Before you choose a gown or decide on a menu, there’s one task that you must begin as
soon as possible. A well-thought out guest list can save time and money as you plan your
wedding.

Many prenuptial arrangements can’t be made and checks can’t be written until you’ve
prepared a meticulous guest list. Invitations, postage and deposits for ceremony and
reception sites, caterer, baker and rental of tables, chairs, linens and place settings all
hinge on the length of your guest list.

Get started on your guest list as soon as the diamond goes on your finger, and refer to it
often as the weeks progress.

Start with a mini file box full of index cards or create a spreadsheet. Either way, you’ll be
set to stay organized as you receive RSVPs and gifts. Keeping track of the thank you
notes you’ve sent will be a breeze if you make notes as you go, plus your efforts will
provide a head start on future Christmas card and baby announcement lists.

Keep track of the guests’ names, address, phone number, email address, and number of
guests for that address. As they RSVP, everything you need to know will be at your
fingertips.

Ready to begin your guest list? It’s easy as A-B-C! An A-B-C list, that is.

The A list is family, the B list is long-term friends of five years or more, and the C list is
people you’d like to invite if your budget allows.

As you get along in the planning and it looks like you can only afford 75, cut it at the B
list and leave it at that. Move on. Or, as you receive regrets from people on your A and B
lists, begin sending invitations to those at the top of your C list. If you’ve planned ahead
and mailed your A and B invitations early enough, your C list invitations will arrive in
mailboxes with time to spare – and your C list people won’t even realize they were on the
C list at all.

How many guests do you anticipate from your side of the family vs. your fiancé and his
family? Start out on your road toward marital bliss by deciding early on how you’ll
divide the invitations. Should your family send out half and his family the other half? Or
maybe you’ll divide the stack of invitations into fourths, keeping a portion for yourself
and giving the rest to your fiancé, your parents, and his parents.

How many guests should you expect? Each invitation usually represents two people.
However, that doesn’t mean 200 invitations will yield a crowd of 400. Most brides end
up with fewer guests than originally expected. There will always be a few guests who
send an RSVP but don’t attend for whatever reason.

Will children be welcome at your wedding, or had you hoped for an adults-only affair?
The best time to make this decision is while honing your guest list – not when your
distant cousin with screaming triplets shows up at the ceremony.

The best way to let guests know whether kids are invited is by writing on the invitation’s
inner envelope only the names of those who are invited. Instead of “John, Mary and
family,” write “John and Mary.” Whatever you do, don’t state, “No children, please” on
the invitation or the envelope.
The Foundation of Planning Your Wedding

To make sure certain guests are in attendance, send save-the-date cards. They’ve gained
popularity in recent years, and are an especially thoughtful way to provide out-of-town
guests plenty of time to schedule time off work and make travel arrangements.

Feeling pressured to invite your entire company? Invite immediate co-workers and those
you interact with each day. Others will understand. If necessary, pass the word that the
hall only holds so many people.

Bottom line, invite those who will be honored to attend and will consider it a compliment
to be part of your day.

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Make your own invitations. Office supply stores have wedding invitation paper that will shoot
through your computer’s printer and look fabulous for a fraction of the cost of engraved invites.
Your favorite scrapbook store’s paper selection

Buy simple dinner napkins in bulk at a wholesale club or party store. No one will care if the
napkins aren’t stamped with your names, the date and swirly hearts.

Pass on the trend of setting disposable cameras on each table at the reception. The cameras aren’t
cheap and the development costs multiply quickly. A better bet is to ask your photographer to get
candid shots of each table.

Instead of buying new ones and having them engraved, borrow toasting glasses and knives for
your cake cutting ceremony from you parents or another relative. Plus it will add a touch of
sentimentality to the day knowing you’re using the same set as Mom and Dad.

If a poufy wedding dress just isn’t your style, browse through the selection of bridesmaid gowns.
Find a flattering style, order it in white or ivory, and you’ve just slashed several hundred dollars
from the bill.

