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After you’ve selected your wedding invitations, you start to stress about who will show up. Will guests RSVP? Will they bring extra people with them? Will I end up with enough tables and chairs?

No bride wants to have THAT wedding. You know…the one where people talk about you like a dog and how you didn’t have enough seating and you ran out of food, etc.

There’s an easy way to avoid the drama. It starts with the printing of your invitations. I suggest that all of my brides include a line where guests indicate the total number of people who will be attending. Granted, the invitation may only be addressed to Mr. and Mrs. John Smith. You would assume that only Mr. and Mrs. John Smith will be attending, right? WRONG. I’ve done sooooo many events where Mr. and Mrs. Smith show up with a couple of extra guests…maybe their house guests who happen to be in town the weekend of your wedding.

I like for guests to tell me in advance that they are going to do something inappropriate. That way, I have time to correct the issue. If Mr. and Mrs. Smith indicate on their response card that a total of four guests will be attending (instead of the two guests you were anticipating,) you or your planner can contact the Smiths. What you say to them might sound something like this:

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