Be sure to include wedding party, officiant and any others directly involved with the wedding. It is not necessary to invite a guests for a single friends or family, however, if you do, proper etiquette dictates you should include their name on the inner envelope, do not the include words and guest . Once you have a base list of people you know you must invite, you can then expand on this list by adding more friends, coworkers, and business associates. You can slim a list down by eliminating certain categories of people, business associates, social group or professional organizations. You may want to consider sending them a wedding announcement rather than an invite, or hosting an informal reception after the ceremony if you have many disappointed friends and acquaintances.
Kids can add a lot of fun to a wedding, and also stress.
Whether or not you include children in your wedding is up to you. A playroom and a baby-sitter might be a perfect combination to let the parents attend your service while the child plays. This gives the parents a chance to enjoy the reception a little more. A baby-sitter or two can be a blessing. Let your guests know a baby-sitter will be provided, especially if children are not readily invited.