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How to Create Your Wedding Guest List: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Adrienne Barnes
- Jun 2
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 3
Creating your wedding guest list is one of the most important and sometimes challenging parts of planning your big day. It sets the tone for your celebration and determines the size, budget, and atmosphere of your wedding. With space for up to 280 guests at The Old Barns at Dry Run Farms, you have the flexibility to host an intimate gathering or a large celebration. However, deciding who makes the list can still be tricky. Here’s a guide to help you navigate the process.
Step 1: Start with a Vision for Your Wedding
Before you start writing names, sit down with your partner and discuss the kind of wedding you envision. Are you dreaming of a cozy gathering with close friends and family? Or do you picture a lively celebration filled with extended family, friends, and colleagues? Your guest list size should align with your vision, budget, and venue capacity.
We've crafted our venue layout to comfortably accommodate for both large and small gatherings, ensuring spaciousness and intimacy regardless of the number of people on your guest list.
Step 2: Establish Your Budget
Your guest list directly impacts your budget. More guests mean higher costs for catering, invitations, and seating arrangements. Determine your overall budget and decide how much you can allocate per guest. This number will give you a clearer idea of how many people you can afford to invite.
Step 3: Create a Master List
Start by writing down every potential guest—family, friends, coworkers, and acquaintances. At this stage, include anyone you might consider inviting without overthinking. This is your brainstorming session, so don’t worry about cutting people yet.
Divide the list into categories:
Immediate Family: Parents, siblings, grandparents
Extended Family: Aunts, uncles, cousins
Close Friends: Those who’ve been an integral part of your life
Work Friends: Coworkers, business partners
Family Friends: Long-time family acquaintances
Step 4: Divide and Conquer
Once you have a rough list, assign portions of the guest list to you, your partner, and both sets of parents. For example:
You and your partner: 50% of the list
Bride’s parents: 25% of the list
Groom’s parents: 25% of the list
Adjust these percentages as needed based on who is contributing financially or who has a larger circle to invite.
Step 5: Prioritize Guests
Not everyone on your initial list will make the final cut. Use the following tiers to help prioritize:
Tier 1: Must-have guests (immediate family and closest friends)
Tier 2: Would like to have (extended family and good friends)
Tier 3: Nice-to-have (coworkers, acquaintances, distant relatives)
Focus on filling Tier 1 first, then move to Tier 2, and include Tier 3 if space and budget allow.
Step 6: Consider Relationships and Obligations
Plus-Ones: Decide whether to offer plus-ones to all single guests, only those in long-term relationships, or none at all. Make your policy clear and consistent.
Children: Choose whether to invite children and communicate this decision politely.
Reciprocity: If someone invited you to their wedding, you might feel obligated to invite them. Consider whether your relationship is still strong enough to warrant an invitation.
Step 7: Trimming the List
If your list exceeds your budget or venue capacity, it’s time to make cuts. Start with Tier 3 and work your way up. Some strategies for trimming the list include:
Limiting plus-ones to engaged or long-term partners
Excluding distant relatives or coworkers
Keeping the guest list to adults only
It’s okay to make tough decisions. Remember, your wedding is about celebrating your love, not pleasing everyone.
With room for up to 280 guests, The Old Barns at Dry Run Farms provides plenty of space for seating, dancing, and mingling. Use our online wedding planner’s editable venue layout to visualize table arrangements and ensure you stay within the venue’s capacity.
Step 8: Gather Addresses
Once you’ve finalized your list, start collecting addresses for invitations. Use a shared spreadsheet or wedding planning app to stay organized.
Step 9: Send Save-the-Dates Early
Save-the-dates should be sent 6–8 months before the wedding. This helps guests plan their travel and ensures that your must-have guests can attend.
Step 10: Track RSVPs
As invitations go out, track responses to finalize your headcount. We recommend confirming your final guest count at least one month before the wedding.
Tips for Navigating Guest List Challenges
Be Transparent with Parents: If parents are contributing financially, they may want to invite their friends. Set boundaries and discuss how many guests they can invite.
Avoid Last-Minute Additions: Adding guests after RSVPs can cause unnecessary stress and additional costs. Stick to your list.
Have a "B-List": If your top-choice guests can’t attend, have a secondary list ready to invite.
Enjoy the Process
Creating your guest list is a balancing act, but it’s also an opportunity to reflect on the people who matter most to you. At The Old Barns at Dry Run Farms, our central Ohio wedding venue team is here to make your wedding planning journey as smooth and enjoyable as possible. Whether you’re hosting an intimate gathering or a full-capacity celebration, we’ll help you create unforgettable memories surrounded by your favorite people. We hope this wedding guest list guide can help you along the way too.
Ready to start planning your dream wedding? Contact us today to schedule a tour and see how our venue can bring your vision to life!
Thank you for stopping by our blog! We hope that you will consider hiring a locally owned wedding venue for your big celebration. Locally owned wedding venues provide the best wedding experience, they tend to have little to no turnover, they support the local economy and they are part of the community. In an effort to support locally owned wedding venues, we will feature six small business wedding venues in each of our blogs. Find locally owned wedding venues in the wedding venue map on
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