invite some friends to your wedding and not invite others without looking rude ..
I’ve seen people invite for one event and not the other. For example, invite for the shaadi but not the mehndi, etc etc. Both the bride and the groom try their best accommodate everyone and it can get tricky, so sometimes limited seating is given as a reason. I’ve even seen people invite the couples (the elders) but exclude children.
At the end of the day, it’s your wedding. It’s your special day which you are coordinating with your husband-to be. So, it’s up to you whom you want to invite or exclude. On the flip side, we often have to invite people to our special events (out of obligation) that we are not too fond of. You can still inform the friends that were not invited of your wedding and give them mithaai, etc…meet up with them later…etc. Your friends that still want to remain connected with you will do so. Those that don’t…won’t.
figure out an excuse for each of the person you are not inviting…citing something like..they might be busy or bla bla..
Don’t worry about them as they won’t be your friends anymore after you pull that stunt.