My parents are throwing an engagement party for my fiancé and I. We grew up in different states so this is a great opportunity for our friends and some of our close family to meet each other. The venue has a 40 person limit with 3 hours for everyone to mingle. With that being said, some of my partners' friends have girlfriends and I'm not sure if we should prioritize inviting the girlfriends over inviting uncles, aunts, and cousins (we both have big families).
On one hand it would be a good opportunity for me to meet my fiancé's friend's girlfriends. However I do not feel that is necessary at all!! How do I know they'll still be together by the time we have our wedding (in at least a year from now)? And I want to have a small wedding anyway, so I don't envision "extra" people being there.
Is there a way to help decide whether to invite this category of people? I've heard "Ring = bring" but none of the guys are engaged lol. One has been dating his gf for like 2 years and he lives with her & her parents. Some others have been dating a girl for just a few months.