Wedding Guest List Protocol

by Katie
(Pennsylvania)

What is the protocol for who to invite to a wedding? I live in PA, and I've been invited to some of my friends' weddings who live in a different state.

Do I invite them simply because they've invited me?

Our Thoughts

There are a few things to consider when building your wedding guest list. The first and most important thing to consider is your wedding budget.

If you have a large wedding budget to work with and have room for extra guests at your reception, then go ahead and invite the extra people. Either way, you will have to cut your guest list off somewhere.

When defining your guest list, make an ‘A’ list and a ‘B’ list. Your ‘A’ list will be the guests that are essential to your big day, including your closest family and friends.

How big your ‘A’ list is depends on your wedding budget and how many people you want and can physically fit at your wedding reception space. Once your ‘A’ list is defined, send out invitations to those people.

As you get responses back from your ‘A’ list, there will be some guests that aren’t able to make it to your wedding. That is when you start inviting people from your ‘B’ list.

It can be a difficult task to cut off your guest list, but it is essential to keeping your budget under control. You may have to make a few difficult decisions about who you can invite, but everyone faces this when planning their wedding.

Consider making rules to follow for your guest list. For example, some couples create a rule early in the wedding planning process to not invite any co-workers.

To Your Wedding!
Danielle & Stephen