Do You Have to Invite Your Boss and Coworkers to Your Wedding?

Here are four simple tips to help you answer this tricky question.

a wedding invitation suite surrounded by peonies, garden roses, ranunculus, and other spring flowers

Photo by Rachel May Photography

Throughout the wedding planning process, you’ll start to realize that some decisions are easier to make than others. For example, many couples find that selecting a cake flavor, a signature cocktail, and deciding on which entrees to serve are all situations that can quickly be settled within a few days. On the other hand, there will be a few decisions that you find yourself pining over for months, one's that can stump even the most decisive people. And in many cases, the planning process usually gets complicated when putting together a guest list.

Let's face it, figuring out who to invite to a wedding can feel like a nightmare, especially if you have a long list of friends and family members to consider. What's more, trouble might come when you look at your work situation and begin to figure out which of your colleagues should make the list.

If you've recently asked the question, "Do you have to invite your boss and colleagues to your wedding?", the simple answer is no. But what if you're in a situation where you want to invite some people and not your entire team? Or, what if you don’t want to invite any of your colleagues, but feel like it might be awkward to leave them off the list?

While couples should feel empowered to do whatever they think is best for their wedding, we put together a brief guide to help you answer these tough questions. Ahead, check out the best ways to handle your guest list when dealing with whether or not you should invite your coworkers.

Save Them for the End of Your List

Before jumping into your work friends, jot down your entire wedding guest list. Then, answer the following questions: How many people are on that list? And how many people do you want at your wedding? From there, confirm the amount open spots you have left and take a look at the people you work with. Whether it's your boss, the person you’ve sat next to for years, or people you hang out with after hours, determine which individuals really need to attend your wedding and which ones can be left off the list.

Determine Who's Your Friend Outside of Work

Consider who you want to invite to your wedding based on who you speak to and hang out with outside of work. If there’s someone you often grab drinks and dinner with, and can envision being friends with them for quite some time, inviting them to your wedding will bring significance to your big day.

Realize You Don't Need to Invite Everyone

Just because you work with a lot of people doesn’t mean you have to ask everyone to attend your wedding. Seriously, the decision is completely up to you and should be based on who you really have a true connection with, not who you feel obligated to invite. So, if there’s no one from work you truly want there, feel free to take them off the guest list.

Prep for How to Handle Their Comments

One thing you might be stressed about is how your colleagues will react if they don’t get invited to the wedding. Be sure to have a default response prepared, so that you don't stumble over your words or say something you don’t mean. Need an example? Two appropriate responses are: "I was keeping my guest list small" or "I was only able to invite a certain amount of people. However, I'd be happy to celebrate this major milestone with everyone in a different way."

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