Creating Your Guest List with Help from Lavender on the Lake
Finding the right venue for you is an essential early step in wedding planning. Once you have found the place and you have set your date, where is a good place to start? Here at Lavender on the Lake, we know that planning a wedding can be quite a task and it is hard to even know where to begin. Finding your vendors is obviously a HUGE decision and may be a good place to start which we will touch on in further blogs. But for now, we are focusing on the delicate task of creating your wedding guest list. This is something that can be stressful, therefore, we think that it is helpful to do this at the beginning so that you are ready when it comes to sending Save the Dates and to ease your worries in regards to your guest count. We have come up with seven ideas on ways to streamline your proces
- Decide on a Budget that Works For You: Our capacity here at Lavender on the Lake is 300, therefore, consider this when beginning to tackle the task of creating a guest list. Next, determine how many guests you can afford based on your budget and prioritize who to invite. Keep in mind that professionals agree that 10-20% may not be able to come; however, we do not think it is a smart idea to create your list with this expectation.
- Make a Wish List: Start off by sitting down with your fiance and listing everyone that you wish to invite. Just focus on who matters most to you- from family, friends to colleagues. Don’t stress about the number just yet because this is a preliminary list. Maybe the pup is a MUST invite; regardless, how handsome is this guy?
- Talk with Important Family Members on all Sides: Planning a wedding can bring out the stress and conflicts within families. Be sure to discuss the list with both families to eliminate the risk that important people are overlooked which can also reduce the risk for conflict.
- Organize Your Guests: Categorize your list into groups such as immediate family, extended family, high school friends, college friends, and colleagues. Once they are divided up, this helps in deciding who to invite because you can trim the list within each category.
- Consider Your Guests Bringing a Date: This can be a tricky one! Decide if you will allow guests to bring a date and if so, be sure that you create clear expectations and guidelines so that you don’t create a bigger problem with your guest count.
- Keep Track of RSVPs: It is helpful to create a spreadsheet or to use a wedding planning tool to organize and to keep track of RSVPs as they come in. If you have included inquiries about dietary preferences for your guests this would be a good place to organize that information as well.
- Be Open Minded: Stay flexible and prepared to make changes as needed. These types of discussions during wedding planning can be a delicate matter between you and your fiance and/or between your families. Staying open minded and being honest helps you to be understanding when adjustments need to be made.
Throughout your planning process lean into the people who love and support you so that when things do get frustrating, you have a non-judgemental listening ear. Trust your process!
Thank you so much for stopping by our blog; we hope that you found this information helpful. We want to use our blog to increase awareness and support for locally owned wedding venues. Locally owned wedding venues tend to provide a higher level of expertise, service, and dedication. As you plan your wedding, we hope that you will consider a locally owned wedding venue like Lavender on the Lake. Check out wedding venues across the country with this wedding venue map.
XO
Shelley
Palafox Wharf Waterfront Event Venue
