Saying you’re “I do’s” isn’t always a precursor to a grand, lavish wedding – not unless you come from royalty or a rich family who can support your wedding day’s every whim. Common, normal people (like us) choose to live in the reality that much as we’d like to have J. Lo as our wedding planner, we simply can’t afford it. Having a budget wedding means that you should be able to have a quality wedding but at the same time maintaining and sticking to a strict financial plan.

The guest list is often overlooked by the couple. Some perceive it to be just a formality, in that it’s actually okay since the only problem with regards to guests would be the wedding invitations and the souvenirs.

In reality though, the guest list would be one of the main factors to consider with regards to your wedding budget. It is the basis of all wedding preparations since most would require the number of people that will be part of your wedding – when you look for a place, seating arrangements, making church/wedding venue reservations, confirming restaurant booking, and yes, the wedding invites and souvenirs. Knowing the number of people you will have on the main event will make your planning sessions easier.

If you think that drawing up a guest list is not hard, then think again. Remember that you would want your wedding to be memorable, so you would naturally want all invited guests to be part of good memories.

Start off with immediate family and close relatives. That would be the couple’s parents, siblings and in-laws, children of your siblings. Then you have your close relatives. You may be close to a cousin or an aunt so you can choose to invite him or her. No need to invite the whole clan – especially if you have not even seen your mother’s-uncle’s-wife’s-great-granddaughter – just invite those who are really close to you and who you have fond memories of. (Trust me, they would understand.)

Next would be your close friends. These are the friends you may have grown up with and who have shared many special moments in your life – good or bad events, they still stuck with you. That includes best friends and best buds (sometimes, they are two different things).

If you still seem to have room for more, then you can try to include others as well. Next on this list could be officemates or neighbors.

Now that you have a list of people who you would like to be present in your wedding, you should also consider making a list of people NOT to invite to the occasion – exes and estranged friends who still carry a torch for either one of you must always be considered as part of this list. This can be a touchy matter as it is always a two-way affair – best that you sit-down as a couple and sort it out.

A friend of mine did her guest list this way: She made two lists – a Must-Invite and a Must-NOT-Invite. Her fiancé also did one and together, they compared notes. In that way, they were able to have a smooth, worry-free wedding (the worry part coming from the possibility of an ex holding up the wedding just before the “I Do’s”.)

If you really have it tight and you cannot afford to have so much (especially if you have a lot of close relatives and friends), you can keep your guest list limited to adults. Of course, you have to tell your friends that so that they do not show up on your big day with one additional mouth to feed and you concerned that you would go over your budget. It’s better though to include it in the invitation to avoid further discussions and hassles.

Oh, don’t forget! The people in your entourage are also considered as guests. Make sure that they are included in the final guest list so that they can be sent invitations too.

Once you have your final guest list, you are well on your way to preparing the most wonderful wedding ever. Aren’t you excited?

Happy planning!