Woman Doesn’t Make The Cut To Fiancé’s Friend’s Wedding, Wonders If Her Beliefs Were The Reason
Interview With ExpertIf you’re in a relationship and receive an invitation to a wedding, you’d probably assume that you get to attend together. However, due to budget constraints, venue capacity, and other factors, guests’ partners don’t always make the cut.
Just like it happened to this couple, which made the one who wasn’t invited feel disrespected and hurt. So much so that she wanted her partner to decline the invitation altogether.
Scroll down to find the full story and conversation with a sustainable wedding and event planner JoAnn Moore and micro wedding planners Kate and Caroline from You’re Invited WI, who kindly agreed to share their insights on wedding plus-one etiquette.
For various reasons, guests’ partners don’t always make the cut for the wedding
Image credits: Alexander Mass / Pexels (not the actual photo)
As it happened to this couple, which made the woman quite hurt
Image credits: cottonbro studio / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Anthony Tran / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: SukiBean214
Image credits: Ricardo Moura / Pexels (not the actual photo)
“It’s your day, not a plus-one free-for-all”
Interviewed wedding experts say that it can be acceptable to deny a plus-one to a few chosen wedding guests, as long as it’s done in a consistent and thoughtful manner.
“Your wedding guest list should reflect your priorities—budget, venue size, and vibe. It’s your day, not a plus-one free-for-all. As long as you’re consistent and thoughtful, it’s absolutely okay to make those decisions,” say micro wedding planners Kate and Caroline from You’re Invited WI.
“Denying a plus one to a few guests is acceptable if they know that the person they plan to invite is NOT in a serious relationship,” additionally notes a sustainable wedding and event planner JoAnn Moore. “If the guest invited has a ‘significant other,’ meaning a married partner, engaged, or has been in a long-time relationship, the guest should be allowed to bring their ‘significant other’ to the celebration. For a guest to add a plus one should never be expected or acceptable.”
Valid reasons for not offering a guest a plus-one could be the budget or the size and space of the venue, wanting to keep the event intimate, and avoiding strangers at a small celebration.
“Also, note that the hosts for the event are usually the parents or the couple themselves. With the costs of weddings and special events skyrocketing, it is ok for the host to express the limitations of a budget. The hosts’ choice of venue limitations for the number of guests can also be a safety concern with respect to capacity, and we would hope that guests would understand the hard decisions the couples all have to make,” says Moore.
Image credits: Felipe Cespedes / Pexels (not the actual photo)
“Guests should be respectful of the hard decisions couples need to make”
If it happens that a guest’s partner isn’t invited, wedding experts say that they should try to be understanding. “A little understanding goes a long way. Every couple has different constraints and intentions. Most guests get it—especially when it’s a micro wedding or a smaller event with clear communication,” Kate and Caroline say.
“Although the budget is of no concern to the guests, all guests should be grateful for the invitation and understanding of the couple’s difficult decision to limit the number of guests invitations,” Moore agrees. “Guests should be respectful of the hard decisions couples need to make.”
In order to keep the complicated plus-one situation tension and falling-out free, wedding experts stress that kind and honest communication is a must.
“A personal note on the invite or a casual, honest conversation can go a long way. Something like, ‘We’d love to include everyone, but we’re keeping things small and meaningful. Thanks for understanding!’ Your true friends will support you no matter what,” Kate and Caroline assure.
“I recommend a polite and honest conversation with the guest who did not receive a ‘plus one’ invitation. ‘I’m sorry, our budget is very limited, and we made the difficult decision to keep the guest list to a minimum,'” seconds Moore. “Or, ‘The venue we selected has a strict guest count, making it difficult for us to allow everyone to have a plus one.’ It can also happen that guests who did not have a plus one meet someone special at a wedding or celebration, resulting in a relationship.”
Lastly, Kate and Caroline advise future spouses not to feel guilty for making decisions that honor their vision. “The people who love you will show up—plus-one or not.”
The comment section of the post was filled with all sorts of opinions
Later, the woman shared an update
Image credits: Gabriel Ponton / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: SukiBean214
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Yeah, nah. Keeping the magat bride on the guestlist is "keeping the peace" behavior. Which never works. Been there got the t shirt and a keyring. The older I get the less b******t I put up with. Which is about 0 right now.
