A Small Wedding Guest List Needs No Explanation

Big weddings are quickly becoming a thing of the past. When the recent pandemic put the brakes on wedding plans for thousands of couples, smaller alternatives had to be found! Elopements and small weddings surged in popularity. Even as the restrictions began to wind down, couples realized a small wedding may actually be what they truly wanted. Smaller weddings mean less stress and less expense. However, one area that concerns many couples is that a small wedding guest list means some people are not going to make the cut! Let’s talk about how to break that news!

Don’t Apologize For Your Small Wedding Guest List

The topic of leaving people off a small wedding guest list was recently covered by etiquette expert Miss Manners. A reader asked how they could avoid upsetting her husband’s extended family when hosting an intimate backyard wedding for their granddaughter. The bride herself had stated that she only wanted to invite those she was close to in the family. This left a large portion of the family tree off of her guest list. There was also the added twist, that some of the family members not on the list are perhaps a little unsavory and she does not want them present on her special day!

Both of these are very valid reasons for not including certain individuals on the guest list – even for a big wedding! However, the advice Miss Manners offered up was that the bride doesn’t need any explanation. She advises simply saying that it’s a small wedding so only a handful of invites are being sent. We agree with her recommendation to stand firm on this issue and not get into any discussion or argument. It’s your wedding day and you get to decide who is in attendance.