First Birthday - how many relatives is too many?!?

Question

I was planning on having a small party for my son's 1st b'day - probably 10 - 15 ppl..BUT my cousin is now getting married the same weekend, which means ALL the family will be in town! How can I invite some & not others? But then if I invite all my aunts & uncles, do I have to invite their (grown up) kids too? We have a big yard & I can hire chairs etc & food will be kept simple but I mainly feel it will be really overwhelming for bub to have so many ppl he doesn't even know there.

Should I still just keep it to his grandparents, great-grandparents & the 2 great aunts & uncles that he knows? I wanted to invite a couple of our close friends who he loves but now I just don't know WHAT to do. I don't want to offend anyone but I don't think I can handle having 50-odd people for a first birthday party! Anyone had similar experiences, or advice, how not to offend my very large family? lol

Answer 1

Try inviting Aunties/Uncles, Fri st cousins, Grandparents and close friends to narrow it down.

Answer 2

I would not change the amount of people.  If you have 50+  people its is probably going to be to much for him to handle.  Especially if he don't know them.  I would have the party the weekend before or after so that way you don't have to offend anyone.  

Answer 3

If you're Mexican, you're screwed.

If you're other, just invite the original people you wanted to invite in the first place. Those you KNOW will bring a gift for your son should be invited. If the others ask why they weren't invited, grow some balls an just say they weren't invited.

Up until I was 5, my family held birthday parties for me in our backyard for our family, which was maybe 50+ people. We of course invited the whole family, but really, maybe 1/3 didn't even come for me, let alone bring me a gift. When the party was over, some still stayed just to drink. I was never in their mind. By the middle of the party, there's more kegs than kids. If you're going to invite people, make sure you know they'll be there for your son, and not just for their pleasure, an excuse to drink with buddies and cousins. So that's why my family stopped throwing b-day parties for me and my sister by the time I reached 4 and she reached 5.

Answer 4

just invite who you were going to invite. dont go ovverboard. if you dont want to go crazy and have a reunion then ust dont do it

Answer 5

I have a huge extended family plus a whole set of inlaws and most of them live relatively close to us.  I didn't want to offend anyone either so I basically just broke down and invited everyone that could possibly know about the party.  Alot didn't show up but we ended up with 65 people there.  I will say though that I loved it and it was really special.  It was better than I ever expected and wow did all those people singing to him blow me away.  It was a moving moment for me.  At the end of the day, at least in my experience, people get offended whether you intend to offend them or not.  So just do what's best for you and your little boy because it's his special day.  So just have fun and don't stress!

Answer 6

I had 45 people at my daughters first!  It was crazy!  Have an open house from 2-4 so people can come and not feel obligated to stay!!  Or just invite the few you want and if asked, just tell people you didn't want to take away from your cousin's big day!