For many people, their wedding day is the highlight of their lives. But this is also a pricey day, and sometimes corners must be cut. The least difficult approach to make savings is to reduce the guest list since this is the greatest cost of most weddings due to catering expenses. Here are a number of beneficial etiquette tips for inviting wedding guests.
Frequently, the parents of the bride and groom will have people they wish to ask to the event. Although these individuals may not be extremely important for the bride and groom to celebrate their special day, it’s nice to pay tribute to the ones who are probably paying for the wedding and offer them some input to the guest list. It’s considered proper etiquette for the bride and groom to allocate a certain amount of spaces for the preferences of each set of parents.
Concerning the bride and groom, there is a simple approach to deal with the guest list. The ones who are positively going to be invited to the nuptials will be placed onto the “A” list. The “B” list will comprise people who the bride and groom would like to invite if room permits. Once the invitations go out and responses come back, the bride and groom can invite those on the “B” list once someone from the “A” list has indicated they will not attend. This might be delicate to handle if the “B” list person realizes that they got their invitation much later. Chances are, however, that it won’t be mentioned.
One more means to cut down on the number of invitees is by not permitting all the unattached folks to bring a companion. This might involve a bit of legwork, since if someone is seen as unattached but they are in a serious relationship, then they should be allowed to bring their significant other. Check with family and friends prior to singling out a single guest and not permitting them to bring somebody important to them to the nuptials.
Lastly, a lot of couples are choosing to hold ceremonies that don’t involve kids. If each guest was allowed to bring kids, then the head count would increase dramatically, right along with the expense. As you’re addressing the wedding invitations, include just the names of the couple you are requesting the presence of.
If somebody responds and includes a guest when one wasn’t included in the invitation or a family responds with four attendees instead of two, there are ways to manage it politely. It’s necessary to phone these participants and clarify the situation. To begin with, find out from the single guest if the relationship is serious. If it is, then express regret for not knowing and include the other person if seating permits. In the case of the family, hold your ground and inform the family that kids aren’t invited and that it’s the same for each of the invitees. If they have any difficulty with this, then express regret but stay firm.
There’s a certain protocol involved in inviting guests to share your wedding day. Make sure your wedding invitations measure up by visiting the Wedding Invitation Etiquette site.