We know you’re excited about being engaged and you want many people to share in your special day, so start the guest list off right!  The length of the guest list can quickly become a sticky situation between the couple and the families, so my advice to you is to be pro-active!  The guest list determines many of decisions about your wedding day, the venue and the total cost are at the top of that list.

So, to get started, write down everyone you can think of that you would want to see on your wedding day and then cut from there.  Ask your parents and future in-laws for their lists too.  Then, throw a dinner party and ask everyone who has a stake in the wedding guest list to attend.  (all things are better discussed over food and wine!).  There will be people that everyone agrees must  be in attendance; there will also be potential guests who everyone does not agree on.  Take a few things into consideration: your relation to the guest, how long its been since you last saw then, and my “golden rule” of guests lists, would you be upset if you weren’t invited to their event.

I do not believe in the “B-list!”  …and of course I’m going to tell you why:

1. Charleston is a destination city. Many of your guests will treat it like a vacation, s0 you can usually only account for about 10% of guests not to show.  That is a significant difference from the national average of 20% no-shows.
2. You can end up over your guest count.  We all know that everyone isn’t punctual with reply cards.  You can easily go over your target guest count if you extend B-list invitations and then some A-listers show up you didn’t count on.
3. B-list invites are obvious.  Let’s just say we all know when we’ve gotten those last minute apologetic phone calls.

Once you’ve got it all narrowed down, I suggest using notecards to keep track of your guests.  Using these note cards will help you keep track of your guest count, what you’ve sent them, and their gift.  Keep all of these notecards in a recipe box in alphabetical order–easy to transport and nice to keep from engagement through honeymoon!

So, don’t let the guest list get you down or family members worked up.  Your wedding is a time for celebration and whoever is in attendance on the big day will make it special…just stay pro-active and organize from the beginning!