The #1 Thing Brides Don’t Want to Hear When Planning a Wedding…But Should

Woman Getting Married
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I talk to a lot of brides with the same complaint: Their guest list is big and their budget is small. What should they do??

I almost never give them this advice because I know how annoying it can be to hear (and the last thing I want to do is stress anybody out), but what I REALLY want to tell them is: You need to cut down your guest list!

I know it completely sucks when you want to invite everybody you know and/or you have a huge family or a giant list of friends you went to school with…but the reality is if your budget is limited, having a large guest list (which in my eyes is 125+ people) you are going to drive yourself crazy if you don’t cut back. Unless you’re open to having a cocktail reception only or are only looking at venues that rent for less than $2,000, you are going to have a very hard time entertaining 125 or more people for less than $5,000 if you’re planning on using a caterer. If your total budget is closer to the $10,000 range and you’re hoping to feed your guests dinner and drinks in a venue you love with a DJ and still have money leftover for your wedding dress and invites…do yourself a favor now and cut your guest list down to 75 people or less.

I know it’s hard to hear…but trust me! You’ll get the party you want with way less stress if you just shrink your guest list. Still want to celebrate with ALL the people you love? Here’s a great compromise:If you still have a lot of friends or extended family leftover that you weren’t able to invite to your wedding, invite groups over to your place for a cocktail party after the wedding to celebrate instead, or take whatever money is leftover from your wedding savings and invite those who couldn’t attend your wedding to a chic (and inexpensive) local wine bar for drinks and snacks on you. You’ll still be well within your budget, and you now have a great excuse to keep the wedding party going!

Trying to figure out your wedding budget? Take a look at how much wedding flowers cost, how much wedding invitations cost, and how much wedding photographers cost first.

Talk to us! How many guests are you inviting?

The #1 Thing Brides Don’t Want to Hear When Planning a Wedding…But Should
Woman Getting Married.