The guest list, family by family

At a Moroccan wedding you invite families more than people. Here is how to keep a list that stays right until the day.

Updated 28 October 2026

Count by family, and by side

Each family gets one invitation but comes as several people. For each family, note the side (bride or groom), the number of people, the children, and who to contact. It is the total of people, not invitations, that matters for the venue and caterer.

One list per celebration

Not everyone is invited to everything: the henna night often gathers close family, the wedding night everyone. Mark for each family the celebrations they are expected at, and you get a true count for each.

Track the answers

• Note who answered, for which celebrations, and how many people are really coming.
• Send a reminder a week before the final count is due to the caterer.
• Keep one list shared by both families, rather than several files that drift apart.

Spreadsheet, paper or app?

A spreadsheet is enough to start, but it soon gets hard to keep up to date with several people, and it does not collect answers by itself. A shared list where each family answers from its link saves copying in replies received on WhatsApp.