Weddings

How To Determine The Guest List For Your Dream Wedding

In my mind, you want as many people as possible at your dream wedding.

Yes, there are cost constraints to this. And possibly travel constraints too.

Depending on how you actually structure your wedding ceremony (and the reception), the number of people you have in attendance could definitely send budget constraints out of whack.

But in my opinion, everyone you're "close" to should be invited to your dream wedding. Because what good is a dream wedding if you can't share with those who know you best?

Of course, you have to be willing to let go of the popularity factor:

• So-and-so gets invited simply because so-and-so is also invited
• You don't want any hurt feelings.

To that, I say: Baloney.

It's your dream wedding, not theirs. It's one day. Not a lifetime. And it's your call. Not anyone else's.

Just know this going in: Not everyone will be able to participate in your dream wedding. Especially if you choose an extravagant location or an itinerary that requires people to be away from home for an extended period.

This actually made the process of deciding who to invite much simpler for Jim and I. We just invited everyone. If they could come... great. If they couldn't... it was understandable. Their travel expenses were on their dime, so we had no real planning to work around. And the bonus for them: If they were able to join us, they got a mini-vacation out of it at the same time!