Choosing the wedding guests can be one of the most contentious parts of the wedding preparations, as the different people involved may have different priorities. Parents and parents-in-law will often want to invite relations of all degrees as the wedding is a rare chance for a full-scale family get-together. Bride and groom are often more interested in inviting friends that are more immediate – colleagues from work, close friends from school and college days, etc. So you will all need great tact and consideration to avoid falling out over this most crucial question.

If you want an intimate wedding, you may be looking at between 10 and 40 guests, or for an extravaganza, anything up to around 500. When compiling your list, think of family, friends, work colleagues and other areas of your life, such as sports teams, knitting circles, book clubs, neighbours, drinking mates, ex-lovers, etc. It can soon tot up. You also need to decide if you want to (more…)