Creating a Guest List

Your guest list depends on a number of factors, including intimacy, event space and budget. Here's how to plan accordingly:

Intimacy
Decide on the degree of intimacy you'd like for your party or event.
Smaller events will allow you to mingle with all your guests and give you enough time to catch up with everyone. The hardest part will be keeping your guest list small -- a tough feat if you have a lot of friends.

Larger parties can be a blast, but you may have to sacrifice being able to spend time with each and every guest. The upside: You won't have to make tough guest list decisions!

Event Space
The size of your event space helps determine the size of your guest list. Unless you're willing to rent out a large venue, you can't invite everyone.

If you're planning a dinner party, you should probably keep the guest list under twelve people. Any more than that will crowd the table and make intimate conversations difficult.

Know your space. Don't try to cram more people into your living room than will fit comfortably.

Budget
The final thing you'll need to take into consideration before creating your guest list is your budget. This is most relevant for formal events, or parties that require rentals and catered food.

A formal catered event can cost up to $200 per person when you factor in invitations, food, dessert, chair and place setting rental and favors.

Make sure you define your cost per person before going wild on the invites!