Not close to immediate family

I could be in the minority here, but when I read that I don't take it to mean "mom, dad, siblings, etc." but more to mean whoever you consider your immediate family to be. I'm also not in the boat where I'm no contact with my family or anything like that though, so I can understand how wording like that could make some feel excluded.

Hello ! At my wedding, I had only my mum and a cousin, I invited her just because she was the only one to come visit to my parents when everyone else just forgot... My dad and my grandma couldn't come as they were already sick. So... in 53 people there were only 2 from my family, the rest were friends. I prefer that than inviting people who would love to have me paying them a trip to France even though they wouldn't even recognise me at the airport...

My fiance has a huge family. His family alone makes up about 70 people (plus some of their plus ones) of our 225 person wedding.

Only 3 people from my family are invited, and only 1 will show up (my dad, who I only reconnected with about 4-5 years ago) I have no contact with my dad's family, and no contact with my mother or anyone on her side, except for my grandparents on her side, who are invited but will not come because they don't want to "take sides" since I'm not inviting my mother.

But my fiance's family is wonderful and loving and accepting, and my friends are more my family than those blood related to me. My friends are the people I wouldn't be able to get married without

At this point my immediate family, as defined by society, is limited to my father, my stepmother, and my husband. (And my ILs.)

The other people I share DNA with are famously not talking to me.

On the other hand, FRAMILY, as defined by our circle, are throwing us a baby shower on Sunday and includes not only my ILs (and my family on zoom), but our closet friends - those who were at the wedding, and whom we trust with our lives.

"Family" is a very nebulous term.

Honestly, I say to invite whoever you really want to be there. My husband's only family member in attendance was his mom. He definitely has way more family on his dad's side, but they weren't invited for various reasons. A good number of the guests were friends of his and it was wonderful.