It's no secret that weddings are expensive AF. Unless you're working with a bottomless trust fund, figuring out the finances of your wedding can be a headache and a half, and sticking to a budget sadly means that you'll be forced to forego the life-sized ice sculptures of you and your beloved. (It's tragic, really.)
One of the quickest ways to trim your budget is to trim your guest list, so who's going to get the chop?
When thinking about who to invite, it's likely that the bulk of your list will be made up of couples. Married couples are a no-brainer, as are couples who live together and/or couples in long-term relationships.
Beyond this, it can get a bit dicey, but there's a simple rule: be consistent.
If you have lots of single friends, don't feel obliged to give them each a plus 1, especially if they're all friends already, or the kind of folks who will have a swell time meeting new people. That said, if some of them get a plus one, all of them should! Moreover, if you have just a handful of single guests, it can be nice to extend the option for them to bring a date, particularly if they don't know many of your other guests.
While it's tempting to cut your list wherever possible, you want to make sure you acknowledge your guests' contribution to your special day as well. (This is especially true for out of town guests - or weddings - where all of your guests should be offered a plus-one, no questions asked!) A few extra heads might seem annoying when you're crunching the numbers, but on the big day, you'll be so happy to be surrounded by your loved ones (and their loved ones), that the memories you make will last way past the credit card bill.