I've just completely shut out friends that have gone MAGA, even one that I grew up with and have known over 45 years (who is ironically an anchor baby). Just not worth my time so be around such hatred and lack of empathy. I'm watching this country sink into economic depression and despotism. They're trying to get habeas corpus suspended, so they can arrest anyone without cause. And since my wife is a legal immigrant here on a marriage visa, we can't travel outside the country for fear of her being detained. And traveling is our favorite thing, and how we met. I'm done pretending I'm ok with the people who set this march to fascism in motion.
Load More Replies...Even if it is a small wedding it's rude to not to invite the spouse, fiance or the bf or gf that's been together for at least a couple of years unless you just can't stand each other.. it's standard wedding etiquette to invite them.
Either everyone gets a plus one, or no one. That's what I was taught is the correct etiquette anyway.
Load More Replies...Absolutely, OP and the other partner not invited should plan outing. Go someplace fun and think about how the partners are stuck being someone else's decoration at a wedding that can't be that much fun. Live it up and keep moving forward.
Exactly my thought. And They should take a ton of pictures for Instagram.
Load More Replies...The future groom is spineless and a closet f*****t, the future bride is a witch, the boyfriend and future husband is a chickens***, and the future OP will be disappointed in her marriage because her spineless future husband will never take her side. One thing about fascists and homophobes is that they will always continue to out themselves. The bride and groom do not want their conservative rich buddies who are attending this wedding to see anything upsetting in the form of a gay male couple or a woman with opinions. I'd seriously think about tying the knot with someone too spineless to defend his wife, let alone his alleged principles. If you're not standing against TwoDollDonny and his Maggots, you're with them.
Keep us witches out of it !lol we are nothing like that inhuman ! But the rest totally agree x
Load More Replies...OP should say to fiance "You can either go to that wedding or ours. Pick."
Why? It just seems like an extra bother you don't need to make. Let him go, let her come and be the bigger person. It is just easier.
Load More Replies...The fiance is a do.uche. If that happened to me, my wife would never go and vice versa.
Op should call off the wedding with this stupid spineless coward, that's totally a hill worth dying on. Op's fiancè is telling her that his friendship with an as.shole is more in important than their relatonship. Inviting a couple is basic wedding etiquette, what makes it even worse is that her fiancè is one of the groomsmen.
Honestly, weddings are a big waste of money. I know people want to have the lavish ceremony but unless they're rich, better to put the $$ towards a house. My daughter wanted a wedding so I helped pay for it, but my son and his wife couldn't see the point. They were married at the registry office and had a nice holiday and bought a new car instead. (They already had bought a home.)
Extra upvote to you , I feel the same n I’ve been married three times (not nice ones either ) but the money is far better spent on like life not one day !
Load More Replies...Let's read this another way: The guy is IN the wedding party and is not being allowed a plus one? Neither of the dudes in this scenario have spines.
I agree with EnvironmentalSand773. You don't even like these people so why do you want to go?! I can't believe you are making such a big deal about this and are trying to force your fiance to drop out of his childhood friend's big day. Sounds like you are insecure and selfish to me. The bride and groom can invite or not invite whoever they want and for whatever reason to their wedding. It's their wedding and their choices!
I would be happy not to go, but I would be a bigger person and invite both of them to my wedding. Of course, a snide comment about not going to their wedding would be uttered
I find it weird that OP even wants to go and expects to be invited to a wedding for people who clearly don't like her. I would, personally, encourage my partner to go because he made a commitment but to monitor the actions of these people carefully to see if they really are the type of people he wants to maintain a friendship with.
I mean, I'm a (fairly) conservative Christian, but even I think the bride's behavior is douchey. Whatever. I say after the wedding stop trying to be friends with them. Her behavior is absolute BS in my book, and her husband (and honestly, OP's husband) going along with it is also BS. Done with that.
