How do you rank your wedding guest list?

Begin by drawing three circles on a piece of paper. Put the people you absolutely must invite in the inner circle. These are usually your nearest family and closest friends. Next comes the middle circle for people you would love to invite if space allows. The outer circle holds acquaintances and distant relatives.

Then score each person or household against a few clear rules. Think about how often you see them, whether they support your relationship and if they live nearby. Do not rank people against each other personally. Rank them against your shared priorities as a couple.

Be honest about plus ones. Some couples rank single guests lower if they do not know anyone else there. Others rank them higher because they are a couple's closest friend. Decide this together before you start cutting.

Once ranked, work from the outside in. Remove outer circle names first and see how the numbers fall. Keep the inner circle safe until you are sure of the final count.