Wedding Guest List and Headcount Control

Build the guest data for Wedding Guest List and Headcount Control

A guest list is a capacity decision before it is an invitation decision, because the venue-approved maximum, the per-guest cost, and the household rules together set how many names it can hold.

Use one row per person with stable display and sort names, household or social group, RSVP, meal, allergy, accessibility, child/high-chair, table, and unresolved-status fields as applicable.

Place, count, and reconcile

Fix the capacity ceiling first, build the list at household level with a priority tier on every name, track declines before releasing held seats, and keep one person-level record so headcount, meals, and seating all read from the same source.

Example: if the venue-approved seated maximum is 120 and forty invited households average 2.4 people, the list stands at roughly 96 before a single individual invitation is added; the arithmetic shows the remaining room, and the venue's own seated number decides the ceiling.

• ✓ Fix the capacity ceiling first, build the list at household level with a priority tier on every name, track declines before releasing held seats, and keep one person-level record so headcount, meals, and seating all read from the same source.
• ✓ Record the controlling inputs, constraints, and unresolved items in one source of truth.
• ✓ Test the plan against the real count, capacity, contract, timing, payment, or handoff dependency that could break it.
• ✓ Review the working version with the people who must act on it, then document corrections.

Prepare the final handoff

Generate alphabetical and table-order views from the same source. Share only the fields each vendor needs, record the version, and retain one master copy.

Confirm table sizes, capacity, accessibility routes, fire and service clearances, and catering handoff requirements with the venue and responsible vendors.