⚡ Promptolis Original · Relationships & Life
📋 Wedding Guest List Discipline
Each guest = $250-400. Cutting 20 guests saves thousands. Framework: criteria, tiers, difficult family conversations, plus-ones + kids policies.
Wedding Guest List Discipline — Each guest = $250-400. Cutting 20 guests saves thousands. Framework: criteria, tiers, difficult family conversations, plus-ones + kids policies. Setup: 2 min to try · Best AI: Opus 4 for family dynamics. · Cost: Free, MIT-licensed.
Why this is epic
Guest list is 70% of wedding stress. Family politics, financial constraint, wanting-intimate-vs-wanting-everyone. Framework reduces stress + prevents regret.
Per-guest cost honest: $250-400 typical. Cutting 20 = real money.
📑 Page navigation + Key Takeaways Click to expand
📌 Key Takeaways
- What it is: Each guest = $250-400. Cutting 20 guests saves thousands. Framework: criteria, tiers, difficult family conversations, plus-ones + kids policies.
- Best for: Initial guest list drafting
- Time investment: 2 min to try setup, 3-5 hours + family conversations output
- Recommended AI model: Opus 4 for family dynamics.
- Cost: Free forever — MIT-licensed, no signup, no paywall
📑 On this page
- The prompt (copy-ready)
- How to use it (4 steps)
- Example input + output
- Common use cases
- Pro tips + variants
- FAQ
⚙️ At a glance
- Category:
- Relationships & Life
- Setup time:
- 2 min to try
- Output time:
- 3-5 hours + family conversations
- Best AI model:
- Opus 4 for family dynamics.
- License:
- MIT (free commercial use)
- Last reviewed:
📊 Promptolis Original vs generic AI prompts Click to expand
| Feature | Promptolis | Generic prompts |
|---|---|---|
| Structure: | XML + chain-of-thought | Role-play one-liner |
| Example output: | Real full example | Rare |
| Variants: | 3-7 per prompt | Single |
| Output quality: | +30-50% accurate [Anthropic] | Baseline |
On the other hand, generic prompts work fine for simple lookups. Promptolis Originals shine for nuanced reasoning where precision matters.
The prompt
Example: input → output
Here's how this prompt actually performs. Real input below, real output from Claude Opus 4.
<target-count>120</target-count> <current-draft-count>175</current-draft-count> <family-tensions>Groom's mom wants to invite extended cousins (20+); bride's family smaller and already within target</family-tensions>
Criteria Framework
For each proposed guest, ask:
1. Relationship depth: do I / we know this person well enough that they'd recognize us at the grocery store unprompted?
2. Last contact: have we talked in last 12-18 months meaningfully (not social media)?
3. Why they'd come: are they coming for us, or for the event?
4. Post-wedding presence: will they be in our lives in 5 years?
Guests who fail 2+ criteria: B or C tier.
Tier Design
From 175 draft, classify each:
Tier A (MUST be there): ~60-80 names. Immediate family, wedding party, closest friends, people you'd call in a crisis.
Tier B (want to include): ~40-60. Close friends, important colleagues, extended family you're close to.
Tier C (optional): ~40-60. Acquaintances, distant family, plus-ones of casual connections, 'should invite because...'
Cut at 120: A + most of B + minimal C.
Expected 85% RSVP rate → invite 140 to get 120 actual. So invite 120-140 if your comfort level allows.
Difficult Conversations Scripts
For Groom's mom (extended cousins issue):
'Mom, I want to talk about the guest list. We're capping at 120 for budget reasons. I know you'd love to invite [extended cousin list]. We can include [2-3 closest cousins], but the full extended list would push us $15K+ over budget and we'd have to cut friends who've been in our daily lives.
I know this is hard. Family matters to you, and your wanting them there means you love them. AND I need to protect the event for both of us being together on this day. Can we agree on [2-3 cousins] and you can explain to others that we kept the wedding small?'
This centers: (1) budget as objective constraint, (2) your relationships equally valid, (3) mom's feelings acknowledged, (4) specific compromise offered.
If mom offers to pay for the extra 20 guests: Fair conversation. Ask specifically ($5-7K for 20 guests minimum). Many 'I'll pay' offers don't materialize.
Plus-One + Kids Policy
Plus-one strict rule: married or 1+ years dating + you've met them. Applies equally to all guests.
Kids policy decided early:
- All kids welcome: kid-friendly venue + food + entertainment consideration
- Older kids only (10+): less disruption
- Adults only (18+): clearest policy; state on invite
For 120-guest wedding, 'adults only' saves 10-20 guests (kids + their requirements).
Communicate policy BEFORE invitations. 'We're having an adults-only wedding' in save-the-date. Parents need to arrange childcare.
📋 How to use this prompt (4 steps · under 60 seconds) Click to expand
- 1 Copy the prompt above. Click "Copy prompt". XML-structured prompt now on clipboard.
- 2 Open ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini. One-click launch above. Recommended: Opus 4 for family dynamics..
-
3
Paste + fill placeholders. Replace
{curly braces}with your context. Specificity = quality. - 4 Run + iterate. Setup: 2 min to try. Output: 3-5 hours + family conversations.
Common use cases
- Initial guest list drafting
- Cutting budget via cutting guests
- Family political navigation
- Plus-ones + kids policies
Best AI model for this
Opus 4 for family dynamics.
Pro tips
- Criteria before names.
- Budget-first tier: who MUST be there.
- Parent lists: limit to specific number.
- Plus-ones: 1+ years dating or married.
- Kids policy decided up-front.
Customization tips
- For family paying parts: whoever pays has some input. Not veto; input. Negotiate specifically.
- For cultural expectations around inviting many: can differ. Indian, some Middle Eastern, some Asian cultural norms differ. Negotiate vs. standard Western 100-150 threshold.
- For destination: attendance rate drops to 40-60%. Can invite more than budget-comfortable; travel self-limits.
Variants
Default Guest List
General framework
Budget-Constrained Cut
Cutting to hit budget
Family Political Conflict
Parent wanting more guests
Second Wedding (different dynamics)
Remarriage contexts
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this prompt and how to get the best results from it.
How do I use the Wedding Guest List Discipline prompt?
Open the prompt page, click 'Copy prompt', paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini, and replace the placeholders in curly braces with your real input. The prompt is also launchable directly in each model with one click.
Which AI model works best with Wedding Guest List Discipline?
Opus 4 for family dynamics.
Can I customize the Wedding Guest List Discipline prompt for my use case?
Yes — every Promptolis Original is designed to be customized. Key levers: Criteria before names.; Budget-first tier: who MUST be there.
What does it cost to use this prompt?
The prompt itself is free, MIT-licensed, with no email signup required. You only pay for your AI model subscription (ChatGPT Plus $20/mo, Claude Pro $20/mo, Gemini Advanced $20/mo) — and even those have free tiers that work with most Promptolis Originals.
How is this different from PromptBase or PromptHero?
PromptBase sells prompts in a marketplace ($2-15 each). PromptHero focuses on image-generation prompts. Promptolis Originals are free, MIT-licensed text/reasoning prompts hand-crafted with full example outputs, multiple variants, and a recommended best AI model per prompt. We don't sell anything.
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