One of the most contentious issues when planing a wedding can be the guest list.

We recommend making a start on this as early as possible.

Your numbers will be   dictated by budget and venue size so work out the   number you can invite and stick to it. You may need to be ruthless so start with a complete list of everyone you may wish to invite and categorize them such as definite wish list and possible.

Remember some people may not be able to make it so you can have a stand by list. Don't allow yourself to be bullied into inviting people you don't know in favour of friends but do remember that some compromise will be required here. This is what marriage is all about so it's agood test!

Be sure you have a note of the full postal address of everyone you'd like to invite. Think about information you need to record such as acceptances, meal choices, transport requirements etc, create a spreadsheet and update it regularly.