Tips for Resolving Your Guest List Dilemmas

Arguing over the guest list? Afraid of offending someone? Can’t afford all the guests you want to invite to your wedding? Too many guests for your venue? These tips will help you handle a myriad of guest list dilemmas. 

Resolving your guest list dilemmas can be pretty overwhelming. Plenty of arguments have sprouted from this early wedding planning element. Couples have a hard time agreeing on who should go and who shouldn’t. Both the bride and groom struggle with the process of narrowing down their guest lists to fit the wedding budget and venue accommodations. Worries of offending people by not inviting them start to surface. Yes, the guest list dilemma is one of the most difficult aspects of wedding planning, but there are some tips that can make resolving your guest list dilemmas just a little easier.

Start with Your Dream List

The first step to resolving your guest list dilemmas is to start with your dream list. Bride and groom should make their own lists for this phase. Don’t worry about your venue accommodations. Don’t worry about your budget. Just make a list of every single person you would like to see at your wedding.

Trimming the Fat

The next step in resolving your wedding guest list dilemmas will be a little more difficult because it’s time to come back down to earth. Start by singling out the very most important people on your list – the people that your wedding wouldn’t be complete without. This is your A-list. Set this list of people aside. Now, start to look at the other guests on your list. Consider why they are important. Have you talked to them in the last six months? Do you talk to them regularly? If not, consider removing them from your list. Now look at who is remaining and write this list out. These are your B-list guests.

Bringing it Together

Bride and groom now need to take their A-list guests and combine them. How many guests do the two of you have between each other? Will your budget and venue accommodate all of them? If so, then you have completed your first round of guests. Send out wedding invitations to these guests early and obtain an RSVP from all attending guests. If you have room for more later, then great! Then it’s time to invite those on the B-list. If not, know that the people most important to you will be in attendance and you have successfully completed the task of resolving your guest list dilemmas.

 

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Five Easy Ways to Spruce Up Your Wedding Style

Do you have your ceremony and reception theme picked out but still want to spruce up your wedding decor? Check out these five easy ways to kick your wedding style up a notch.

Whether you’ve already picked up your wedding decorations and have chosen your floral arrangements or you’re just getting ready to design your wedding, try these five easy ways to spruce up your wedding style to create a wedding event they’ll never forget. These small tips can make a big difference in the overall presentation of your wedding day.

Choose matching favors—This is one of the easiest ways to spruce up your wedding style. You can really enhance your decor by selecting stylish wedding favors that complement your wedding theme or color schemes. If you pick favors that accentuate your theme, they will really stand out next to your place settings and add a unique touch to your wedding reception decor.

Add personal touches—Whether you personalize your napkins, customize your wedding favors, or create your own floral centerpieces, there are plenty of ways to add personal touches around your ceremony and reception location, and it’s an excellent way to spruce up your style.

Keep it authentic—Worn-out accents, vintage touches, and natural details are very popular right now, and using these authentic touches is a great way to spruce up your wedding style at both your ceremony and reception.

Keep it simple—There’s nothing wrong with wanting an elaborate, fancy wedding, but however you decorate, opt to keep it simple. For example, keep the elaborate details to a minimum and choose one or two main focal pieces for the ceremony and reception hall. Keeping the decor simple will make your wedding style appear elegant and attractive.

Add a little green—Never underestimate what fake foliage can do for your wedding decor. You can really amp up your wedding style by adding more foliage around the location. It makes everything feel and look lusher, more sophisticated, and overall more pulled together. Talk to your wedding coordinator or florist about available options and how you can use them to enhance your wedding style.

Bridal Vendor Shopping 101

Are you ready to start hiring your vendors for your wedding day? Here are some basic bridal vendor shopping steps you should take before signing any contracts.

Securing your bridal vendors is one of the very first steps to take when you begin planning your wedding, but it helps to acquaint yourself with some bridal vendor shopping 101 first before you sign on the dotted line. Booking vendors such as your caterer, florist, and wedding coordinator are rather large expenses, and they often require lengthy contracts that make it difficult to change or cancel once you sign the agreement. This is standard and is necessary for the vendor to run his or her business smoothly, but it also means that you need to know what you want and what you can afford before you make any contractual or financial commitments.

Keep the following bridal vendor shopping 101 in mind when you begin planning your wedding:

Ask around—One of the best ways to begin your vendor shopping process is to ask around for recommendations. Talk to other brides, bridal boutique owners, consult the BBB, and attend local bridal shows to meet potential vendors in person. Once you do your research, begin writing down each contender and make appointments with the ones you’d most like to meet with.

Get it in writing—When you meet with potential vendors, get everything in writing. Even if you’re not securing a contract, ask for a business card with an estimate number written on it, or for some sort of written correspondence that recaps the numbers and services you agreed on. This will help you keep track of your options as you begin the process of elimination and will also ensure that you are given the deal you agreed on during your initial meeting.

Know that quality costs more—Whatever you do, don’t be cheap. This doesn’t mean to choose vendors you cannot afford, but it does mean to be realistic about what your budget allows and to realize that quality typically costs more. Remember that it is not always beneficial to opt for the least expensive vendor option. Keep this bridal vendor shopping tip in mind as you begin meeting with potential vendors.