Your guest list

The popular adage, 'when in doubt, leave it out', can be applied to your wedding. Along with choosing the bride's dress, creating the guest list is one of the most difficult and time-consuming tasks associated with a wedding.

This is a very special occasion that you'll want to share only with those most important to you. The bottom line is, you can't and shouldn't invite everyone. You want the right mix of persons who will help create the perfect atmosphere for your perfect day. So, who should be included and who gets left out? Let's start from the inside out.

 

Family

 

Many parents like to get involved in creating the guest list and include their friends, their co-workers and everyone from the community who ever babysat you. Have a frank discussion with them. It's your wedding. Tactfully explain to Mom and Dad that you want to share the day with the persons you're closest to, so there will have to be a strict limit on how much they'll be allowed to add to the list. A wedding is not a party for everyone you know and everyone who knows everyone you know. Start by adding immediate family members, then work your way out, based on how important the persons are to you and the role they have played in your life.

 

Friends

 

Again, not everyone you are acquainted with should be invited to your wedding. You should invite your close friends, not your childhood pals from primary school whom you lost contact with years ago. Invite your core group who know the real you and have seen you through the stages of your relationship. You don't want to, on your wedding day, find yourself in a crowd of strangers.

 

Co-workers

 

Be selective when inviting people from your office. This can be limited to your very best and closest friends from work and your immediate supervisor, assuming you have a good relationship. It is, after all, a private affair.

 

Church and social groups

 

 

Not every member of your church and social groups/clubs gets an automatic pass to your wedding. Your wedding is for a select group, so choose those closest to you from different areas of your life.

 

Local community

 

Depending on how well you get along with your neighbours, adding them to your list could be a good idea. However, if you haven't kept in touch with your neighbour from your local community since you were a child, I am sure they will understand.

This list is not exhaustive. At the end of the day, it is your wedding. Make the difficult decisions that have to be made and stick to them. Anyone who gets mad because they've been left out probably didn't want the best for you to begin with. Those who aren't invited, but are still happy for you, are good people. Nurture those relationships.