WeddingWire Guest Tool

Disclaimer:

This post may seem long, and wordy, but the content is VERY important for all brides. I promise, if you read it and follow the directions it will make your wedding planning much easier!

So here is what so often happens about ten weeks prior to the wedding: “John, we’ve got to get our lists to the calligrapher tomorrow.”  “OK, here’s my list.”  “But your list doesn’t have any addresses.” “You never told me you needed the addresses.”  But because you are reading this, dear Wedding Ace readers, it won’t happen to you, right?

Before getting into details, an important term is “group.”  It’s the family, the couple, the individual that will attend, and typically 1 group=1 invitation*.  Make sure the name is unique.  If your family name is Stevens, there will be lots of Stevens attending, and you should have Stevens/Cleveland, Stevens Grandparents, etc.
*typically, because college age children living at home should get their own invitations, even if they are mooches.

So here’s what you need in your database:

• Name of each guest (important:  last name first, and if the invitation reads “and guest,” the entry in this row should be “Rosen, James, GUEST OF.”
• Group
• Adult or child, and if child, their age (good chance that the caterer will charge less for kids under a certain age – you might need to ask their parents, but don’t do this until after they have confirmed)
• Names for the outer envelope
• Address for the outer envelope (try to avoid using their business address)
• Names for the inner envelope (if your brother has been dating the same woman for 8 years, you will want to use her name rather than “and guest.”)
• Middle initials or something else to differentiate Mr. John M. Doubles from Mr. John N. Doubles – a very common occurrence at weddings.
• Email address and phone, you never know when you might need to contact them
• A “chance they will attend” column that you can continuously update so as to keep on top of expected attendance.
• RSVP status (received, not received)
• RSVP notes
• Similar data about any other activities they might be invited to, including the rehearsal dinner and post-wedding brunch.
• Meal: a choice might be required by the caterer, if not you will still want to keep track of any special needs (medical, religious, kids who will eat adult meal, etc.)

As rsvp’s start arriving, you will want to add some more data:

• Escort card wording:  This is where guests find out which table they will sit at.  Typical wording is “Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Capelli,” “Master Robert Robins,” “Mr. Aaron Bold and Guest.”
• Place cards: if you are assigning seats,  “and guest” won’t work; you will need to find out the name of your guest’s guest.
• Seating remarks (these are your preferences, not theirs – it’s your party, you make the rules.)
• Table assigned (and seat if also assigned – I prefer letters to numbers, clockwise, less confusing – seat “a” faces the front of the room, then b, c, etc.)
• Gift received / Thank you note sent
• For out of town guests, especially VIPs, when they will be arriving and where they will be staying – this is the kind of information that in most cases you will not ask for, but do track it if it’s volunteered.

Free WeddingWire Seating Tool

Before your wedding, your caterer will ask you for a table list indicating the number of guests per table.  You should also forward a complete copy of your guest list to them, this will facilitate accommodating any last minute changes.  Incidentally, you would be surprised at how often the bride and groom are missing from the list.

One more item; don’t forget to continually update the “chance they will attend column.”  if it’s yes, it should be 100%, no 0%.  Pay attention, because you will be getting a continuously improving prediction of your final attendance (if it looks like it will change significantly you will need to let your caterer know and check your contract for minimum commitments.)

Oh, and please please follow the geek’s 11th commandment: backup, backup, backup!!!