Maryland Wedding - Who gets a Plus-One Invite?

If you’ve been planning your Maryland wedding for even a short length of time, you know how expensive they can be. With an average cost of over $37,000; every guest adds not only adds to the total, it takes away money that could be used elsewhere.

Our Maryland Wedding DJ company is dedicated to helping a couple plan their dream wedding. While our blog offers many localized articles, much of the information is universal. This article is one in a series of articles intended to help anyone who is planning their dream wedding.

Do we have to invite plus-ones to our Maryland wedding?

The answer to this question as with most wedding questions that begin with the “Do we have to…” phrase is, no; you do not have to.  That said, there are some things to keep in mind before you ask all your unmarried guests to come solo.

When creating your wedding budget one of the early big steps is putting together the guest list. Your Maryland wedding venue will only hold a certain number of people and, each additional guest adds to the cost.

So how do you decide who should have a plus-one and who should not?

Who should get a plus-one?

• Anyone who’s married

  Think about it—would you want to attend a wedding without your spouse? It is polite to acknowledge that even though you have never met your aunt’s new husband or your future father-in-law’s boss’s wife, you respect their union?

• Anyone who’s engaged lives together or is in a long-term, serious relationship

  Any couple who are engaged, live together or who have been dating for over a year should get a plus-one. Currently, lots of couples live together before they get married—or never get married at all—so acknowledging their commitment is the right thing to do.

• Your wedding party

  This doesn’t mean you have to force each bridesmaid and groomsman to bring a date to your wedding if they don’t want to (there’s a chance they’ll decline anyway), but it’s important to make the offer because they’ve been there for you from the start.

  It is important to remember they have not only given you their time, love, and energy, but they’ve also spent a lot of money on attire, lodging, and transportation, maybe for multiple events.

Who doesn’t need a plus-one?

• Guests who are casually dating

  If the guest hasn’t been dating the same person for more than a year, giving them a plus-one isn’t a priority, although it is thoughtful if you have it in your budget.

• Coworkers

  Coworkers can be tricky, and it is best to have the same policy for all coworkers to avoid unnecessary issues. Either allow all coworkers to bring a guest or do not allow any plus-ones.

One last thing about plus-ones…

Crunching the numbers is not the most glamorous part of wedding planning, but your guest list count is crucial. Your wedding budget and the size of the venue are the primary factors that should play into this decision.

Here are a few tips:

Each guest adds to the number of:

• Plates your caterer will prepare.

• Wedding favors and chair rental cost.

• How much cake you will need?

Include names on the response cards.

Yours would not be the first wedding where a guest crams two (or three or four) plus-ones onto one line, even though the invitation was made out to one person. The way to avoid this problem is to print the guests' names onto the RSVP card. Do this and there is almost no way anyone can force an invite on you.

If for some reason you still get an extra write-in, do not take their faux pas personally. Instead, politely call and tell them the deal: You'd love to have everyone, but budget and space mean it is just not possible.