I'm sorry, but both of these people are of the political doormat/naively dupable variety. As a queer woman, I am horribly offended on the part of the other groomsman's partner. I will be honest enough to admit that I'm of the non-forgiving kind when it comes to bigotry or magats of any kind. Yes, the other parties may believe what they wish, even if I find it hideous. But in this instance they are *acting* on their bigotry and political beliefs and it is being done, in my opinion, *specifically* to make the uninvited partner feel less-than. Both of those men should step aside as groomsman rather than reinforce that belittlement even a jot. And I disagree with one of the commenters above: sometimes, what looks like a small, useless hill to die upon is exactly *the* hill one should choose.
100%op go out for the day with the gay partner , to a gay bar , you will have a real blast :) and stuff that vile lunatic , I’m not in the least bit religious don’t believe in it at all , I’m a Wiccan , earth spirtual thing m , n while I have no problem with religious people that keep it to them selves and just live their lives n let others be to like my catholic son in law , (and g y p s y) who’s really lovely love him to bits , I have do however have a huge issue with lunatics like this this woman m one person got it right =maga !!!! they are nasty inhuman people , those I have issues with !, big time and tbh they are full on hypocrites! personally I really wouldn’t want THAT drama at my wedding ! but I’m still with all of them to your fiancé should tell them no way am I attending if my partner is not invited !!! not a good start to your life personally , however if he goes make sure you go out n have a bloody good time lol n stuff that inhuman maga s k a n k !
This is a boon IMO. Weddings are almost always so awful and boring. The food is usually terrible the speeches and "family drama" is tedious. I've been to many weddings and only enjoyed maybe 2 of them. Who wants to spend the day with a bunch of repulsive bigots anyway? I'd rather stand here and you could beat me with a stick (to quote Rita Rudner)
This makes no sense. If someone's partner is invited to dinner or a concert or a weekend trip etc, they aren't expected to stay home because their partner isn't invited. Why would this be different for a wedding? It's just a night out with friends with free drinks (or a cash bar if you're in the UK :( ) This is just a bridezilla who isn't content with feeling important at her own wedding, she wants to set the rules for everyone else's. Calm down.
I can't figure out what you think OP did wrong. Was voicing an opinion wrong?
Load More Replies...Yeah, nah. Keeping the magat bride on the guestlist is "keeping the peace" behavior. Which never works. Been there got the t shirt and a keyring. The older I get the less b******t I put up with. Which is about 0 right now.
I've just completely shut out friends that have gone MAGA, even one that I grew up with and have known over 45 years (who is ironically an anchor baby). Just not worth my time so be around such hatred and lack of empathy. I'm watching this country sink into economic depression and despotism. They're trying to get habeas corpus suspended, so they can arrest anyone without cause. And since my wife is a legal immigrant here on a marriage visa, we can't travel outside the country for fear of her being detained. And traveling is our favorite thing, and how we met. I'm done pretending I'm ok with the people who set this march to fascism in motion.
Load More Replies...Even if it is a small wedding it's rude to not to invite the spouse, fiance or the bf or gf that's been together for at least a couple of years unless you just can't stand each other.. it's standard wedding etiquette to invite them.
Either everyone gets a plus one, or no one. That's what I was taught is the correct etiquette anyway.
Load More Replies...Absolutely, OP and the other partner not invited should plan outing. Go someplace fun and think about how the partners are stuck being someone else's decoration at a wedding that can't be that much fun. Live it up and keep moving forward.
Exactly my thought. And They should take a ton of pictures for Instagram.
Load More Replies...The future groom is spineless and a closet f*****t, the future bride is a witch, the boyfriend and future husband is a chickens***, and the future OP will be disappointed in her marriage because her spineless future husband will never take her side. One thing about fascists and homophobes is that they will always continue to out themselves. The bride and groom do not want their conservative rich buddies who are attending this wedding to see anything upsetting in the form of a gay male couple or a woman with opinions. I'd seriously think about tying the knot with someone too spineless to defend his wife, let alone his alleged principles. If you're not standing against TwoDollDonny and his Maggots, you're with them.
Keep us witches out of it !lol we are nothing like that inhuman ! But the rest totally agree x
Load More Replies...OP should say to fiance "You can either go to that wedding or ours. Pick."
Why? It just seems like an extra bother you don't need to make. Let him go, let her come and be the bigger person. It is just easier.
