Planning for a wedding can be a real pain in the neck. One of the more stressful aspects of the planning phase is your guest list. How many people you invite can completely change how much you are spending on the event. Many couples opt to keep their weddings relatively small in order to not spend a small fortune. With your guest list, you may have a hard time determining which of your guests get a plus-one. You are most likely not going to be able to afford giving each person the ability to bring a date to the wedding. This means that you may have to sit down and consider which of your guests you would like to offer this opportunity to. If you‘re not completely sure how to make this decision, there are a couple of points to keep in mind.

The Obvious

To start, it can be a good idea to look at the obvious. The people in your wedding party definitely get to bring guests. There is no way you can ask your friends or family members to join your wedding party without offering them something in return. They are going to have to take care of several aspects of planning for and executing your wedding. Offering your bridesmaids and groomsmen the chance to bring a guest is an appropriate gesture that shows how much you appreciate them. 

You are also going to want to make sure that you allow anyone in a long-term relationship to bring a guest to your wedding. This generally means that you should give a plus-one to those who live with their significant others, have been dating for several years, or are in relationships that seem to be committed. Don’t worry about giving a plus-one to your cousin who seems to be dating a different person each week. Focus on the more serious relationships to start, and it will make your life a bit easier.

The Strangers

There may also be guests at your wedding who do not know anyone else. This is usually the case when you invite a specific friend or associate who is very dear to you. For example, you may wind up inviting a childhood friend whom you have not seen in quite a bit of time. While you and your family members might know this person very well, the wedding will contain far more people who are unfamiliar to this individual. By allowing your old friend a plus-one, you are guaranteeing that he or she will have someone to hang with. 

Who Doesn’t Need a Plus-One?

Now that you have a general idea of who you should be giving a plus-one to, it might be useful to take a look at an example of who does not need to bring a guest. You do not need to worry about giving a plus-one to the co-workers that you and your significant other know. Usually, the co-workers will be able to spend time with each other and won’t have to worry about feeling like a stranger at your wedding.  

There are many different methods that you can explore when it comes to inviting guests to your wedding. Determining who gets a plus-one might be a headache, but you can easily figure out a course of action with enough forethought. While it can be quite stressful to try and come up with a cohesive guest list for your wedding, having a plan can get you far.