Wedding guest list Unless you’re eloping to Ibiza ‘a deux’, you’re probably planning on inviting family and friends to join in your celebration. Putting your guest list together is one of the first things you’ll need to do.
The budget, venue or even the wedding cake can’t be finalised until you know how many
people you’ll be catering for. Guest lists should always be fair – no doubt you will consult both
sets of parents to see who they would like to invite, and decisions need to be made in terms of inviting family (will you invite first cousins, second cousins, children?). If your basic list gives you the number of guests you had expected – congratulations! Unfortunately, many couples will feel that they need to ‘cut’ the list down a little. If this is the case, you can always have a ‘B’ list of people who will be invited if there are any refusals. Just be sure not to let people know that they were only on the ‘reserve list’!
Wedding invitations
Invitations are normally sent out 8-12 weeks before the big day. However, for a wedding in Ibiza you need to allow much longer for guests travelling from abroad (most of them probably) or if you’re getting married over a bank holiday. Flight availability to Ibiza in peak season may be an issue, as may accommodation. In addition to the obvious (date, location and time!) the invitation should give your guests helpful information to make attending your wedding as easy as possible for them. You might like to provide details of local accommodation, directions to the ceremony and reception venues, (maybe a map) and contact details for taxi companies. (Ibiza Holidays) It’s also a good idea to ask for details of any dietary requirements, and to give people an RSVP deadline. Protocol dictates that mentioning the gift list in the invitation isn’t polite, but it’s certainly practical, so long as the mention is discreet it’s becoming more acceptable.
Wedding seating plan
Creating the seating plan is probably the most challenging aspect of wedding planning.
Obviously it’s prudent to sit people together who you think will get on well, and to distance
people who won’t. Pay particular attention to guests who are coming alone and will know very few people – seat them with friends who are sociable and will make them feel welcome. When it comes to the ‘top table’, if you want to follow tradition, you’ll be sitting with both sets of parents, your best man and chief bridesmaid. That protocol evolved from the days when they sat on a raised dais, allowing the family party to be seen and heard during their speeches.