Preface
In my previous article I discussed the features of a functional wedding guest list. I showed that there were no standard software tools that would provide the ability to build a real and solid guest list.
However, for a perfect wedding guest list, on top of the standard features, we need additional information. This article extends the data definition of our guest list with a few new data items and shows how to use your wedding guest list in the real world, in your wedding events.
Define Guests with Unique Names
This feature seems to be redundant. After all, each guest has a name; (first name and last Name) so why bother?
But take into account that your wedding is actually a special set of events to which you invite FAMILY and friends. When it comes to families, close families is the reason why your list may contain many people with the same last name (and sometimes, the same first name). So how can you tell them apart? Simply use an additional field titled “Alias” or “Real Name” or “Distinguished Name”. If you have many Cartwrights on your list, define Mary and Dan Cartwright as “The Colorado Cartwrights” and so on. Now, whenever you look at the names, you know exactly who they are. However, for formalities like name on envelope, you must have the Cartwright’s official last name and all first names of the people invited.
Group Your Guests. It Helps
Every party on your list must belong to a group of guests. For example, a group may be bride’s family, groom’s friends, groom’s colleagues and even branches of families. A special group is “Immediate Family” that consists of the bride and the groom and their closed family. Best practice is to predefine those groups and assign them to your guest when building the list.
Notice also that each group must belong to one of three categories. Those categories are Bride, Groom and Common Friends.
A Wedding guest list that has a group definition, is easy to sort, to total by group and to build statistics on groups. Grouping comes into effect especially in the reception seating process. You will seat guests of the same group together, at the same tables.
Design Your List to Support RSVP
Usually, your Reception needs RSVP support. RSVP results helps you plan correctly based on quantity of guests attending, and helps save money by ordering exactly what needded . RSVP also helps you in the seating process where you seat guests who have RSVPed. However, if you plan for many events, it is recommendable to assign a RSVP field to each event. This way you know who is attending which event.
Preface
In my previous article I discussed the features of a functional wedding guest list. I showed that there were no standard software tools that would provide the ability to build a real and solid guest list.
However, for a perfect wedding guest list, on top of the standard features, we need additional information. This article extends the data definition of our guest list with a few new data items and shows how to use your wedding guest list in the real world, in your wedding events:
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