Wedding guest list: how to make one, with a free template

How do you make a wedding guest list?

Make the list in three stages: the numbers first, then the names, then the cuts. Couples who start with names end up with 200 people and a venue for 120. Couples who start with the budget know from day one how far they can go.

Each of you writes your own list without crossing anyone off. Then you merge the two, remove duplicates and only then decide who stays. Tick the steps in this checklist as you go: it is saved in this browser.

To write the names down, use our template. It has one row per person and the columns you'll need until the day: each family's invitation, the side, A-list or B-list, children, mobile number and dietary needs.

How many guests can your budget take?

Divide the venue and catering share of your budget by the price per person. In 2026, that share is usually 55% to 65% of the total. With a €20,000 budget and 60% for venue and catering, you have €12,000. At €110 a head, that's 109 guests.

The price per person depends mostly on the type of service. In 2026, catering in Portugal costs €50 to €160 per person. Ask your venue for its figure and check whether it includes drinks, VAT (IVA in Portugal) and the room hire.

Every name on the list costs at least that price per person. Ten fewer guests, at €75 or €160 each, save €750 to €1,600. To run the numbers with your own figures, use the calculator in what each guest costs. Everything else is priced in how much a wedding costs in Portugal.

How many guests does a wedding in Portugal have?

There is no official figure, but the data that exists points to 100 to 150 guests. A 2026 market study of wedding prices, by a Portuguese platform for hiring services and published in May, assumes a typical wedding with about 100 guests.

In a 2023 survey of 107 couples, more than half wanted to invite 101 to 150 people. One in four parties had more than 150, and only 7.4% expected fewer than 60. With so few replies, treat it as a pointer, not a national average.

At the same time, small weddings are growing. In February 2024, the same services platform counted 38% of ceremonies with fewer than 50 people, up from 33% in 2020. The two figures come from different samples: a survey of couples and a platform's own data.

A-list and B-list: how do you decide who's in?

The A-list is the people you can't get married without. The B-list is the people you'd love to have if there's room. Make both from the full list and keep the B-list to yourselves.

To decide which list someone goes on, ask the same three questions about everyone. Have you seen them in the last year? Would they invite you to their wedding? Do you both know them? If the answer is no to all three, they go on the B-list.

1. 1

   Count people, not invitations

   One invitation to the Silva family can be four seats. Add children and plus-ones, because the caterer counts plates.

2. 2

   Cut by category, not by name

   "Colleagues, only our direct team" or "no second cousins" are rules everyone understands. Cutting one person and keeping someone just like them is what offends.

3. 3

   Review the plus-ones

   A plus-one neither of you knows is the easiest seat to free up. The rules are in the next section.

4. 4

   Move names to the B-list

   Anyone who comes off isn't crossed out: they wait for a seat. If someone on the A-list says no, the first person on the B-list gets the invitation.

5. 5

   Family last

   Touching close family leads to the hardest conversations. Leave it until there's no other way to cut.

Send the B-list invitations with the same care and the same reply deadline. Someone who gets one 8 weeks before still has time to make plans. To handle this stage without hurting anyone, see how to manage the B-list.

How do you organise the list by category and household?

Give each person a category and a side, and put each family or couple on one invitation. The category shows where to cut. The side shows whether the list is balanced. The invitation shows who replies for whom.

Keep the categories few: family on each side, friends and work cover most lists. Count each group before you move on to the next: draw a line underneath and write down the total. You'll see at once which group is growing too much.

On a family invitation, each person still has their own row. The invitation is one, but the venue counts every plate and the seating plan counts every chair. That's why the template has one row per person and a Group column with the invitation's name.

In joinVows

Your guest list on joinVows

On joinVows, you paste this list into Guests, under Import from Excel. The import reads the Name, Email, Group and Category columns and shows what will happen before you save. People with the same Group go on the same invitation, and on your website one person from the family finds their name and replies for everyone. The phone number goes in each invitation's details, where the WhatsApp reminder is.

Create a free account

The steps are in import your list from Excel and households and invitations for several people. The guest list, with import and export, is in every plan.

Children, plus-ones and colleagues: what rules should you set?

Pick one rule for each case and apply it to everyone, on both sides. Arguments start when someone sees an exception made for someone else.

Children affect the price differently at each venue. The Gondomar quinta mentioned above doesn't charge for children's meals up to age 3 and gives 50% off from 4 to 9, in the published conditions we read in October 2026. Ask your venue before you decide. The pros and cons are in children at the wedding.

For plus-ones, the simplest rule is to invite the partner of anyone in a couple, with their name on the invitation. For everyone else, decide whether the invitation is for one person and say so clearly. Note down each guest's partner and children on the list, so they aren't left out of the count. More in plus-ones at the wedding.

For colleagues, there is no harm in leaving out an office colleague you aren't close to. Inviting a manager only makes sense if you invite their team.

How do you handle family pressure?

Agree with your parents how many seats each side gets before anyone writes a name. With a fixed number, "can I invite cousin Lurdes?" becomes a question your parents settle within their own seats.

• Decide together first, and only then talk to your families. That way you present a rule, not a doubt.
• Give each side a number of seats, not an open list. Anyone inviting within their seats doesn't need to ask permission.
• If your parents pay part of the wedding, it's fair to give them more seats. Agree how many at the start, and the list stays yours.
• Use the rules from the previous section as your answer. "We didn't invite anyone's colleagues" is easier to hear than a personal no.
• Each of you talks to your own family. Hard conversations go better with someone who knows the people.

When you have to say no, say it early, with a true reason and without over-apologising. These lines help you start.

When should you close the guest list?

Close the A-list before the invitations go out, at least 3 months before the wedding. You need a rough number even earlier, before you book the venue, because the capacity you need depends on it.

1. Before booking the venue

   A rough number

   Budget and full list, so you know what capacity to look for.

2. 6 months before

   Save the date

   Above all for guests coming from far away or abroad. See how to send a save the date.

3. 3 months before

   A-list closed and invitations sent

   6 months before if guests are flying in from abroad.

4. Up to 8 weeks before

   B-list invitations

   As the noes come in, so they can still reply before the deadline.

5. 4 to 6 weeks before

   RSVP deadline

   Leaves 2 weeks to remind anyone who hasn't replied.

6. 30 days before

   Final number to the venue

   Check the date in your contract.

7. 3 weeks before

   Seating plan

   Only with people who have confirmed.

The RSVP dates come from our guide what RSVP means and how to ask for it. Invitations go out at least 3 months before, and the save the date 6 months before for guests from far away. The 8 weeks for the B-list are our own arithmetic: enough time to reply before the deadline.

After the final number, every change affects the bill and the tables. The closed list becomes the base of your seating plan: who confirmed, who they're coming with and what they eat.