5 Ways to Trim Your Wedding Guest List this Year

With more and more people choosing to avoid crowds and gatherings this year, couples who wish to get married are facing really tough choices when it comes to their big wedding day. Should they wait until next year, or should they go ahead as planned? After all, no one wants to keep waiting when it comes to marrying the love of their life.

For those who choose to get married this year, one option is to trim your wedding guest list. And it doesn’t take a pandemic to want to keep your guest list small, so this advice can be handy for anyone trying to find a way to scale things down without offending anyone.

Here are a few tips on how to trim down your wedding guest list while keeping everyone happy (hopefully!) at the same time.

Start Planning Your Guest List Early

The earlier you start to plan your guest list and start to inform whether they are invited or not, the better. That way, if some people can’t attend, you can make room for other people on your list, and you might unexpectedly find that things just have a way of working out.

It’s Ok to Invite Close Friends and Family Only

Remember that this is your big day, and no one else’s. If you want to only invite close friends and family, no one can blame you for that, pandemic or not. It is perfectly okay to invite only the people who you believe will continue to play a significant part of your ongoing future.

Accept the Reality of the Situation

Whether your reason for paring down your guest list has to do with the current global situation, or if you simply want to keep things small, just accept that that’s your reality. And it’s okay. It isn’t your fault that things are the way they are, and you shouldn’t feel guilty if a smaller wedding is what is best for you.

Be Prepared for Hurt Feelings

Face it. Even if you try to avoid hurting people’s feelings, some people might get upset no matter how well you try to explain the situation. Just handle things maturely and let them know that although you feel bad that you aren’t able to remind them, stay firm in your decision.

Just Be Honest

At the end of the day, all you can really do is be honest and hope that your guests will understand—and they should. As long as you’re upfront and communicate early on while being honest about your reasons for preferring a small wedding guest list, those who love you will support your decision.