Be our guest, be our guest!

Around 15 weddings ago (sorry, if you talk me in person, you’ll know that I have a unique timeline… in terms of weddings. hehehe!), I super had a problem with the couple’s guest list. The problem? They didn’t have a complete list of their invited guests!!! Juice ko, di ba, nakakaloka!!! So since then, I have made a mental note to blog about guest lists.

Managing the guest list is, hands down, just about the hardest part of wedding preps. So, how do you manage your guest list?

First off, know how many people you can invite. This should depend on two things: 1.) how many guests your budget can afford and 2.) how many guests the venue can accommodate. The first is kinda self-explanatory. For the venue’s capacity, please do not rely on the venue’s brochure. Ask your caterer, your coordinator, and your stylist for the venue’s true capacity. This is not because venues are not telling the truth ha. It’s just that their approximation is normally based on what their venue can accommodate using round tables alone. You have to take into consideration that you’ll have a couple’s area with a backdrop, a cake table, rectangular VIP tables (2 rectangular table takes up the space of two round tables), a dance floor, and a band stage. May buffet tables pa. Sometimes, may mobile bar pa. So I suggest that before booking a reception venue, make sure it can accommodate your planned number of guests plus 25% allowance.

Second, write down your guest list. Or type it. Or whatever. Basta just have a record of who you want to invite.

Here’s a way to keep the number of your guests under control (This is from The Wedding Primer, published by Weddings at Work.com. Ahem! Ahem! Plaguing! Haha!)

a. Count your must-invite. That includes you and your partner (yes, you’re included in the headcount), your immediate families, your principal sponsors and their spouses, and your entourage members (remember that parents of child attendants are also included in the must-invite). You’ll normally arrive at around 50 people.

b. From your total number of guests (e.g. 200), subtract the number of the must-invite guests (in our example, that will be 200 minus 50 equals 150). The resulting number should be the number of guests you and your partner can have.

c. Divide that number between the two of you (e.g., you can both have 75 guests or the bride can have 100 and the groom 50… your call).

d. Whatever number you arrive at (e.g. 75), keep that number in mind when writing your guestlist. This way, you know that this is really just the number of people you can invite.

If you don’t it this way and just write down the names of all the people you want to invite, chances are you’ll end up with the names of the whole barangay. If the final number of guests you can invite is too low, talk to your fiance/e so he/she can give you some of her seats or you guys can increase your budget (hopefully you don’t have to switch venues).

Third, in your list, make a mark on the names of the people you actually invited (i.e., those you have given invitations to).

Fourth, keep track of the RSVP. But do know that Pinoys are not really fond of replying to RSVPs.

Fifth, have a final guest list. I would suggest that the final guest list be in Excel (or any spreadsheet, I guess). Column 1 is for the first name. Column 2 is for the last name. One name per line. E.g., if you invited Tito Boy and given him 5 seats, please have the names of all his four companions on your guest list. Believe me, having the first and the last names in separate columns will pay off. It will be easier to manipulate the data this way. Promise po!

Sixth, decide on the seating arrangement… are you having free seating, seat assignments, table assignments, or table zoning? The thirs column of the spreadsheet will be for the seating arrangement.

So there! As with any other part of wedding preps, this will test your patience with each other.