guest-list-politics · run 01

input {
  "topic": "guests-and-seating"
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output {
  "topic": "guests-and-seating",
  "content": "# Guests & Seating (Coach Reference)\n\nGuest management is where logistics meets emotion. The guest count is the biggest\nmultiplier on cost after the total budget, and the guest *list* is one of the most\ncommon sources of family tension. Help couples handle both the numbers and the\nrelationships with equal care.\n\n## The guest list\n\n- **Start it early and rough.** Even an approximate number drives venue size,\n  catering, and budget. It's a Phase 1 task (see `planning-timeline.md`).\n- **Use tiers.** Tier A = must-invite (immediate family, closest friends); Tier B\n  = would-love-to; Tier C = if space/budget allows. Tiers make later cuts and\n  evening-only invites far less painful, and give a clear plan if RSVPs come in\n  under capacity.\n- **Day vs evening.** UK couples average ~80 reception guests (74 at the ceremony,\n  ~21 evening-only). Splitting day and evening lists is a normal, useful lever.\n- **Tie every add to a cost.** \"20 more guests\" isn't abstract — at ~£117/head\n  venue+catering it's roughly £2,000+. Use this framing constantly (see `budget.md`).\n- **The hard categories:** plus-ones, children, colleagues, \"parents' friends.\"\n  Decide a *rule* for each (e.g. \"plus-ones for live-in partners only\", \"no under-12s\n  except immediate family\") and apply it consistently — consistency is what makes\n  it defensible when someone pushes back.\n\nUK couples are inviting ~11% fewer guests than in 2024 — intentional, value-led\ntrade-offs, not reluctant cuts. Reassure couples that a smaller list is a\nlegitimate, increasingly common choice, not a compromise.\n\n## Family and the guest list\n\nWhen a parent wants to add guests the couple doesn't know, redirect to logistics,\nnot taste (the most useful diplomatic move in the whole skill):\n\n> \"We'd love to include them, but the venue caps us at [number]. Adding 40 would\n> mean dropping [specific thing] or changing venue. Shall we look at the numbers\n> together?\"\n\nTaste is debatable; capacity, budget and venue rules are factual and final. Frame\nevery difficult guest-list conversation around a practical constraint. If a parent\nis contributing financially and feels entitled to invite people, see the\ncontributions strategy in `budget.md` (assign money to specific suppliers, not\n\"the reception\").\n\n## Invitations & RSVPs\n\n- **Save-the-dates** go out early (Phase 2), especially for destination weddings,\n  peak dates, or far-flung guests. Formal **invitations** follow once details firm\n  up (Phase 3).\n- **Digital vs paper.** Digital invites are increasingly accepted and much cheaper;\n  many couples do paper invites but push detail (directions, accommodation, gift\n  list) to a wedding website (47% of couples make one). Either is fine — match it\n  to the couple's style and budget.\n- **Wording & etiquette** (who's hosting, formal vs relaxed, dress code, RSVP\n  method/deadline) — there are dedicated articles; pull them via `article-index.md`\n  under Guest Management / Stationery.\n- **RSVP management.** Set a deadline ~3–4 weeks before the date so the final head\n  count and dietary list can go to the caterer. Expect chasing — build it in.\n\n## Accommodation\n\n- 57% of UK couples leave guests to sort their own accommodation; that's a\n  perfectly normal default. Beyond that: blocking rooms at the venue, or\n  researching nearby options to recommend.\n- Negotiated rates work: where couples sourced their own recommendations and asked\n  for a discount, 71% got *some* discount. Worth a few emails for guest goodwill.\n- Put accommodation options on the wedding website rather than in the invite.\n\n## The top table\n\nTraditional long top table (as guests look at it, left→right): Chief Bridesmaid,\nGroom's Father, Bride's Mother, Groom, Bride, Bride's Father, Groom's Mother, Best\nMan. The logic: couple at centre, each person next to someone from the other\nfamily. Adapt freely for same-sex couples and any family shape — alternate\nfamilies, couple in the centre, attendants at the ends.\n\n**Divorced/remarried parents:** keep the natural parents in their traditional\npositions next to the couple, and place step-parents at the *ends* of the table —\na seat of honour without sitting them beside an ex.\n\n**When tension makes the top table unworkable, use an alternative:**\n- **Sweetheart table** — just the couple. Eliminates top-table politics entirely\n  (nobody's left off), and parents each host their own table of friends (often\n  happier all round). Increasingly popular.\n- **Round top table** — less hierarchical, more sociable.\n- **Mixed arrangement** — parents host separate tables seeded with ushers/\n  bridesmaids so every key table has a \"host\" who knows the couple.\n\n## General seating-plan principles\n\n- **Mix groups** so it's one party, not several — seat a couple of familiar faces\n  among new ones so connections form.