7. Your Guest List - who are you inviting to your wedding reception - Wedding Venue Swansea | South Wales | Wales, Craig y Nos Castle wedding packages, wedding receptions

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7. Your Guest List - who are you inviting to your wedding reception

Wedding Tips

Guest List: Start with two separate lists - one for the Day 'do' & one for the Evening 'do' and be clear exactly who is coming to each, or both

Have a 'Day List' and an 'Evening List'. The number of guests is going to affect expenses, especially catering and bar.

It is normal to have close family, close friends and close relatives for the Wedding Breakfast (the Day 'do') and wider family, friends, work colleagues etc for the Evening 'do' and Buffet, Disco etc.

You then have the main meal, the Wedding Breakfast, for far fewer people than the evening meal or Buffet. However with the Special Wedding Deal, the pricing is such that you are encouraged to have the same number for the day as for the evening.

By Ann Clark Photography - Wedding Guests in Courtyard at Craig y Nos Caslte
Wedding Disco in Music Room at Craig y Nos Castle Wedding Venue, photo by Ann Clark Photography

For example, it costs under the Deal, only £12.50 per head for an evening buffet for those attending the wedding breakfast, but a slightly higher charge of £15 per head for guests who are extra in the evening. This is because extra guests in the evening will not have had the large wedding breakfast earlier in the day and so we have to allow for them eating rather more in the evening!

  • How many can you afford to have overall?  

  • How many can you afford to invite for the Wedding Breakfast?  

  • How many do you want for the evening buffet?

  • Set a limit on the number of guests for the Bride and the Groom - a limit for each.


It is traditional for the Bride to have the higher proportion of guests.

Sit down separately and compile two sets of guests lists. Start with two lists from the Bride - one for the Day List and one for the Evening List, and two lists from the Groom - one for the Day List and one for the Evening List.

Type the four guests lists guests into a single list and alphabetically sort them by surname first, first name or initials second, so you can delete people you've counted twice.

Your list should be on a spreadsheet, with surname appearing first for alphabetical sorting and removal of duplicates. Beside each name have a column showing whether they are a guest of the Bride or Groom, so you can count up the number for each.

Next, have a column for 'Day' and a column for 'Evening' so you know which guests are coming to the Day do, which are coming to the Evening do and which are coming to both. Example:

Surname, first name     Guest of  Bride/ Groom   
Day            
Evening     
Both Day & Eve

Wedding Guests on Theatre Terrace at Craig y Nos Castle, photo by Ann Clark Photography

Do not assume that all your 'Day' guests will also be present in the evening. Some Day Guests may not 'last' or wish to stay on for the Evening do. A wedding that can start at 11.00 am and finish after midnight is a long day for some guests.

Note that while the majority of guests for the 'Day List' will attend, being close friends and relatives, at least 10% to 15% of the 'Evening List', comprising your less close friends and acquaintances, may not show up in the evening. In some cases we have known 60% or more of the evening guests not showing up - even with coaches being laid on for them. This can be a disappointment for a Bride and Groom who have arranged all the catering and even laid on transport for their evening guests.

This is one of the reasons why our 'Special Wedding Offer Deal' now encourages you to have the same number of guests for the day and evening. Only with the 'regular tariff' might you consider having a smaller number of close family only for the day, and a larger number for the evening.

If you are on the regular tariff however, you can add up your Day List and check this number is within your budget for the Wedding Breakfast. If not, select which guests you can move to the Evening list.  

Creating this list will really help you budget for your Wedding Breakfast catering and your Evening Buffet.

Remember that catering can account for around 50% of your Wedding Budget. So it is important to be highly accurate on your guest lists both for the day and the evening.

Craig Y Nos Castle has noticed some couples over estimating attendance for the evening buffet which, when combined with some non attendance by evening guests, has resulted in wastage of food and money laid out for the evening buffet.

To minimise wastage, ask for RSVPs to invitations and a couple of weeks before, have someone do a last minute telephone check on who is coming. You could then introduce two additional columns to your spreadsheet: 'RSVP Rcvd' , and 'Telephone Confirmation done'.

It is worth getting someone to do this for you.

Provided you let the caterers know in time (giving at least 6 days notice) you may be able to amend your catering commitments. On the day it will be too late as a caterer will have to charge you per meal prepared, whether or not consumed.

Also, when booking your wedding, it can pay to be a little 'conservative' on your numbers. You can always INCREASE numbers nearer the date (within reason - allow enough time for additional food to be ordered by the caterers). A problem you can experience when DECREASING numbers too near to the date of the wedding is that you may incur a cancellation charge on the reduction in the contract value of your booking with the venue. No venue will mind you increasing numbers nearer the date, but they may object to you reducing numbers near the date.


Photographs on this page taken by Ann Clark Photography


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