge of regret that they are not there to be part of the festivity?
We hope these questions help you finalize a wedding guest list you’re happy with.