Plus One?

Photo courtesy of MotoPhoto Hamden

Having trouble keeping the guest list to a reasonable number? Most people might think to themselves, well maybe we don’t have to send certain people an invitation with a “plus one” option.  Right…and WRONG!  When it comes to proper invitation etiquette, there are certain “do’s and “dont’s.”  It is 100% acceptable to invite one of your single friends and not add “plus one” to the invitation.  However, it is not acceptable to invite only one half of a long-term couple.  You may not know your friend’s significant other, but put yourself in their shoes.  Would you want to attend a wedding without your boyfriend/girlfriend or fiancé!?  Absolutely not! Having this extra person will not ruin your special day nor will it present an extreme additional cost in the grand scheme of things. 

A problem may arise if you are unaware of the person’s relationship status.  If it is a close friend, you most likely will know their status, and if you don’t know for sure, feel free to ask them how they would like to attend the wedding, single or with a guest.  If it is a distant relative that is present by obligation (we all know who I’m talking about), you can easily find this out discretely through another family member.  In this instance, it is always nice to invite someone in a long-term relationship, but not necessary.  It is necessary however, if they are engaged.    

Photo courtesy of Russell's Photography Studio

Now that you have determined who is bringing a guest, how do you properly indicate on the invitation that a guest is in fact invited to your wedding? The outer envelope should always be the first indicator. For instance, if your cousin John Smith is invited to bring his fiance, Jane Doe, the invitation should be addressed to "Mr. John Smith and Ms. Jane Doe". If you are inviting your cousin to bring a "date" (in other words, not a girlfriend or fiance), the envelope should read "Mr. John Smith and Guest". This will let him know that if he'd like the option to bring someone, he can.

So in summary, if you have the extra cash for your friends to bring dates, great! If not, don't stress. But you do need to invite fiances, long term significant others.