Do You Have to Allow Single Wedding Guests to Bring a Date?
It is an age old dilemma: must a bride and groom allow every single guest to bring along a date to their wedding? Are “plus ones” truly mandatory? This handy guide will solve your wedding guest issues, show you how to draw the line, and give you the etiquette that you need to support your decision.
First the short answer: No. It is not necessary to include “and guest” on every wedding invitation. Your wedding is really about sharing a special moment in your life with those that are nearest and dearest to you. Strangers whom you have never met are really not a part of that equation. Many brides and grooms would prefer not to invite their guests to bring along their own guests, but are afraid that it would be somehow rude to draw a line about who may come to their own wedding. Fear not; etiquette is on your side on this one.
Bear in mind that not all unmarried people are single (it should go without saying that a married couple would always be invited as a pair). An unmarried couple who live together should definitely be invited as a pair, just like a husband and wife. It is definitely a nice gesture to also invite partners in long term relationships, even they do not cohabitate. The names of those partners should appear on the wedding invitation. In other words, they are wanted and invited, not random “plus ones”.
You might also point out to your unattached guests that a wedding can be a great place to meet someone new. Love is in the air, and everyone is dressed their best. The single ladies will be decked out in their prettiest dresses and the single men will be looking sharp in their handsome suits. A few spins around the dance floor, Swarovski crystal bracelets sparkling in the light, some shared laughs, who knows…the next great love could be the one that blossomed at your wedding. With that argument in hand, you may just convince your single friends that you are doing them a favor by skipping the “and guest”!
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