Uninvited plus ones

This is why I'm giving every single person older than 18 a plus one including my grandma and my great aunts. But since you didn't do that, I would just call, message or text each person individually and explain that you are unfortunately unable to accommodate their plus 1.

I really find it hard to believe that "SO many single guests" suddenly entered into a relationship after you sent out invites. One or two maybe, but "so many?" What I think is way more likely is that your single guests were in relationships and you didn't know. They got the invitation and decided to ask if their significant other was invited. If that's the case, it's your fault for not checking first prior to sending out invites. Also, the fact that your post states that you invited all "long term" significant others and the fact that you didn't meet these (as if that's a criteria?) makes me think that's why you're so upset about this. ALL significant others should be invited, whether long term or not and whether you've met them or not. It's up to you and your groom/bride to check in with all your guests to see if they have a significant other if you don't already know.

Muriel, there are many etiquette references, but the rule I go by is "don't piss people off". If someone is dating someone, they are in a social relationship. I've heard many MANY stories on here of people not being invited to events when dating someone (even early in the relationship). There were hurt feelings and a permanent scar on the friendship with the wedding couple. If there's even a chance of disrespecting someone's relationship, err on the side of caution.

@Jacks- so what you;re saying is you make up your own etiquette rules that you are trying to pass off as society's expectations to other brides.

I agree that it is always kind to not piss other people off, but ,on the other hand, those people need to be responsible for their own feelings and cannot use their feelings to manipulate their way through life.

I don't know why you and others are choosing to ignore the fact that the OP said these plus ones "were not in the picture" when the invitations were mailed. No one is judging or saying that these are not valued relationships now, merely that these guests were truly single, i.e not dating anyone when they were invited to the wedding.

If it were possible, I am sure the OP, like many others, would extend a plus one if they had asked for it. It's not. The venue is at capacity. Despite the best intentions, it is not always possible to add more people to the guest list both in terms of venue capacity and budget.

@Elizabeth Thank you for your response. It is actually the case that a lot of single people entered relationships or simply wanted to bring a date to the wedding after invitations went out. We tried our best to accommodate our friends. They did not ask if they could bring a date, they just RSVPed with one. Thank you.