As a follow up to our last post on how to fine tune your guest list, this week we’re going to cover the infamous B-List. To start, it is okay to have a B-List. More than likely your venue has a capacity limit and your budget has a cap, so you may not be able to invite every person you want to. Here’s one way to approach it.

First, make your A-List. These are the people you can’t see your self getting married without. We usually advise couples to expect around a 70% positive RSVP rate, but you know better than anyone who you think will make the trip for your wedding. Destination weddings tend to have a lower percentage of people who are able to attend, while hometown weddings can be higher.

If you think you might want to have a B-List, push your invitation and RSVP deadlines back a couple of weeks (normally invitations are sent 6-8 weeks prior to your wedding date). Here’s a sample schedule to follow:

  • Send out invitations 8-10 weeks prior to your wedding date.
  • Have people RSVP 6 weeks prior to your wedding date.
  • At 6 weeks, follow up with any outstanding RSVPs to get a headcount.
  • After you’ve got a headcount, send invitations to the top people on your B-List based on how many empty seats you have left for the wedding.
  • Have B-List guests RSVP 3-4 weeks prior to your wedding date.
And there you have it! The B-List made simple. This schedule should stil leave you plenty of time to confirm numbers with your venue, caterer, and other vendors.Do you have ideas about how to handle the B-List for a wedding? Leave us a comment. We’d love to hear from you!