By Saraí Flores + Martha Huerta of SIGNATURE, Event Consulting & Design {Mexico}

Choosing who is going to be by your side on the most important day of your life is no easy task; in fact, it’s an essential one that needs to be taken seriously from the get-go. The guest list plays a significant role when planning a wedding, and even a greater one when it comes to a destination event. It will be a powerful tool if you are considering hosting airport transfers for your guests, or if your wish is to welcome them with a gift upon their arrival. You need to have the list ready before sending out the invitations, and beware: it will change as you start getting confirmations or declines since you may be able to add more names to it.

Here are some other things to have in mind:

• Create an e-mail account exclusively to receive your guests’ RSVPs. As event planners, having a separate account for each client has come extremely helpful to keep things organized in one place.

• Be very specific when addressing your guests on invitations, party favors and such. You may want to be formal (using Mr. and Mrs.) or go by first and last name. Avoid using names that are familiar to you, but not to your wedding team, such as “Amy” or “Uncle Paul”. Formal first and last names will always be required.

• Add a column to specify the relationship of the guest to you or your fiance. This will be life saving for seating arrangements.

• Include date and time of arrival and departure of all of your guests, for transportation.

• If you have children on your list, add their exact age. Trust us, it’s not the same planning for food and transportation for a 2 year-old as it is for a 10 year-old.

• Include your guests’ hotel information or accommodations.

• Add a row for special requirements, such as food restrictions, allergies, high chair, nanny contact, or room specifications.

• If you are hosting other activities during the wedding weekend, make sure to keep track of which activities each guest will be attending.

With these pointers, you may be able to plan ahead and have a stress-free experience when creating the guest list. Remember: friends and close family always come first!