1. church
2. reception
3. photo/video
The next batch of items should also be completed to make planning, budgeting, and making decisions easier:
1. guest list/headcount
2. theme
3. motiff
As I mentioned in a previous blog, Kelvin and I have decided that we are to get married in Tagaytay, which is our absolute favorite place.
We have also booked a photographer for the entire event and we are terribly excited
and giddy over the deal that we got.
Now on to the second list. The guestlist has yet to be finalized. Why? Because we wrote down a list of all the people we knew and we counted more than three hundred thirty of them! (Mine counts for about a hundred and ninety six). The big question is, how in the world are we going to narrow that blasted list down?!
First, there are my relatives from my mom's side. There's my grandmom, and mom's five sisters, four of which have their own families. Mom also has five cousins who all families of their own. So that's about eighteen uncles and aunts, with numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. Then there are the other cousins, neighbors and friends.
On the other side, Dad has seven brothers and sisters, five of which have their own families, with children ranging from two to eight, and with their own families, too! I even have a number of nieces and nephews who are way older than I am, with their own brood of kids!
So those are my relatives... On top of that list there are my best friends (who will never and can never miss my wedding), my friends from work, church, previous jobs, school, my parents' friends, and our neighbors.
Add that number to Hon's family, relatives, friends, colleagues, neighbors, basketball friends, and his parents' friends, that gives us a headcount of more than three hundred people!
As much as we want all of them to be in our wedding, I am entirely doubtful that our financial and mental state can take the load.
image from Modern Wedding Magazine's Facebook page
Now I've looked online and I've asked around and begged for tips from friends on how to narrow down the guest list. Here are my top picks:
1. Give your parents their numbers - Before they start calling their friends, or any other people they'd like to invite to your wedding, specially those you have not seen in years and do not want to see in your wedding, give them a specific number of guests that they can invite to your wedding. You have to remember that this is your wedding and not theirs! I have not given my parents any number but I did tell them not to invite anyone whom I have not heard from nor seen in the past year.
2. Establish Hierarchy - place your guests into categories. For Category A, these are the people who absolutely have to be there in your wedding (immediate family, grandparents, etc.). Category B will list your close friends and extended family (best friends, second cousins, etc.). And the third category will list your other friends from work, school, and neighborhood. Once the couple has decided on a number, the couple can start cutting the list from Category 3 up to Category 1. A helpful tip is to cut out a whole group of people, for example all your neighbors. This will help you avoid potential hurt feelings.
3. Do the One Year Test - If you have not seen or heard that person in a year, chances are, it'll be easier to cut him or her from the list.
4. Two seats - To prevent a guest or guests from bringing along their entire family (when you've never interacted with their families), clearly indicate the number of guests that the invitee can bring along. This is a common practice in the Philippines.
5. Create a "Do Not Invite" List - Here is my list:
a. Do not invite the person if you do not see this person in social gatherings
b. Do not invite the person if you do not intentionally hang out or socialize with him or her on a regular basis
c. Do not invite the person if you do not see, talk, call or text the person on a regular basis.
d. Do not invite an ex-boyfriend, ex-girlfriend, ex-fling, well, you get the idea.
e. Do not invite the person if he or she has never met your fiance/fiancee.
f. Do not invite a friend's girlfriend or boyfriend if you have never met him or her.
So far, this list has been immensely helpful, I have trimmed my side of the list from one hundred ninety nine to about a hundred. Woohoo!
But no, the list still isn't final. Haha! That's alright, we still have about ten to seventeen months before the wedding anyway.
Do you have any recommendations that I can add to my list?
____________________________________
Hit me up!
Wedding Blog: http://ourroadtothealtar.blogspot.com/
My life's blog: http://www.sentimentsofleng.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elliane.varias
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PlinsesLeng
Hit me up!
Wedding Blog: http://ourroadtothealtar.blogspot.com/
My life's blog: http://www.sentimentsofleng.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elliane.varias
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PlinsesLeng
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