Q & A: Cutting Down the Guest List

Q: We're determined to have a small wedding of 85 people but our guest list seems to grow ever day (no thanks to our families). Do you have any suggestions on how we can prioritize our "cut" list?

A: One of the hardest parts about planning a wedding is coming up with a guest list that everyone agrees upon. No matter who's footing the bill for the wedding, there's always someone who wants to be involved in making the list or, feels that certain people should be invited out of obligation. Here are a few simple questions to ask yourself before making the cut.

• Start by eliminating people you haven't even spoken to or seen in the last 5 years.
• Ask yourselves "Would I be upset if this person didn't show up or invite me to their own wedding?".
• Are you close with your extended family? If you don't keep in contact with second aunts, uncles or cousins, it's OK not to invite them.
• If you're really stuck, you may consider having an adult-only reception.
• If family is the focus of your guest list and they cannot be removed from the list, consider asking your friends not to bring dates or you may decide not to include that table of 10 coworkers.

We hope this helps you tackle some of the issues when creating and/or trimming your guest list.

Do you have a guest list horror story? We'd love to hear all about it and might share some of our own so make sure you leave a comment!