Guest list: Why should I have one before I start planning?

The answer is simple. To accommodate space and cost. You may know who you want at your event, but for planning purposes its important to have an idea of what that means in numbers. Creating a tentative list gives you a realistic idea of the number of people you want on your final guest list. These numbers will be important throughout the planning process.

Space. The moment you start planning an event, you start thinking of the venue in which it will take place. For weddings, you start to conjure up exciting ideas on where the perfect reception will be and how you will decorate it, etc. But if you don’t have a tentative guest list, the size of your ideal location may not be ideal enough to accommodate the number of people on your guest list. You may end up going overboard and spending too much on excessive space or you might end up booking a small space only to realize there are significantly more people on the final list than you thought there might be. Drafting a tentative guest list prior to planning will help give you somewhat of an idea as to how big of a space you do or don’t need. If you’re planning a corporate meeting, you’ll need to know how big of a meeting room you need and alternate options if internal meeting space isn’t available or desired.

Cost. Some of your vendors will rely on a head count to determine the cost of their goods and services. For example, most caterers charge per person. Also, if your venue does not provide tables and chairs, you will need to rent those as well. Knowing the approximate amount of people you have on your guest list will help you to compare costs when shopping around with different vendors. It will help us stay on budget and reduce the chance of any surprise charges between the start and end of the planning process.

Finalizing your list. During the beginning stages of planning, you don’t need to include everyone. As time goes on, you’ll be adding people on to the list that you didn’t think of before or removing people that you've decided you do not want to include. However, make sure you include those who absolutely must be on the list. Your tentative list should include the obvious people. Try to get it as close to complete as possible. The base you create with your list will help you determine the maximum amount of people you are willing to have on the final list.