How do you limit your reception guests?

IMO, if you can't have them at the reception, don't invite them to the wedding, Just MY opinion though... if it was me I think I might feel kinda bad if I was invited to the ceremony and not the reception.

I agree with Hilda, if you can cut your guest list down it would be best. But if you need to, only put the reception card/invitation in the invites that you want the people invited to both.

Are the ceremony and reception at two different locations? If so, you can send out two sets of invites but first you really just have to streamline the guest list. Its hard, but it can be done.

OK so what do you do to keep people from inviting others (additional people)?

Thanks Ladies. I will definitely have to do some cutting back. Honestly I never wanted that many people. FH feels like he has to invite everyone!!

Definitely go with family/friends and if after they are included you have space, then invite others. Are they good friends? Have you talked to them in the past year? how about the last 6 months? Are you inviting some family members (i.e. cousins) just b/c they are family and you feel bad not to but in reality you don't really talk to them?

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I don't know,don't try to add..think of reasons why someone should go on the B-List and even a C-list.

I've limited my 'plus 1s' to just people who are married, or if I know their bf/gf comfortably.

Some people hate that, but I'm sorry, I can't afford your 'flavor of the week'

Also, I'm having no children under 12 at the reception, it's at a hotel though, so I have a room reserved for all the kids, with baby sitters, toys, movies, activities and food. So they can still go to the ceremony, but that limits my mouths to feed at the reception.

Start with close family first, then great friends.

If you're questionable about your half cousin twice removed who you've only met when you were 5. Don't feel bad if they aren't invited.

Not all weddings should be a family reunion, especially if you don't have the funds for it!

Immediate family first-close friends second-then aunts n uncles-cousins you see more then once a year...and IMO that is all it should be.and leave the plus one to only married or engaged or living with...and i personaly wouldn't invite anyone to the wedding and not the reception....

Ill tell you what im doing if that helps at all. i sent out formal invitations to everyone on the guest list. and then i made seperate invites that only have the ceremony info on them, and im leaving those at church and at work. and using word of mouth, everyone understands that if you didnt get an invite in the mail, dont you dare show up. lol the other invites are for ceremony only!!! and im not handing them out or mailing them because that gets too confusing. but to answer your question about how to get people to not invite other people... you cant. people are ignorant and annoying and will invite unwanted guests for you. you just need to be firm and make it clear that that is not allowed and that extra person(s) will not have a seat reserved. im going through that now... if i sent an invite to a family of two, somehow itll say that 4 are attending on the rsvp... umm excuse me? i wasnt aware that you had 2 children without my knowledge... lol

I would either cut the list so you can accomodate all or maybe have some small celebration like a cake and punch with the non-invited people at the ceremony, then later own by invitation only to the bigger reception. Some people might get offended if only invited to one and not both, atleast have some sort of celebration with them.