+1 questions

I think giving a plus one to people that don’t know anyone else there would be a nice courtesy

Congratulations on your engagement!


The way that my fiance and I are handling +1s for our wedding is this: anyone in a relationship/married/dating/engaged, their significant other is automatically invited. Couples are a social unit, so both should be invited. For any single wedding party members, they get a plus one since they're wedding party. Any single guests that aren't in the wedding party, it depended on a few things: will they know many of the other guests? If they're traveling, do they have another friend who is also invited that they can travel with? If either of those answers were No, we gave them a plus one.

I think it's pretty common nowadays to not give plus ones for truly single people. Some exceptions are often the bridal party, someone who may not know many/any other people, and those traveling long distances alone. However, the general rule is that anyone who is dating someone by the time invites go out should have that partner invited by name. A lot can happen in 2 years as well, so your list of single people may shrink. Also, not everyone given a plus 1 will take it. We gave them to all our single guests because we only had like 10 people that it applied to. Only 1 of those people brought someone.

If they don’t know anyone else there I think they need a plus one, but if they have friends or family there I don’t think it’s necessary. I’ve had people just add a +1 on their RSVP without for sure having an actual date yet which is irritating, especially when they were just invited by themselves. Ultimately it’s up to you, I’ve been told it’s rude not to give every single person a +1 but it depends on the circumstance.

It will get very pricey if you give a plus one to everyone. Its ultimately up to you, and yes some people feel that way but if you are paying for it theyre just gonna have to understand. A lot of people go by the engaged or married rule, and if someones not then they dont get a plus one

For older guests, if they would otherwise have to travel alone, I would give them a plus one to travel with. Presumably, the cousins all know each other or will at least know other people at the wedding, so it’s not absolutely necessary to give them a plus one. Three of our single guests started dating someone while we were engaged, so their significant others were added before invites went out, and one of our single guests is driving to CO from AZ with a friend so I extend an invite to his friend as well. The only two single guests that we didn’t extend a plus one to know multiple people at the wedding, and we are restricted to 50 people inside our venue due to Covid so I couldn’t give them a plus one unless I cut someone else. A lot can change over the next year plus, but I think it’s a good idea to start working on a rough guest list and budget early. Happy planning!

Plus ones aren’t a necessity for single guests. I do think that it’s polite if they’ll be traveling from out of town or won’t know other guests.

Congratulations on your engagement! I only did plus ones for those in a relationship or if they do not know any one else that will be attending.

Plus ones aren't necessary for single guests. The only exception i would say is they won't really know anyone else at the wedding.

For me it’s depending on the couple/person. For example, my grandmother has been a widow for 15 years but she has a best friend that she is extremely close with and is considered part of our family. When I do the invites I’m including my grandmother’s best friend as her “plus 1.” On the other end, I have 2 younger cousins, one of which just entered a relationship but is a serial dater. They are not allowed the plus 1s for the simple reason of I think they’re too young for it, they have a ton of family around, and I don’t want to get stuck paying for a plate should she break up with her boyfriend before the wedding (which is a common occurrence). If people are going and don’t know many others, we are allowing them a plus one if they are single. So really my long drawn out version of this is that my cousins who are late teens/very early 20s don’t get a plus one but pretty much everyone else does.

We didn’t give everyone plus one’s, only if they’re in a relationship.

Since you are so far out, you should plan that everyone will be in a relationship by that time would need to be invited as a couple. At that point (when you send out save the dates or invitations), you can make the decision to give the single people a plus one, but couples should always be invited together. We gave everyone that was not part of a couple a plus one because we wanted everyone to feel comfortable and enjoy themselves. Some people used it and brought a date, some people used it an brought a friend, and some people opted not to. No regrets and was absolutely worth the money.

If anyone is in a relationship when invitations go out (~8 weeks prior to the wedding), they should be invited with their partner by name. At this point, two years out from your wedding, you have no idea who from your guest list will be in a relationship in 2 years and who won't be, so you should budget and plan as though everyone will be just to be safe.

Our policy is that the wedding party, out of state guests, and anyone who's been together for over a year or live together get a plus one.

Our friends are pretty understanding about it thus far.

They are never required. It is not a breach of etiquette to skip them.

If your single guests won't know another soul besides the bride and groom, then it could be a courteous thing, but you also have to maintain a realistic budget and guest capacity. If they know others in attendance, a plus one is not necessary.
When I was a single guest invited to weddings, I've never received a plus one, whether I knew anyone else or not and I still had a blast. It boils down to what you want and can afford.