When it comes to weddings, guestlists = headwrecks. Think House of Cards-style political machinations: Who will you offend? What if your parents gave you money towards the wedding and now they want to invite their whole road? Will your colleagues hate you forever if they’re not on the list? Well, it's never easy leaving someone out. But when it comes to shaving back the list, these people are the low-hanging fruit – and you have our FULL backing to cut them out.

1. The priest / registrar

Yes, they may have married you, but it's not the 1950s any more so there’s no hard and fast rule that says you have to invite the priest or registrar. It’s completely up to you, so don’t mind what your devout Catholic aunties have to say about it.

2. Children

It’s totally within your rights to have a child-free wedding. It doesn’t mean you’re bad people, or that you hate children; it simply means you’ve chosen a child-free wedding. A wedding day is long, so you can’t really blame kids for getting jacked up on too much Fanta and cake, but unless those hyper kids are your own close relatives, you might regret inviting them along.

3. Your parents' friends

Your parents want to share the day with their close friends; we get that – but this can swiftly get out of hand and before you know it you’re writing out place names for the entire golf club wondering who the feck Jossie McDaid is when he’s at home. We suggest gently, but firmly, telling your parents early on how many friends you are comfortable with them bringing.

4. New boyfriends / girlfriends

A plus-one isn’t an unspoken entitlement – it’s either offered or it isn’t and guests have to respect that. Guest lists can be tight, and it stands to reason you won’t want to use up some of your precious space on people you don’t actually know. Use your discretion though, so if it’s the new boyfriend or girlfriend of a best friend, then do them a solid and let them come – or if a person won’t know anyone you can’t really have them sitting alone like a pleb can you?

5. Friends you haven’t seen in years

You want quality, not quantity at your wedding, so there’s no need to extend invitations to people you haven’t seen in yonks. To be fair, if you were that good friends, you would have made the effort to stay in touch right? Of course the exception here is good friends who live abroad – sure look, we’ll let those lads come.

6. Work colleagues

Unless you’re very close with them, it’s okay not to invite your work colleagues. Guest lists can be tight, and they’ll totally understand the whole ‘ask one, ask them all’ worry. But if you’re afraid they’ll hate you forever, how about inviting them to the afters?

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