jkuhmann:We are going to send out baby shower invites soon for my "hometown" shower. This is the one that all the church ladies I grew up knowing will be at and that I am inviting any personal friends and family to. Many of my friends and family are way out of town (between 2 hours and 6 hours for in-state, out-of-state for some) and I expect that they won't be able to come and am perfectly okay with that...traveling that far for a baby shower is a little extreme. My question is this: do I send the people that most likely won't come due to distance a courtesy invitation anyways? I don't want them to feel like I expect them to be at the shower or guilty for not coming, but I also don't want them to feel excluded or like I don't want them to be there. Anyone else have this issue? Any advice?
I've always been on the fence about this issue... I had no say for my shower, since it was a surprise, but my hostesses sent them to EVERYONE! My step-mother even invited her cousins who I've never met. I would not have ok'd that... A little awkward... haha. But she had the best intentions.
My opinion - it depends on how close you are to them. If you never talk with them, I wouldn't send anything. If you talk with them, even a few times a year, I would think it can't hurt to invite them.