Guest list surpassing Venue limit???

You put your foot down and tell them that you cannot fit any more people. There's really no discussion; if there is no room, there is no room; it's not a matter of dollars, it's a matter of space and your wishes. Talk about this once, get it over with and don't discuss it again.

Absolutely!

trust me. you arent the first bride thats going to fight with parents and in laws about inviting random friends that youve never met. it may be okay to let her invite her bff.. but 24 people? NOPE

My FMIL is doing the same thing. Thankful that she gave us 5k towards the wedding, but She invited 19 people who we literally don't talk to..ever. His distant cousins, aunts.. its annoying. I am inviting my closest family. mom,dad,grandma, and 2 cousins. its annoying but I'm praying they don't all RSVP cause they will be sitting on the floor with no food.. sorry, but this shits costing me close to $20,000! I can't feed the world

We are going through this now - we are over our max with our current guest list and will need to make further cuts, but both my parents and FILs want to add more people. They are SOL. Do not invite more than the max hoping people will decline - that is asking for trouble. (Plus, I figure if these people weren't important enough to be included in the first 10 drafts of the list that they aren't priority anyway.)

Of course you can, there is literally no room for them

Ditto at Celia. Put your foot down and take the reins back. Your wedding, your guest list. You must ALWAYS prepare for the worst (ie everyone showing up) and must be able to accommodate them all. You can't hope and count on attrition. Especially if you're expecting to go over capacity.

It's time to put your foot down. There is no room, Plus that could be a fire hazard (If a fire ever breaks out which I really hope it does not).

You have an iron clad excuse, "I'm so sorry-- our venue just can't hold any more people." End of story.

100% YES. Your wedding, your guest list. She is not paying at ALL??! She is lucky you are letting her invite ANYONE! No pay, no say, seriously. You literally *cant* go over the venue's limit. Not only will they not fit, but there might be fire code issues. You have to STRICTLY cap it. Give her a # she can invite based on that cap and that's it. Start with the people you don't actually know lol. You literally CAN'T budge because your venue won't allow it! She will not be happy but that's not your problem.

You need to put your foot down! You already booked the venue and can have so many guests. It's your wedding. If she isn't paying for anything then tell her you can't invite them.