I thought the wedding planning would be the hard part and choosing the wedding party would be the easy part; but it's funny how politics always finds it's place in every aspect of life!!!
We are inviting between 250 and 300 people to our wedding. My FI has 7 bridesmaids and I have 10 guys that I simply can NOT imagine not including each of them.
We both have a tremendous network of people and have gone to college, graduate school, etc. We've lived in different areas of the country; my profession requires I meet and interact with many other professionals. So needless to say, over the years, you meet a lot of people and make a few dear friends along the way. My 10 include my 2 best friends (both best man and both I've known since we were 13).
My 3rd guy is another friend since childhood who asked me to be in his wedding next year as well.
4 and 5 round out our tight knit high school group of friends (and I actually see 4 and 5 more than the rest because we all still live near eachother - usually once or twice a week);
6 and 7 went to college with me, number 2, and number 5 (yes me and 2 of my closest friends all went to college together, lol) We did everything together; partied together, played video games together, went on vacations together.
8 is my brother (he's only 18 or he would be up for best man contention - my mother got remarried when I was 12 so you can do the math)
9 is my Cousin who was LIKE a brother from ages 4 to 18 and then again from 26-30 (current day) when I moved back after law school. We don't see eachother or talk as much as all the other guys but enough to where we are still close.
10 is my Uncle who is also my God father...when my Dad left (his brother) he stayed in my life and we were very close (my Dad left the state)...He would always slip me cash on the side when I needed it to go out and have fun with my friends in High School...We see eachother now every Monday (current day) for dinner and movie/TV show on Netflix...He and I have done fantasy sports together since I was 14 (he got me in my first league with he and his friends) I rent my apartment from him and he gives me a rate I would NEVER find anywhere else. He has told me I am like the son he never had. It could DEF be argued he should be best man.
It should also be noted, and you may all not believe this, but EVERY one of these guys that I listed, outside of my brother and cousin (yes my Uncle is in our league - also, the uncle is on opposite side of family than my cousin, they are not related), are in our VERY serious fantasy football league. We get together AT LEAST twice a year for our Draft, midseason party, and Superbowl. So ALL these guys are tight too because I kind of brought everyone together. We also do an NCAA and Madden (Xbox) online dynasty/franchise EVERY year which keeps up in touch on an almost DAILY basis and the guys in that are # 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8.
Everyone ALWAYS tells me how lucky I am to have such a tight-knit, close, group of friends after all these years. And I can say without embarrassment, going to school for as long as I did, they have ALL helped me out at one time or another and in one fashion or another. I really have the best friends you could ever imagine.
Do you now see my problem? How do I just tell one or two of these guys that they can't be in it? I realize 10 groosmen seems excessive for a wedding which MAY only wind up with 200-250 guests after RSVP's, but I just can't picture any other way.
Advice?