Funny story: My grandma saw my wedding seating chart and told me I have to change it so that Susie and Bob can sit at the table. I say Susie and Bob weren't invited. Grandma says, "Of course they are! They already bought a gift for you!"
It turns out that grandma has been inviting people to my wedding without telling me. Some of them are distant family members, some are family friends I don't know very well, some are people I have never met. She even put an announcement in her church bulletin (running every single week) about the location and date/time.
So far she remembers inviting around 2 dozen people that SHE has told me about. However, 8 people so far have told me that she invited them, and she herself had forgotten. She thinks "most" of the people she has invited will come. Her church has more than a hundred members and I have no idea how many people would attend based on her church bulletin. She says "a bunch of people" sounded like they would.
Our wedding guest list is small (38 adults with everyone RSVP'd and attending) and it's too late to change that. We picked a tiny church my parents got married at, and it only seats 46 people. We have already paid for our reception venue, which charges by the number of attendees. I have also given our final head count to the caterer and bakery. Tables and chairs have been rented, centerpieces made, menus and programs printed up...the whole deal. On top of all that, we really can't afford to increase the guest list at this point. We have budgeted down to the dollar and I can't afford dozens of extra guests.
So basically, to make that long story short, I cannot accommodate these extra guests.
I have asked my grandmother to un-invite everyone she has invited and to post a correction in the church bulletin. However, since she can't even remember everyone she has invited, I am betting there will be at least a few people that show up that weren't officially invited by myself and my future husband.
How do I handle turning them away at the door?
I hired a "security guard" of sorts for the wedding (long story - family member has a history of getting drunk and starting fights). I am considering giving him a guest list and having him check people off at the door.
Is there a better way to do this?