\n- **Think about who talks to whom** — pair a quiet guest with a warm, chatty one.\n- **Keep feuding parties apart** — different tables, different sides of the room if\n  needed.\n- **Elderly/hard-of-hearing** guests away from speakers and near the exit.\n- **Children:** under-7s with parents; older kids often enjoy their own table with\n  activity packs.\n- **Single guests:** seat with peers they'll click with — never a \"singles table\",\n  which spotlights status instead of including them.\n\n## The receiving line (and faster alternatives)\n\nA traditional receiving line costs ~30 seconds/guest — ~50 min for 100 guests,\nover an hour for 150. Many couples shorten it (just the couple, or couple +\nparents) or replace it:\n- **Announced entrance** into the reception (~2 minutes, high energy).\n- **Table visits** during the meal (more personal — a real word with everyone).\n- **Photo circuit** during drinks (greet everyone while the photographer gets\n  candids).\n\n## Sources\n\n`references/knowledge-base/articles/professional/pro-navigating-family-dynamics-seating.md`,\n`references/knowledge-base/articles/reports/report-2026-planning-behaviors.md`,\n`report-2026-key-themes-summary.md`. Deeper articles (guest-list arguments,\nplus-ones, kids, invitation wording/addressing, seating-plan ideas, guest books)\nvia `article-index.md` under Guest Management and Stationery.\n",
  "articles": [
    {
      "slug": "how-to-make-a-wedding-guest-list-who-to-invite-who-not-to",
      "title": "How to Make a Wedding Guest List (Who to Invite & Who Not To)"
    },
    {
      "slug": "how-to-create-a-wedding-seating-plan-etiquette-top-tips",
      "title": "How to Create a Wedding Seating Plan: Etiquette & Top Tips"
    },
    {
      "slug": "pro-navigating-family-dynamics-seating",
      "title": "Navigating Family Dynamics: Top Table, Seating, and Diplomacy"
    }
  ]
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input {
  "topic": "budget"
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output {
  "topic": "budget",
  "content": "# Budget (Coach Reference)\n\nHow to help a couple set, allocate, protect, and stretch their wedding budget,\nusing real 2026 UK figures. The budget isn't a constraint — it's the\ndecision-making framework. Once a couple knows what they have, every other choice\ngets easier. Lead with that framing.\n\n## Setting the budget (do this before booking anything)\n\n1. What can they genuinely afford from savings — without touching the emergency\n   fund or taking on painful debt.\n2. Family contributions — have the conversation *early* and get a **specific\n   number**, not \"we'll help out\". 29% of total UK wedding spend now comes from\n   family.\n3. Savings + confirmed contributions = total working budget.\n4. Add a **5–10% contingency**. Unexpected costs always arise.\n\n## What UK weddings actually cost (2026)\n\n- **Average spend: £20,604** (excl. honeymoon and engagement rings); **£25,815**\n  including them.\n- The spread is huge — ~25% spend under £10,000, ~25% spend over £26,000, 10%\n  over £35,000. Don't anchor a couple to the average; anchor to *their* number.\n- Gen Z spend ~12% less on average (£18,485 vs £21,016), mostly via midweek dates.\n- Regional: London highest, South East/South West above average, Scotland rising;\n  the North, Wales and Northern Ireland below average.\n\nUse these to reassure (\"plenty of couples have a lovely wedding for £12k\") or to\nreality-check (\"£8k for 150 guests in London will need real trade-offs — let's\nlook at the levers\").\n\n## Allocation framework\n\nStandard planner percentages as a *starting point*, then adjust to priorities.\nEvery time you raise one category, lower another — the total doesn't change.\n\n| Category | Suggested % | On £20,000 |\n|---|---|---|\n| Reception (venue + catering) | 45% | £9,000 |\n| Photography / Videography | 10% | £2,000 |\n| Dress / suits | 8% | £1,600 |\n| Entertainment | 7% | £1,400 |\n| Florist | 5% | £1,000 |\n| Ceremony | 3% | £600 |\n| Stationery | 3% | £600 |\n| Cake | 2% | £400 |\n| Transport | 2% | £400 |\n| Hair / makeup | 1% | £200 |\n| Rings, favours, gifts, other | ~14% | £2,800 |\n\nCommon adjustments: music lovers push entertainment to 10–12%; photography-first\ncouples push that to 12–15%; foodies load the catering. Always rebalance, never\ninflate the total.\n\n> If the couple has a live Bridebook budget, use *their* personalised allocation\n> (which varies by budget tier, guest count, day and season) rather than these\n> generic percentages. Venue + catering typically run 50–55% of the real budget.\n\n## The two biggest levers\n\n**Guest count** is the most powerful variable after total budget. Every extra\nguest adds catering, drinks, favours, stationery and seating. Cutting 20 guests\nfrom a 120-person wedding can save £1,500–£3,000. Combined venue + catering median\nis **£117.10 per head** (up 23% year on year). Cost per head falls as numbers\nrise, but the total still climbs — fewer guests is the cleanest saving. UK couples\nare already inviting ~11% fewer guests than in 2024.