Wedding Wednesday – The Guest List

The first real task I worked on for the wedding was building the guest list. I think it was the least daunting because it's not permanent. I mean, we can tweak it all the way up until invitation time, right? And then, really, we could still add a few more, if needed. Counts are all estimates even on the day of the party - you just never know what will come up!

This task also appealed to me because I love list-making. Plus, Kate & I both have relatively small families, so it wasn't difficult. I even kept a "just in case we want to have a bigger wedding" list of people as I went.

I was happy to see our list topped out at just over 100. And we only tack on an additional 30 by including the "extras". Sounds pretty perfect to me! I mean, we don't have a ton of money to spend on this thing...

Speaking of which, less guests = less costs, right? RIGHT?!

Unfortunately, our small-ish guest list has eliminated our 2nd favorite location from the running. (For the record, our 1st favorite was booked, and we don't yet have a 3rd favorite...) I thought that only big weddings would have size issues when securing locations, but apparently small weddings do, too. And it's not because they worry that your cozy little group will feel overwhelmed in their space. No, it's because they want to ensure they'll make a certain amount of money on the deal.

Business. It's killing my wedding.

A few friends and family members pointed us to the gorgeous barn at Lied Lodge in Nebraska City.

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I loved the pictures that I found, that they can cover you in bad weather, and how beautiful the whole area is. It was also exciting to hear that all rentals include set-up, tear-down, linens, and china. Plus, Nebraska City is only a 45 minute drive away!

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They didn't give pricing specifics on the website, but indicated that all alcohol and catering had to be ordered through them (gulp). In order to get an estimate, I filled out a form and waited nearly a week for a reply. (I wouldn't be complaining about the wait had I actually received a personalized proposal. Instead I got a generic email that I'm pretty sure they send to everyone.) I can see not wanting to post rates on the website (although I LOVE when they do!), but if you're going to send a canned response, don't make me wait for it!

Anyway, canned or not, we cannot afford this place. Their rates seem fairly reasonable for a wedding of 200+ people, but the minimums that they instill mean we're SOL. Not only is there a minimum food and bar tab, but there is a minimum number of lodge rooms that need to be rented. 30, to be exact. Which is WAY more than a wedding of 100 guests needs. Boo.

I never imagined I'd find myself thinking, "Man, if we invited MORE people, this wedding wouldn't seem so expensive..."

How big was your wedding?