The Guest List - A Numbers Game

Here is some guidance to help you decide just how many people you can invite to your wedding.

The two of you sit down and write out everyone you would like to invite to your wedding. It totals 117. Your venue only accommodates 110 at a push. You panic! We can calmly say, "Put the jug on, love, and relax."

You can always expect that 10-20% of your guests will be unable to attend.

When you start building your list, make sure you distinguish the Definite Yes guests from the rest. This will give you your base number. Be honest though - if there is even a shadow of a doubt that someone could potentially not make the wedding, don't put them on this list.

Next, make a list of guests who you will send an invitation to but you are sure will be Definite No guests. These are more your "I-want-you-to-feel-special-but-you-live-in-Mongolia-so-would-never-come" guests.

Then, divide the rest of your guests into two groups: In Town and Out of Town.

There is a pretty strong chance the local guests will be able to attend - unless they have already committed to another event on the same weekend or day.

The overseas guests are a bit trickier. You may be absolutely CONVINCED that your friend from university who now lives in London will come to the wedding, but there's no guarantee - although you may give them ample time to plan the trip back to NZ, financial constraints, business commitments etc may get in the way. Bearing this in mind, we suggest that the more overseas guests you invite, the more likely the percentage of "We are sorry, but we are unable to attend" responses will increase (more towards the 20+%).

Unfortunately it's not a science, and there's no equation to use that will determine exactly how many guests will RSVP "Yes". The key is to communicate with your guests early on in the planning process so that you can determine whether you need to call up your reserves. You may feel uncomfortable having an "A" and "B" list, but if you figure it out early, the "B" guests will never know they didn't make the first cut! (Note: You may also find that having a few people decline attendance from your A List is a blessing, as the removal of a few plates and chairs will make it a bit gentler on your budget!)