Creating a wedding guest list can feel overwhelming, especially if you don’t know where to start. The key is to be organized, balance the reality of your budget with politeness when it comes to accommodating family and friends, and always be prepared for the unexpected. In this guide we’ll walk you thought not only how to create a wedding guest list template, but how to make sure it’s filled with the people you want the most (and can afford)!
Step 1: Start with the Basics
Before you dive into the nitty-gritty, start by determining what kind of wedding you want, especially when it comes to size. Are you planning an intimate gathering or a giant blowout? Once you have a vision of what you’re hoping for, you can start to put a rough list together based on that. Keep in mind that at this point you can let your guest list determine the venue you look for, or vice versa. Same goes for budget. Your venue and catering will eat up about 45% of your budget, so the more people you invite the higher your cost will be, since catering proposals are based on a price per person.
Step 2: Create an A and B (even a C) list
Once you have your vision and budget in place, you can start to create what I call your “guest list draft.” Just start writing down names of everyone you theoretically want to invite to your wedding. This includes family, friends, and even co-workers.
While you and your partner will know the people you want to invite, you have to consider how many invitations your parents will get as well. If your parents are contributing financially to the wedding, you might want to consider seeing how many people they want to invite before you give them a hard number, but traditionally the couple gets 50% of the invites, and both sets of parents get the other 50%. So 25% for your parents and 25% for your partner’s parents. Of course they might not want or have that many people to invite, but it’s nice to offer.
Once you have your mega list and your parents lists, you will start to create your A list, B list, and even C lists. If you’re creating an excel or Google sheet these lists can each be a new tab, or you can color code them. (IE: A is green, B is yellow, C is red)
Here’s how you can figure out who goes in which list:
A List: These are your must-invite guests. It includes immediate family members (parents, siblings, grandparents), closest friends, and other non-negotiable guests. For a lot of them (especially your besties and parents, etc.) you’ll even want to check dates with them and make sure they can attend before you even book your venue.
B List: These guests are important, but they are your first to eliminate if your space or budget is tight. They are also the first people you would invite if you have A list guests who RSVP no.
C List: You don’t HAVE to have a C list, but it doesn’t hurt if you think you could have a handful on your B list decline as well. These are distant relatives, friends you haven’t seen in a long time, or other people you think could be nice to have there if given the opportunity.
Step 3: Consider Plus Ones and Children
The decision to invite children to your wedding is a big one, and it’s completely up to you. My husband and I decided not to invite any children (even our nieces and nephews) because our guest list couldn’t accommodate it, but it’s something yo should talk about with your partner and your parents. Just remember the decision is ultimately up to you. Plus ones are a little trickier. The rule is if a guest you want to invite is married or in a long term relationship, their partner is invited. Also if you’ve met this partner before you should probably invite them. If you haven’t then it’s completely up to you. It will depend on what your guest list allows. Just remember that it’s important to be consistent when it comes to both plus ones and children. For instance only children who are in the wedding party are invited. Or only plus ones who are married, living together, dating more than 6 months, or that you’ve met.
Step 4: Create Your Guest List Template
We’ve created an easy-to-use guest list manager that will get you started, include A/B/C lists. Once you click the link and fill out the form you’ll automatically get the Guest List Manager e-mailed to you.
Alternatively, once you create your A and B lists we highly suggest using one from the platform you choose to make your wedding website on. Joy makes one of our favorite guest list managers, and they also make it super easy to collect addresses once you’ve finalized your list. You just send a custom event link to guests, and they fill out a simple form and their info is added to your guest list. This is a WAY better option than going back and forth with your partner and/or parents trying to wrangle everyone’s contact info!
If you’re making your own Google Sheet or excel sheet, the basic info on your wedding guest list template should include:
- Name/s
- Relationship to You & Partner
- Name of Plus One
- Name of Kid(s)
- Total No. in Party
- Street Address
- City
- State
- Zip Code
- Phone Number
- Save the Date Sent
- Wedding Invitation Sent
- RSVP Response
- Rehearsal Dinner Invite
- Bachelor Party Invite
- Bach/Bachelorette Party Invite
- Shower Invite
- Wedding Table Number
- Additional Notes
Step 5: Mail Your Invites
Once you have your wedding venue and date, it’s time to get the word out. Here’s a quick refresher for when everything should go out. And keep in mind for guests on your B and C lists, once you move them over you’ll want to get a Save the Date or invite out as soon as possible, and no later than 6 weeks if possible. To decide whether you should send a Save the Date or invite, you can also refer to this guide below:
When to Send Save the Dates:
- 8 months-year before a destination/holiday wedding
- 6 months for a local wedding
When to Send Invites:
- 2-4 months out
RSVP Date
- Your “reply by” date on your RSVP card should be 4 weeks before the big day. Or better yet, use digital RSVPs like those offered from the best wedding website platforms. You can see which wedding website builders we like the best here.
That’s it! You’re ready to create your guest list! Have any questions? Let us know in the comments section below!
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