Hi all! I'm newly engaged and am already stressing about guest lists and venues. My fiance and I would like to keep the guest list to around 100 people. However, my parents are divorced which adds about 3 times as many people on my side. My problem comes in with my stepfather's family.
None of my blood relatives live in the Midwest, and thus I rarely see them. For the past dozen years, I've spent nearly every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter with my stepfather's family. But I never see them outside of holidays. I'm not inviting any of my actual cousins to my wedding, nor am I inviting many of my stepmother's family (perhaps two from her side). I don't want to invite all of my stepfather's family. I find them annoying and overbearing. I think his parents and children shoud be there. Unfotunately my mother feels I need to invite my stepfather's two sisters and their children ... that adds 10 people. The stepfamily is also in the same city we're looking at having the wedding, so if we invite them, they'll show up. I'm stressing about what to do: whehter it's even worth hurting their feelings and then seeing them for all the other holidays. But whenever I think about the fact that I *have to* invite them, it makes me shudder. Any suggestions? Thoughts? Recommendations?
And because this might factor into it: My father and stepmother are footing the majority of the bill. My stepfather won't be contributing.
Thanks for any help!