Last-Minute Wedding Guest Cancellations: Smart Tips to Handle Dropouts Without Stress

Dealing with dropouts is an inevitable part of wedding planning, stressful and sometimes upsetting as it is. However, there are things you can do to minimise stress and get your wedding back on track pronto. Jackie Levers from Cottesmore Hotel, Golf & Country Club (www.cottesmoregolf.co.uk) tells us more.

"It's always disappointing when one of your guests is unable to attend your wedding with very little notice given but if you have a plan in place, it may not be as stressful as you think.

"One option is to have a few evening guests on a reserve list that perhaps you can upgrade to a day guest should the need arise. Sometimes it's only one person who is unable to attend, so this could be an evening guest that may be coming along on their own, or a couple that live in the local area.

"Have a few place cards in reserve that you can hand write a new name on. No one else will know if your table plan isn't 100 per cent correct. Just let the new guest know who they'll be replacing, as it may be too late to reprint it.

"If you're unable to replace that guest, another idea is to feed one of your suppliers with the spare meal, such as your photographer or content creator. This is a great way for food not to go to waste and may save you paying for bar food."