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Although the President and the First Lady probably won’t be able to attend your wedding, receiving a congratulatory note stamped with an official seal from the White House can be a nice consolation prize and a wonderful keepsake. Wedding invitations for the President can be sent to:

The Honorable Barack Obama and Mrs. Obama
The White House Greetings Office, Room 39
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500




 
 
 
Once you've decided who will be invited to your wedding, start collecting their addresses. We recommend using Microsoft Excel to manage and track your guest list. With Excel you can easily enter the names and addresses of your guests as well as track how many people have been invited and who will be attending. Click the file below to download our guest list template.
Guest List Template
File Size: 37 kb
File Type: xls
Download File
 
The B List 11/10/2009
 
If you find your list is over your maximum and you can’t make any more cuts, it is time to split your list into an A and B list. Go through your current guest list and rank your guests in order of importance, with those closest to you starting at the top. Once everyone has been ranked go down the list and draw a line at your maximum. Everyone below that line makes up your B list.

The decline rate of you’re A list will determine how many people on your B list receive invitations. Abouteight weeks prior to your wedding send out invitations to everyone on your A list. As you receive “no” responses, immediately send out an invitation to someone on your B list. 

Although having a B list is a common practice, no one wants to know that you think they are less important than someone else. To avoid hurt feelings do not to make it obvious that the person is on your B list.  Avoid mailing invitations at separate times to people who are in the same social circles, like co-workers. Also give yourself a cut off to stop sending B list invitations; you don’t want anyone to receive an invitation a week before your wedding.
 
Your Guest List 11/09/2009
 
Before you start making your guest list determine the maximum number of guests you want at your wedding. When determining your maximum number, factor in your budget, the size of the venue, your preference as a couple, as well as your families’ preferences. Once you have your maximum number, start creating your guest list.

The easiest thing to do would be to divide the list 50/50 and give half to the bride and her family and half to the groom and his family. However, when you factor in the size of the bride’s family versus the size of the groom’s family or how much certain individuals are contributing financially, it may not make sense to split the list equally. Determine the proportions that best suit your unique situation and ask everyone involved for their guest wish list, with and emphasis on “wish”. Make sure they understand that their list will be modified if necessary.

Once you've collected everyone’s wish list, combine them into one master guest list. When you combine everyone’s list you may find that you are over your maximum and need to make cuts. If you are looking for a quick way to make some cuts, start with guests who are single. You can reduce your guest list by inviting single guest without a date. If you are looking to make significant cuts, consider cutting entire groups such as, children, coworkers, 3rd cousins, etc. If your guest list is still over the maximum go down your list name by name and answer the questions below. Based on your answers you should be able to make some more cuts.

o      Has my significant other or I ever met this person?
o      When was the last time my significant other or I saw/talked to this person?
o      Are we likely to keep in touch with this person after our wedding?
o      Would having them at our wedding make or break our wedding day?