Proper Wedding Guest Etiquette

Dear Ms. HeartBeat:
A coworker received a wedding invitation addressed only to himself. He responded that he would only come if he could bring his long-term girlfriend. He said that the girl who is getting married has been like a daughter to him.

I told him that his response was rude. Am I crazy? Half the office agreed with me, but the other half agrees with him. I am not Miss Manners, but I know wedding etiquette, AND yes I know you are always supposed to invite a guest. But this is a 22-year old girl trying to have a nice wedding, and paying for it herself.

Signed,
Peeved

Dear Peeved:
Most people have the good sense to know that a person dating someone seriously, living with them, engaged to them, in love with them, etc. is not going to come to a wedding all alone.

Your coworker didn’t need to make a big deal of it though. All he had to do is respond with “2 guests” or “Mr. Jones plus one” or “Mr. Chris Jones and Ms. Samanthan Evans” and leave it at that. His response was not rude at all, it was very realistic and informative.

Though I understand that you are concerned the bride is paying for her wedding herself, I have this to say: If you are too young or too broke to afford a wedding on the scale you are attempting to have, then you are too young or too broke to get married. Broke young people need to reconsider the whole “big wedding” thing and just have a small wedding in the backyard or at the Justice of the Peace and call it a day.

MsHeartBeat

Relationship and dating advice columnist of Ask HeartBeat! Has enjoyed dishing out insightful yet hilariously funny advice, tersely worded reality checks and "let me slap you upside the head" wake up calls to men and women around the globe since 1991.