Money Tip #3: Trim the Guest List

Your father's auntie's cousin's son's
third ex-wife does not need to attend. 

This tip may be easier said than done and may not apply to or be possible for everyone, what with your mum absolutely insisting that your father’s auntie’s cousin’s son’s third ex-wife attend the festivities of your big day and threatening to have a major meltdown if you don’t agree. But the simple fact that remains is that less people equals less mouths to feed and ply with alcohol which equals lower costs. 

Almost as soon as the engagement ring is on your finger, you and your fiancee should start making a list of all the people who you would like to attend your wedding and have your parents also do the same. From there, you’ll have an estimate of the number of people who you must have to have at your wedding as well as a number of “extras” who won’t make a difference either way whether they show up or not. If you find that a person falls into the latter category, trim them off the list. Chances are, if they don’t matter that much to you, you don’t matter that much to them and they probably won’t give a hoot if not invited. 

One trick to controlling the guest list from getting out of hand is to pick a more intimate venue that can only accommodate a smaller wedding party. That way, there will simply be no room for extra guests. If you have a religious component to your wedding, such as a church ceremony, consider inviting the bulk of your extra guests to that event and then only have your closest friends and family celebrate with you at a banquet dinner. You can also consider having an informal party or even a housewarming party after the wedding and invite those who you were unable to have at your wedding so that they may still share their well wishes. Otherwise, if you find that your guest list is being bulked up by your parents’ friends and business associates, perhaps have a discussion with them about footing a portion of the bill. 

The guest list can be an area of the wedding that is as sensitive as the budget itself so do try to be diplomatic in your approach, especially when dealing with elders. It is often the case that they have their own pride at stake in inviting their friends so as to show off the family’s successes. Convince them that a smaller wedding party does not have to mean that your event is less grand or formal and in fact, can be quite the opposite. Having a more exclusive guest list would allow you to have more room in your budget to splurge on the finer details to make your big day exquisite with things such as an upgraded menu, live entertainment or even customized wedding favours.

On a final note, don’t expect that your “ang pows” will cover the cost of the wedding on the F&B front. Your wedding is not a restaurant where people will pay for their own meals nor are you inviting someone to your wedding because you expect them to give you money in return. Weddings are not about breaking even. They are about celebrating the the joining of two lives to form a whole. Its best to completely forget about any potential ang pows you may receive when working out your budget and the number of guests to invite to your big day.