\n\n**Day and season.** Off-peak months (Oct–Apr) can cut venue costs by up to 40%\n(Jan–Feb cheapest). Weekday weddings save significantly; Sunday sits in between.\nThis is how couples have kept venue+catering spend roughly flat despite per-head\nrises — flex the date before cutting the vision.\n\n## Saving strategies that actually work\n\n- **Guest count and date first** (above) — biggest impact, least compromise.\n- **Cake as dessert** — removes a separate dessert course, and the cake gets eaten.\n- **Cocktail-style reception** instead of a formal sit-down can be much cheaper.\n- **Limit the bar** — welcome drink, wine with the meal, toast drink, then cash bar.\n- **In-season flowers** — peonies in June are cheap; in December they're imported\n  and costly. Ask the florist what's in season on the date.\n- **Use the venue's existing features** rather than hiring decor to cover them.\n- **Repurpose ceremony flowers** at the reception.\n- **Digital invitations** (or physical invites with details pushed to a wedding\n  website) cut stationery sharply.\n\nFor category-specific saving tips, the knowledge base has a \"How to save money\non [X]\" article for almost every category — find it via `article-index.md`.\n\n## Hidden costs to build in from day one\n\nThese are what catch couples out — name them early so they're not a nasty surprise.\n\n- **Service charge / gratuities:** many venues add 10–15%.\n- **Corkage:** £5–£15 per bottle if you bring your own drinks.\n- **Overtime:** running past the agreed finish is often charged at 1.5–2× rate.\n- **Venue extras:** chair covers, linen, lighting, sound — often not in the base fee.\n- **Dress alterations:** £200–£500. **Hair/makeup trials:** £50–£150.\n- **Supplier travel/accommodation and meals** for remote venues or full-day suppliers.\n- **Admin:** marriage certificate copies, name-change fees.\n\n## Family contributions — protect the relationships\n\nAssign each contributor's money to a **specific supplier or category** (\"Mum and\nDad are covering the flowers and cake\") rather than a vague pot (\"the reception\").\nWhen people fund a specific element, their input naturally stays contained to\nthat element — this preserves the couple's creative control while making\ncontributors feel valued. Keep them updated on \"their\" supplier, top up quietly if\ntheir amount doesn't cover the full cost, and never compare one contributor's\namount to another's. (Family/money tension is one of the most common stress\npoints — see the escalation note in SKILL.md.)\n\n## Monthly check-in\n\nWhen coaching budget over time: total spent vs budget on track? New quotes\nlogged? Deposits due this month? Are overspends in one area offset by savings\nelsewhere? Is the contingency intact?\n\n## Per-supplier average spend (2026 UK)\n\nUse these to answer \"is this a fair price?\" and to ground trade-offs. Full table\nand durations in `wedding-stats-2026.md`; key ones: venue hire £6,040 (excl.\ncatering), reception catering £5,406, photographer £1,484 (full day averages\n£2,024), dress £1,532, florist £1,187, reception music £1,061, cake £360.\n\n## Sources\n\n`references/knowledge-base/articles/professional/pro-budget-management-guide.md`,\n`references/knowledge-base/articles/tools/tool-wedding-budget-breakdown-guide.md`,\n`references/knowledge-base/articles/reports/report-2026-wedding-costs-breakdown.md`.\n",
  "articles": [
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      "slug": "the-ultimate-wedding-budget-breakdown",
      "title": "Wedding Budget Breakdown: How to Allocate Your Wedding Budget"
    },
    {
      "slug": "pro-budget-management-guide",
      "title": "Professional Budget Management Guide: How to Plan, Track, and Control Your Wedding Spending"
    },
    {
      "slug": "who-traditionally-pays-for-what",
      "title": "Wedding Etiquette: Who (Traditionally) Pays For What?"
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      "intro": "Nothing gets you into the wedding planning mood like taking a look at some of the stunning venues available to couples in your area. From rustic barns to modern warehouses, there's sure to be something that tickles your fancy. Go on, take a peak!",
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          "excerpt": "Most couples approach wedding themes the wrong way. They pick a colour, scatter it across everything, and hope for the best. Or they latch onto a literal theme -- \"rustic barn,\" \"Great Gatsby,\" \"winter wonderland\" -- and try to stamp it onto every surface. The result often feels forced, disconnected, or like a party supply shop exploded.\n\nProfessional wedding designers take a different approach. They start with feeling, not theme. They think about atmosphere, not decoration. And they use all five senses -- not just sight -- to create a wedding that feels genuinely immersive and personal.\n\nThis…",
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