Guest List
Who you invite is up to you, but here are some things to consider:
Industry standard is that 20% of your invitees will decline, however it is not unheard of for weddings to have a 100% attendance rate. When looking at venues, assume your entire wedding guest list will attend. The last thing you want is to be cramming 120 people in a venue that only fits 100 comfortably.
You do not need to give every single guest a +1. Wanting to keep your wedding to just your known community is totally fine. However, if the only other people your guest knows at the wedding are people in the wedding, consider giving them guest to bring.
If your parents are helping to pay for the wedding, they should get some say in the guest list. However, you can be open with them about your overall expectations: "Mom and Dad, we are so grateful for your support and are happy you want to invite your friends, however we are trying to keep the wedding very small and intimate at 50 guests total and ideally avoid inviting people we have never met. Can you take that into consideration when making your guest list?"
