The guest is the the every challenging element to almost every wedding. So, when Shutterfly asked us to lend some advice to their readers, we were happy to oblige. Here are some highlights from the feature, but be sure to click here for the entire piece.

Wedding planner Tara Guérard, of Tara Guérard Soiree, notes that although the mother of the bride often managed the guest list in the old days, now it’s a much more collaborative effort. “Today, it’s more of a joint venture between the two families and their combined lists,” Guérard explains.

One thing that hasn’t changed? The potential for sticky situations.
Here are some common complications:

• Dealing with parents’ excessive requests
• What to do about work friends
• Handling a destination wedding
• Inviting children
• Inviting guests to ceremony-only or reception-only

Our tip-  KEEP IT IN A SPREADSHEET

• “Starting early is key. Once you have your list(s) finalized, keep everything in an Excel sheet and update RSVPs as they come in. Most couples have last minute add-ons. Our best advice is to create a master list and be very adamant about keeping it up to date. We instruct clients that need to narrow down their list to divide their list into tiers to decide who stays and who goes.”