Here it is:

I�ve decided I�m taking F, C, M, T, and E off the guest list. Cost and size weren�t the issues; my biggest issue was a moral one, as in "do I really want these people at my wedding when we don�t even exchange occasional emails?" With everyone except M, I feel that I�ve done more than my share of trying to keep a friendship alive. They have not reciprocated. Frankly, I�ve grown tired of trying. Why invite someone to my wedding if they�re not involved in my life? Why invite someone to my wedding that I have not seen or heard from in more than passing in over a year? It�s totally illogical. Why didn't I realize that before?! So I�m not inviting them... and voila! My decision is made.

Sad, too, because all of them were once very close friends. Times sure do change.

Here�s what I�m currently grappling with: I AM inviting A and N. (Although I sometimes have second thoughts about N....) A is close friends with M and N is close friends with F. Do I ask them to keep things hush-hush? I hate to do that because it�s kind of tacky... but I also don�t want to offend those that aren�t invited because that�s kind of like a slap in the face.

Sandy had some great insight, not just on the guest list but on several different issues. It�s made me a little more aware of how I�ll need to handle things.

Another potentially "sticky" situation is that we definitely do not want non-family kids there. I mean, really... cocktail parties are not appropriate places for kids and weddings are no different. We�re having a full open bar for the entire evening and just feel that it would be awkward to subject kids to that. As it is now, we have exactly five family kids there (two of my cousins and three of M�s nephews and nieces). Plus, if we let everyone bring their kids, we would have at least 15 extra people to deal with. M and I specifically do not want our wedding to turn into a childcare center and believe you me, it would be if there were 15 kids there! Kids need constant entertainment because they get bored, they can be unruly, the parents will not enjoy themselves and will most likely leave right after dinner, etc. We want a dignified wedding, not a circus side-show. Furthermore, we want our guests to enjoy themselves without having to watch after their kids.

We did not, however, print "adult reception" on the invitations because technically (and according to etiquette), the invitation is only meant for whom it�s addressed. But now I�m wishing we had because so many people are clueless. Sandy said that even with "adult reception" printed on their invitations, several people brought their kids despite Sandy and Ron�s wishes. Believe it or not, but some even called and asked if they could bring their kids! I�m speechless. I didn�t think people were so naive.

Luckily, this is not something I need to freak out about for at least a couple months (when we send out the invitations). But I�m bracing myself for the drama....

I wish I were having a small wedding! If everything wasn�t already done, I�d probably be changing a lot of things. Large weddings just aren�t worth it.

So that's that.

Tomorrow is my Friday off work. Yahooo! I had a doozie of a nightmare crop up here at work today and I'm currently wondering if I need to make work-related phone calls from home tomorrow. But tomorrow I have a dental appointment followed by general errand-running and probably won't get home until late in the day. Worst case scenario is it will have to wait until Monday. I suppose that's not that bad.

I'm Audi!