Harry's Blog

In the next week or so we will be sending out invitations to our wedding. I've not quite finalised my list of guests yet, I'm shuffling names around and trying to pack people into my allotted 40 places. Of course drawing up a wedding guest list isn't too difficult. There are several dos and don'ts such as keeping battling relatives apart and of course one should never invite an ex-girlfriend/boyfriend to your wedding.

So it's all pretty simple. But I've from an Irish Catholic background, although not a left-footer myself, which means there tons of relatives. I'm just having to be strict with the invites. Apart from my very closest family, my friends are the most important guests for me. So a plethora of cousins aren't going to get in. Instead I want as many friends there are as possible.

We're going to be pretty strict on people attending the wedding ceremony. I've a few relatives who have this strange sectarian notion that there's something sinful about attending a non-Catholic wedding service but nothing at all wrong with then turning up and scoffing the expensive food at the reception. Well not at our wedding they won't. If they can't come and celebrate our wedding in the church I really don't want them at the reception, I've seen them do this at other family weddings and I won't have it at ours.

I'm sounding like a right whingebag aren't I? Sorry. Anyway, the list is almost finalised and I'll have to let a few relatives – mostly cousins – down. But I can't see how I can leave close friends out for people I rarely have any contact with. Some of the friends I don't have much contact with any more aren't on the list either. But as you probably know, my beloved L and I aren't rich and we do have a limit to keep to.

As well as a list of guests I need to prepare an information package to go with the invitations that includes details on how to get here and hotels in the area. Most of my friends will be travelling a long way, the longest all the way from near Darlington (might need to establish a base camp along the way mate?) so that's quite a trek. My close family has already booked totally up a local B&B but there are more hotels in the area.

Anyway, the wedding is drawing closer and it's starting to come together. Once the invites are out there's not a huge amount to do other than pay for things. Easier said than done, but I think I can speak for both of us when I say we are much less stressed about the wedding than we were a few months ago and are really looking forward to that wonderful date in September.