Load More Replies...The fiance is a do.uche. If that happened to me, my wife would never go and vice versa.
Op should call off the wedding with this stupid spineless coward, that's totally a hill worth dying on. Op's fiancè is telling her that his friendship with an as.shole is more in important than their relatonship. Inviting a couple is basic wedding etiquette, what makes it even worse is that her fiancè is one of the groomsmen.
Honestly, weddings are a big waste of money. I know people want to have the lavish ceremony but unless they're rich, better to put the $$ towards a house. My daughter wanted a wedding so I helped pay for it, but my son and his wife couldn't see the point. They were married at the registry office and had a nice holiday and bought a new car instead. (They already had bought a home.)
Extra upvote to you , I feel the same n I’ve been married three times (not nice ones either ) but the money is far better spent on like life not one day !
Load More Replies...Let's read this another way: The guy is IN the wedding party and is not being allowed a plus one? Neither of the dudes in this scenario have spines.
I agree with EnvironmentalSand773. You don't even like these people so why do you want to go?! I can't believe you are making such a big deal about this and are trying to force your fiance to drop out of his childhood friend's big day. Sounds like you are insecure and selfish to me. The bride and groom can invite or not invite whoever they want and for whatever reason to their wedding. It's their wedding and their choices!
I would be happy not to go, but I would be a bigger person and invite both of them to my wedding. Of course, a snide comment about not going to their wedding would be uttered
I find it weird that OP even wants to go and expects to be invited to a wedding for people who clearly don't like her. I would, personally, encourage my partner to go because he made a commitment but to monitor the actions of these people carefully to see if they really are the type of people he wants to maintain a friendship with.
I mean, I'm a (fairly) conservative Christian, but even I think the bride's behavior is douchey. Whatever. I say after the wedding stop trying to be friends with them. Her behavior is absolute BS in my book, and her husband (and honestly, OP's husband) going along with it is also BS. Done with that.
I'm sorry, but both of these people are of the political doormat/naively dupable variety. As a queer woman, I am horribly offended on the part of the other groomsman's partner. I will be honest enough to admit that I'm of the non-forgiving kind when it comes to bigotry or magats of any kind. Yes, the other parties may believe what they wish, even if I find it hideous. But in this instance they are *acting* on their bigotry and political beliefs and it is being done, in my opinion, *specifically* to make the uninvited partner feel less-than. Both of those men should step aside as groomsman rather than reinforce that belittlement even a jot. And I disagree with one of the commenters above: sometimes, what looks like a small, useless hill to die upon is exactly *the* hill one should choose.
100%op go out for the day with the gay partner , to a gay bar , you will have a real blast :) and stuff that vile lunatic , I’m not in the least bit religious don’t believe in it at all , I’m a Wiccan , earth spirtual thing m , n while I have no problem with religious people that keep it to them selves and just live their lives n let others be to like my catholic son in law , (and g y p s y) who’s really lovely love him to bits , I have do however have a huge issue with lunatics like this this woman m one person got it right =maga !!!! they are nasty inhuman people , those I have issues with !, big time and tbh they are full on hypocrites! personally I really wouldn’t want THAT drama at my wedding ! but I’m still with all of them to your fiancé should tell them no way am I attending if my partner is not invited !!! not a good start to your life personally , however if he goes make sure you go out n have a bloody good time lol n stuff that inhuman maga s k a n k !
This is a boon IMO. Weddings are almost always so awful and boring. The food is usually terrible the speeches and "family drama" is tedious. I've been to many weddings and only enjoyed maybe 2 of them. Who wants to spend the day with a bunch of repulsive bigots anyway? I'd rather stand here and you could beat me with a stick (to quote Rita Rudner)
This makes no sense. If someone's partner is invited to dinner or a concert or a weekend trip etc, they aren't expected to stay home because their partner isn't invited. Why would this be different for a wedding? It's just a night out with friends with free drinks (or a cash bar if you're in the UK :( ) This is just a bridezilla who isn't content with feeling important at her own wedding, she wants to set the rules for everyone else's. Calm down.
I can't figure out what you think OP did wrong. Was voicing an opinion wrong?
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