Your wedding is one of the most beautiful moments of your life. Creating countless memories to be cherished forever. On the other hand, it does create some pretty awkward moments too. One of the most awkward moments you will have to go through is the guest list. You basically have to start ranking your friends and family in terms of importance. A strange idea that we haven’t had to do since the early days of social media when sites like MySpace and Bebo let us rank our top friends. So how do you tackle this one and come out without any scars?
The key to success is to have an A list and a B list properly planned at the outset. Is it awkward that some of your friends are now B friends? Yes, it is strange but let’s face it, you always knew they were not your top tier. I say embrace it. Everyone you know can’t be your best friend.
Prepare the A list in advance and have the B list ready early too. The B list should be prepared with a ranking system as well. That way when an A list declines you can send out the top B-lister straight away and they do not realize they were never on the A list.
You must ensure you have covered your bases. Invite groups together. For example, if you are inviting people from work, they must all be on your A list or your B list. If you want some on the A-list and some on the B-list, it is probably best not invite the B-list at all. In discussions over the water cooler, they will realize they were on the second invite list and be more annoyed than if they were never invited at all.
Similarly, plan your RSVP date wisely. If you keep the same date for the B list they will realize they were not the main people as the date is too close. Consider having a different date for each list.
Avoid contacting your B list through Instagram or Facebook messenger, it shows real desperation and a last-minute approach. A dead give away that they were not on your real list.
If someone confronts you about being on the B list, be honest. There is nothing wrong with it. Your venue has size limitations and you have to invite a bunch of aunts and uncles that you don’t care about. The people you do care about often have to take the fall. So tell them they mean a lot to you and you would love them to be there, but you understand if it is just a too short notice. If they don’t understand that, it is time to put them on the C list.
