Hi good morning all...
as for who to invite, i believe it really up to each individual, their relationship n the parents as well. For a guy familes perspective, as you will be hosting the wedding dinner( tradition view of cos), therefore u are suppose to invite the whole family including the kids. If you are marrying a daughter, by right u are deem as "taking" table from the guys side, so there a limitation. So pple will percieve that u have limited seats, therfore maybe can only accomadate couples....
I guess the most impt part is to reconfirm the guest list as the date get nearer. What my sis did was to confirm with all my relative attendance( since we meet often) so that we know what to expect.
It will be vital to keep at least 2-3 spare table no matter what. U will never know who may bring additonal pple n the last thing u will want to is to have someone complain abt squeezy or not having a seat...esp if it relative...they will remeber for life...hehehehehe
As for venue, i have went almost all the hotels before i decided mine. My advise is, it impt on who u liase with. Cos as some of u mentioned, some are really unprofessional. No matter what tentaive date u have booked, they will entertain those who are willing to pay 1st. If not, some will give u 1-3 days grace period to pay deposit if you want to confirm the date. By then, since they know u are keen, to bargain for extra things could be a challenge.
From business perspective, of cos some of them will consider those who can confirm their sales 1st ma. U must remeber, the person u sign up with, is also a sales person, have target to meet. So of cos she will think of her target than anything else. Therefore, do take note on the person u liase with as it going to make alot of diff in your bargain and your wedding.
My advise is that if you really like the place, u have a rough idea of how many tables u need, then just go for it. Cos like me, shop everywhere, in the end it will also be heart over head...hehehehe
that my 2cts worth...