Get more duty out of your flowers. Order floral arrangements for the tables at the rehearsal
dinner, and then place them on the tables at your reception site. After the ceremony, set the
bridesmaids’ flowers along the front of the head table at the reception.

Instead of having a limo at your beck and call, skip it altogether. Or order the limo for the
minimum time allowed, which is usually two hours. With a little planning, you’ll have the limo
and driver long enough to deliver the bride to the church, and get great photos as you leave the
church and arrive at the reception.

Take things down a notch. Choose smaller and unique bouquets rather than elaborate ones.
Bridesmaids might carry a few striking stems rather than a bouquet. The impact can be stunning.

One way to stay within your budget is to shut the bar down when dinner starts. Or eliminate the
bar and have just enough champagne for everyone to toast when it’s time to cut the cake.

Many couples are choosing to forego alcohol altogether, for religious reasons, to keep costs
down, or because they prefer to avoid any liability issues of guests drinking too much at the
reception.

Another alternative, albeit a controversial one, is to open a cash bar, although many feel strongly
about this option. Why would you invite friends and loved ones to an elegant wedding reception
and then ask your guests to pay for their own drinks? You’re throwing a party. Either throw it or
don’t.

A gorgeous wedding cake can make a great focal point. But large cakes are expensive, and you
may not have enough guests to eat it all. Why not rent an artificial cake? Some bakeries offer
elaborate faux cakes. Just imagine the feast for the eyes created by a four-and-a-half-foot tall
cake. Your bakery can prepare enough layers of real cake to feed the crowd at the reception so
that the couple can have the traditional cake-cutting ceremony after dinner. None of the guests
will realize part of the cake wasn’t real.

With a little creativity and shopping in the right places, you’ll be pleased with the results and stay
within your budget.

For more Cost Cutting Ideas, Be Sure to Visit The Bible of the Bride!

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For a wedding with three bridesmaids, three groomsmen, and a buffet for about 100
guests, wedding coordinators estimate that you’ll spend $6,000 to $10,000.

But the average wedding has a few more guests than that. Estimate a formal affair with
200 guests and heavy hors d’oeuvres costing as much as $12,000 to $15,000.

Why the big range between dollar signs? There are so many choices, and they run the
budget gamut. Not only are there many types of flowers to choose from, but also the size
and style of the bouquets, how labor-intensive they are, and whether you choose out-of-
season flowers that must be special ordered or seasonal blooms that are plentiful and less
costly.

It’s not easy to pin down a price on a cake either. How many people will it serve? How
elaborate? Buttercream frosting or rolled fondant? Would you like a fruit filling? All of
these choices can lead to bigger checks being written.

With our seemingly endless fascination with celebrity lifestyles, the bar has been raised
and people’s expectations have become a lot higher.

A nice wedding can be put together for far less than the celebrities spend. If you want to,
you can get married for $15,000, for $1,000, or even for less. It depends on what your
expectations are and what kind of reception you want.

The reception, often the biggest expense, can be controlled by the time of day you
choose. Which would you prefer — a morning wedding with a brunch reception or an
afternoon wedding with light finger foods? For an evening wedding, will you choose
heavy hors d’oeuvres, a buffet or a sit-down dinner?

One of the more popular options is to choose heavy hors d’oeuvres, but sometimes that
can be more expensive than a served meal. The reason? You’re paying for more items and
paying by the piece.

If you want to cut expenses on your food, the time of day you plan your reception is a big
factor. The cheapest time of day is the middle of the afternoon. That’s not a time people
are usually hungry, so they’ll eat less, and you can get away with serving less food.

Looking for other ways to cut costs?

Be creative and put your personality into it. Be creative in your thinking and pick one area
of your wedding to really, really shine.

Keep in mind it’s possible to create a beautiful occasion no matter what you can afford.
It’s smart to avoid going into debt for your wedding. You should not still be paying on
your wedding when you start paying the hospital bills for having your first child.

Whether you spend $1,500 or $30,000, you’ll still be just as married.

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