Managing your guest list

This is probably not the first thing anyone would think about when planning their wedding, and may be more useful in the case of big weddings with a hundred of guests or more, but for having seen some things turn sour at the last minute because a certain little element had been forgotten, I know that this is also an aspect of one’s preparations that shouldn’t be overlooked. Therefore, being able to quickly check your guest list and to keep an eye on it at any moment if needed is important.

You probably don’t need anything fancy, no specific tool or software, to do that; a nice little notebook or a set of Excel spreadsheets will fit the purpose perfectly. The essential part is that you keep track of the following data:

• A complete list of your guests (evidently).
• Guest information: who lives where, if some of them have moved in between the invitation and the actual wedding day, their phone numbers and e-mail addresses in case you have to contact them on the spot, etc.
• RSVP information: what guests have confirmed they would come, those who cannot, and those who are not sure yet of their committments, and will have to let you know a little later (those things happen).
• A section of your notebook or spreadsheet meant to be used after the wedding, to keep track of the gifts sent or brought by every guest, whether they could be at your party or not.
• Also a list of whom you have already sent thank you notes to, and who is still in need of getting one.

Maybe this seems like a trivial task, but I assure you that if you were to accidentally forget to send one of the thank you notes, or lose track of a couple of people supposed to come–which in turn would cause problems regarding the reservations–it could very well cast a cloud on your wedding day.

And no matter how small that cloud, this is something nobody needs nor wants.