The Best Tips For Trimming Your Guest List

Being one of the most important days (if not the most important day) of your life, it is a given that you will want to have your nearest and dearest present on your wedding day to share smiles, laughs, and even some tears of joy. More likely than not, you will invite your closest family members and friends to revel in the celebration of your marriage, but what about, for example, your dad's second cousin's brother twice-removed?

The first thing you need to know is that it's just not possible to invite everyone you know to your wedding. Second, your wedding day is a joyful time in your life, so stressing over who to invite should be the last thing on your giant to-do list. In fact, it shouldn't be on your to-do list at all!

This is where we come in. We know that deciding where to draw the line on who to invite to your wedding is a tricky task, so we have interviewed Tara O'Grady, founder and owner of Bliss Events and ranked one of Toronto Life's best in the biz, to shed some light on some quick tips for how to trim your guest list.

1. Adults only. Though we love the little ones, sometimes it makes things a lot easier to ask parents to leave the tots at home. Be sure to give ample notice so that babysitters can be arranged.

2. No plus ones. Ask your single guests to fly solo for the night, which may not be so bad after all!

3. Pass on the second and third cousins. Some extended families can be very large, so this time you may have to draw the line a little closer to home.

4. No co-workers. Unless you have built a social relationship outside of work, this may be one those times where you skip mixing business with pleasure.

5. Parental restrictions. Ask your parents to limit the amount of friends they invite (unless they are paying for the wedding of course).

Remember, if you're going to choose one of these guest list restrictions, to avoid offending anyone, you must be consistent. Stick to your guns and you'll be on track for a completely stress-free wedding day.