Creating a guest list may be the most tedious and maddening task of the entire wedding preparations process, but it must be done! So which comes first, the venue or the list?

The number of guests that your wedding location holds will need to be carefully considered with the number of family members and friends on your guest list. So, if you have a specific ceremony and reception location that you must have for your big day, then you'll need to keep your list within the maximum occupancy of that venue. On the other hand, if you haven't yet picked out a location but you've already tallied your total number of guests, your venue selection may be limited to those that can accommodate that quantity.

100 to 150 guests is the most commonly accommodated number in terms of weddings and large events. This means that you can expect venues and caterers to have set space, seating and menus for this number of people; a list of more or less than this will often require you to add expenses or pay for more than you need.

Begin your own guest list with the names of your closest loved ones, whom you wouldn't get married without. Naturally, add names in terms of the importance of their attendance. If this process doesn't seem to be helpful enough, try a slightly different way of prioritizing the names. Compose three separately titled sheets: ‘Must be there,' ‘Would love to have there,' ‘Would be nice to have there.' Fill in the names of all potential guests. Once the lists are complete with everyone you're considering, it should be easier to figure who will need to be left off of the final guest list (if any).

Don't let others or feelings of obligation run your guest list to 300+. Women, especially, never want to create a situation where someone feels left out. Keep in mind that more guests not only means a larger venue and more food, it also means more favors, invites, cake, alcohol (should you choose to serve it) and planning. Unless you're fortunate to have a limitless budget and ample planning time, you're probably going to have to draw the line somewhere. But if you are someone with whom money and patience is not an obstacle, feel free to invite everyone!

Once your list is complete be sure to factor in that approximately 10 percent of invited guests typically don't show to weddings. Therefore, if you're inviting 200 people to your nuptials, you can realistically count on around 180. Of course, this is a generalization and some weddings have more turn out than others.

Don't wait! Now that your list is done it's time to send out Save-the-Date announcements to all on your finalized guest list. For more information on saving the date, see the article titled "Save the Date! Wedding Announcements"