What do you think about guests bringing random guests?

[Cabobride09]

Thank-you for posting this. This is something that also has been on my mind since a few invited guests have talked about bringing randoms. I now feel much better telling them they can travel & room with whoever they want to, However the wedding will only be extended to invited guests..meaning friends & family only.

Whewwww! I feel so much better.

[lolkitteh]

Interesting thread.

 

My 2.5 cents on this is that while the HC have every right to dictate who attends the wedding and wedding-related events, it is absolutely NOT fair to guests to dictate who travels with them to the wedding.

 

I do also think that for a DW, some concessions should be considered. In the particular case of a DW, guests have cleared several days off of their schedule, taken off time from work, and paid a lot of money to honor the HC on their Big Day. In return, it is the responsibility of those hosting the wedding to be good hosts and ensure that their guests are comfortable. Arguably, that also means perhaps even conceding to a random "and guest" (as opposed to a specific "and guest") where you wouldn't normally, had it been a wedding at home. It's not fun and definitely more expensive to travel alone, and having someone to hang out with both at the destination and the wedding (especially if everyone else is "coupled") would go a long way in having an invited guest feel comfortable and welcome.

 

I have a couple of single guests whom I am allowing a random "and guest". The first guest just broke up with his girlfriend, whom I was going to invite by name as his "and guest". The second one, the MoH for my FH, may or may not be with her BF by the time the wedding rolls around, so we've told her she can bring whatever SO she is with at the time. She is also traveling with other friends who are not invited to the wedding, and I'm cool with that - as I said, I don't think it's fair to dictate who people want to vacation with, and her friends understand that they aren't invited to the wedding events.

[scottgm2]

I think this is a personal call. You have to think about the friend not wanting to travel alone and what will their friend do if they don't come to the wedding. You want your day to be happy as well as special. Make the most of it

[BakersGirl]

Good topic. I am facing the same thing. I at least want to meet this other person before the wedding. I might actually like her.....but then again, I might not. I feel like I am being selfish by wanting my friend to myself, but who knows......