The list.

*ominous and dreadful chamber music commences*

I am expecting hurt feelings. Maybe tears. But at least no family drama. We wanted to keep the wedding VERY small and intimate. Think In Her Shoes (Toni Colette’s little end-of-film wedding) meets Rachel Getting Married (but far less pretentious). Perfect.



However, while we don’t have large families, we do have to accommodate all of those “level 1” relatives (immediate aunts, uncles and cousins). It would just not be pretty if we omitted one aunt but not another. After some basic head math, that’s about 60 people. Already more than I wanted in total. This leaves very little room for friends (+dates), and many of our friends are to us, as close as family. We’ve capped it at 100 people. Luckily, it looks like we will be able to include our closest friends and family-friends within that number. Even better: our wonderfully non-meddling parents are not expecting any extra seats of their own (outside of family).

What I do expect, however, is that the questionable uninvited group of friends/friends-of-friends/acquaintances/ coworkers who may fancy themselves invite-worthy (rightly so if we had a larger budget), could take offence to an empty mailbox. We are anticipating some awkward moments. I hear from a friend who recently came out alive on the other side of her wedding that she is still facing guest list-related bitterness. Two years later! We are both fortunate enough to have many wonderful people in our circles, who come and go and contribute so richly to our lives in many ways. Unfortunately, we can’t possibly afford to include everyone. Even if it is a budget wedding.

And so, the politics begin.