You’ve said yes, you’ve got a ring, you’ve told all your friends and family of the exciting news: you’re getting married! Work is probably the last thing on your mind but it soon occurs to you that your colleagues are going to be asking questions, and they’ll want to know about your big day. There are a variety of tricky situations to navigate here, namely: who to invite and managing your invitation choices.
First things first: who to invite
In a recent survey by Office Genie, it was discovered that the majority (77%) of people want at least some of their colleagues to attend their wedding. Of the 2,000 people surveyed, 3% of people would make the bold move of inviting all of their fellow workers and the remaining 20% said they wouldn’t invite any of them.
Those that wouldn’t invite their colleagues were worried that work would end up interfering with their wedding (59%) and would hold back due to the extra expense (17%). Additional reasons were wanting to have a small, intimate wedding; not wanting to discriminate; and sidestepping the potential embarrassment that might result from family and friends meeting their colleagues.
Ultimately it’s up to you who you invite to your wedding but it’s worth bearing in mind the knock-on effect of your decision at work. 
Inviting everyone
If you plan on inviting all your colleagues to your wedding there is very little need to worry about its impact on your working life. You’ll be asked lots of questions to begin with but generally everyone will be in high spirits about the wedding and be pleased to have been asked to join in the celebrations.
Questions over a ‘plus one’ option might throw a slight spanner in the works (and extra cost) but if you work for a big firm people will most likely understand if you turn down this option. You won’t need to worry about them feeling out on a limb either, because they all know each other and can share transport and hang out together at the reception.
Inviting none of your colleagues
This is also a fairly simple option but there’s a chance you’ll face some hostility – particularly from colleagues who consider themselves to be close to you. That said, if they are a good friend, they will appreciate your reasoning. Whether it’s to save money or prevent an awkward feeling in the workplace, at least everyone has had the same treatment. This way you only have to worry about those pesky friends and family members! 
Inviting some of your colleagues
While this is the most popular choice, it’s also the choice with the largest margin for difficulty. It’s inevitable you’re going to have some colleagues you’d prefer to be at your special day than others but this isn’t the easiest thing to spell out. A wedding invitation, or the lack of one, does just that.
You can minimise the damage by sending out the invitations discreetly and asking those you have invited to keep wedding discussions on the downlow. Have faith in your colleagues that they are mature enough to deal with your choice in a pleasant manner. And if they don’t, you’ll certainly be glad you didn’t invite them!
The trick with wedding invites (and your wedding in general) is to trust in your decisions. It’s one of the biggest events in your life and if anyone is going to choose the best option for you, it should of course be you.
Author bio:
Lilli Hender writes for Office Genie: a resource for workplace matters and office moves. The primary focus of her writing is workplace wellbeing.
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