How to Keep a Wedding Guest List Small

Getting married is a big celebration, not only for the soon to be newlyweds but for everyone involved. However bottom line is each and every guest costs money. The more guests, the more expensive your wedding could get. Creating and compromising on the wedding invite list could be difficult depending on your situation.

Examples:

• Parents' want to invite far relatives, their friends, even people you may not even know because it's family tradition to do so.

• When you post new photos on social media of engagement photos and a wedding to come (not necessarily the date) - old colleagues, friends who you no longer speak to may ask when the wedding will be? Then you feel obligated to invite them.

• Or in situations where you feel obligated to invite people because you know them on an everyday basis like from work, church, neighbors, or wherever.

1. Focus on the fact that you're paying for the wedding. It's both of your money so that should be the deciding factor on who will be invited. Every guest invited will cost money.

2. For everyone on your list (obviously family but family you keep in contact with) but for friends - think about how long you have known them and do you see a friendship beyond in say 5 years? Are they more than just acquaintances but classified as "friends, close friends, best friends". You should be inviting ones who you have bonded with, go out with, socialize with, catch up with, go to parties, gatherings, chat, email, essentially communicate with, etc.

3. We had to decline far family members because we don't know them personally even though it's tradition. Don't feel obligated to invite anyone, ultimately it comes down to soon to be newly weds happiness! You do not need to please others or have guests you feel obligated to invite to your wedding.
   

4. If you do have a large family or feel obligated to invite people that you didn't invite to your wedding (co-workers, church groups, long last family, far relatives, friends, neighbors) you could compromise in having a separate party like a wedding celebration at your home or even a pot luck style party. Pot luck style party could be very casual. In lieu of presents, you could ask people to bring a meal to the party. But as the couple, you can give out party favors or serve alcohol, drinks to lower cost for the party.
   

5. Ultimately, knocking down ability to bring a date for those single attendees and children can help reduce your cost too, but we are not going down that route. If you are planning to have an adults only wedding, it could be inconvenient for adults to find a sitter, if you want them to attend. Or if you have cousins whom are of age to baby sit and quality to babysit, you can pay a couple of them to baby sit the kids so parents could have a night out to attend your wedding!