Cutting Down Your Wedding Guest List is difficult. When I got married I remember thinking, “I wish I didn’t have to invite those people”. They were friends or colleagues that I didn’t really want to come but I didn’t know how to not invite them. How ridiculous!!!!!!

At my work, everyone said that our boss had been invited to every staff members’ wedding. So naturally, I felt I had to have him and his wife even though I didn’t want too.

Often you want to invite only some of your friends that belong to a larger friendship group but don’t know how to leave out the others. Weddings are too expensive to invite just anyone (and you would know since you are in the same wedding planning boat and reading this post!).

I had one friend I didn’t invite who came to my shower tea and was so happy for me despite not getting an invitation. I had another friend whose boyfriend I didn’t invite as I had only met him once. She came to the ceremony but declined the reception. The first friend I ended up inviting when another guest was unable to come at the last minute. Interestingly the first friend is now one of my besties and the second friend I lost touch with.

If someone is a true friend they will support you and understand the difficult decisions you have to make.

Having now spent many years shooting weddings, my number 1 tip for cutting down your wedding guest list is:

Invite the people who you see a future with.

Many people live in the “now” and rarely think about the long term.

Although it is still difficult to cut down the guest list, it is much easier narrowing it down to the people who you see a future with.

A smaller wedding means you get to spend more time with every single one of your friends and family.

These people would feel oh-so-grateful that they have been specially chosen by the two of you.

One of the biggest regrets I had was not getting a chance to spend more time with important guests at my wedding. We invited too many people and there were a lot of relatives I hadn’t even met.

With a smaller and more intimate wedding, you have the luxury of spending quality time celebrating with the most important people.

Something you should know before you go…

In the process of choosing the “right” people for your guest list, some people may feel left out. However, at the end of the day, you have to follow your gut and do what is right for the both of you .

The truth is that not everyone is meant to stay in your life, some are only here for a season. Although it doesn’t mean you just kick them out of your life now, instead you learn to know when to let them go!

Seasons change, people move on. It’s as simple as that.

On the other hand, there are some people who stand out a bit more and they are forever friends that are worth fighting for!

Wedding planning can be stressful at times but don’t ever let a wedding come between you and your friends/family.

I love this quote from  Hp Lyrikz ,

“You have to let people go. Everyone who’s in your life are meant to be in your journey, but not all of them are meant to stay till the end.”

So I hope this little but profound tip helps you when putting your guest list together!

That surely helps cut down your guest list by A LOT. Invite the people you really value in life.