How to Cut Your Wedding Guest List
The A-list and B-list method, the rules that make cuts defensible, and how to have the conversation with parents — without relitigating every name twice.
Cut with rules, not names
Deciding person by person means relitigating every name and hurting feelings twice. Decide the rule, apply it uniformly, and the list cuts itself.
Rules that hold up
Time since last contact. Whether both of you know them. Work colleagues as a category, not individuals. Children. Plus-ones for unpartnered guests.
Rules that don't
"We'll see how the numbers look" is not a rule.
The A-list and B-list, done without insult
How the timing has to work for a B-list invitation not to read as one, and the RSVP deadline maths that makes it possible. Cross-link to the deadline post.
The parents conversation
Whose guests are whose, and the allocation approach that ends the argument early.
What each cut is worth
Per-head cost across catering, rentals, stationery, favours. Seeing the number makes the decision easier.
Keeping the cut list
Do not delete anyone — move them. They matter again for B-list invitations and for announcements after the wedding.
Run Your Wedding Guest List by Talking to It
Add guests, change party sizes and check who has not replied by asking, from the same assistant you already have open — no spreadsheet, no forms.
RSVPs for a Destination or Multi-Day Wedding
Why a single yes-or-no does not work when there are three events, how to collect per-event replies, and the earlier timeline a destination wedding needs.
Collecting Meal Choices and Dietary Requirements
How to ask for meal selections per guest rather than per household, which dietary questions to ask, and how to hand your caterer numbers they can actually use.