It is a practice in most cultures for the groom to visit the parents of the bride and ask for their blessing; though in some cultures the couple just goes and announces their engagement and wedding plans. Usually, once the dust from the rounds of kissing and hugging die down, the mothers in particular will begin making suggestions about what must be done for your wedding and who must attend. This is wonderful. It is always great to have your families help and support. It can become a headache though when they keep saying that each relative will feel bad if you don't invite them when truth is you'd never even heard of Cousin Michael.

A major consideration in any wedding is, how many guests will there be? Left to your family, they may want you to invite all your relatives, plus all your friends and some neighbors. They turn your nuptials into a reunion or a fiesta for everyone they know. Years later, you look at your wedding album and wonder, "who in the world were these people in the pictures?"

One thing that will help you decide on how big your reception will be is your budget. The bigger your budget, the more guests you can have. Of course, the same is also true. You may actually prefer to keep the number of guests down so that you'll have more to spend on your trousseau. It can also help make your nuptials more solemn and memorable to have a more intimate union.

Of course, there's always the choice to elope in case you really want the numbers almost nil. The bottom line is, it is your wedding and your special day. You should be surrounded by the people you love and choose to be present on this very special day. So talk it over as a couple and invite the people who mean the most to you to be present.