You’ve gotten engaged! Congratulations! If you’ve already figured out what to do next then you’re ahead of the curve! If not, you’re thinking I’m engaged, now what? You’re not alone. I had the same questions but Daniel and I were ahead of the game. We started planning before he proposed. We started off daydreaming about what our perfect wedding would look like. We picked a date, which you’re never supposed to do first. NEVER. Then after our Sunday brunch we headed back to my house to write out a preliminary guest list. What did you start with first?

When is too early to plan for your wedding?

The reason why you need a guest list, after your vision, is that you need a ball park number to give to vendors you speak to. One of the first things they will ask you is how many people you’re expecting. Do you know how many people you’ll be inviting? Your biggest expense will probably be feeding your guests. So keep that in mind as your list can grow with each person you forgot. Initially Daniel and I envisioned a small intimate wedding. But our preliminary guest list stopped at 225. …In my country that is not a small wedding but it is in his. This is where you have to compromise and review your budget.

Who should I invite to my wedding?

Before you start your list, open up an Excel sheet in Google Documents. You’ll thank yourself later. Writing it on paper makes sense but when you have to modify that list or share that list with others, Google Docs is so much easier to work with! I did ours and added different categories to it, so everything was in one place. Here are 4 categories of people you should definitely invite to your wedding.

1. Immediate family. This portion of your list all depends on how close you are to your family. I can count my entire immediate family on both hands. Daniel’s family can fill a restaurant.
2. Immediate family’s children. Decide at this point if you are going to include children at your wedding reception. The guest list will go up significantly, but if you are close to the children in your family, having them there is important. Children are usually the first on the dance floor as they do not have to wait for the alcohol to kick in as most adults do. They are not as shy because they know most of the people in attendance. Bonus: Children do not eat as much as adults do.
3. Close friends. Close friends are a must at your wedding reception. They are usually the ones who see the most of your significant other. They are usually the ones who helped you sort through any arguments, thus keeping you together. They are like family. But family you picked yourself and love!
4. Coworkers you like. You see your coworkers every day. Should they be on your wedding guest list? Well … They hear a lot about your significant other. They are in a way an extension of your family. However, unlike your close friends, you did not pick them. This is why I stress to only invite the coworkers you like. The only exception is if they are THE ONLY coworker that might not be invited. If everyone else in your work office is invited and the coworker you do not like is not, it will be awkward. Put your nemesis on the preliminary list. If you absolutely hate their guts when you make your official guest list you can take them off then.

Immediately family, children, close friend and coworkers should be reviewed as you make your preliminary list. Are there are other types of people you feel should absolutely make the first round of your wedding reception guest list?

Until then,