Brides & Weddings Magazine
by Lisa Beth Miller
As if brides do not have enough to worry about…along comes the task of actually compiling the guest list for the big event. Seems simple enough, right? Wrong.
Remember all of those people that you want to invite who are unmarried? You are going to have to figure out if it is acceptable for them to bring dates to the wedding. This is a tricky situation for a few reasons.
1. Nobody likes to go to weddings alone (OK maybe those guys in the Wedding Crashers movie, but not most people).
2. If you have a lot of single friends, giving them ALL the green light to bring dates could substantially impact your wedding costs and pack your special day with strangers.
So…what to do? The trick here is to come up with rules and actually stick to them. Maybe you realize that you only have ten single guests. Perhaps it is fine if they all bring dates.
If you have 40 single guests, maybe decide that fiancees are welcome, but casual boyfriends and girlfriends are not. Or decide that if the couple lives together, they should both be invited.
Do what is best for you and comfortable for your budget, but don’t make exceptions to your rule. Doing this is offensive to the guests who comply with your wishes!
OK…there should be just one exception. If a member of the wedding party is single, he or she should always be allowed to bring a date. Members of the wedding party usually do a lot for the bride and groom in the months leading up to the wedding, so it is only appropriate to allow them to bring a guest!
