Uninvited Wedding Guests
Showing up to a wedding without an invitation is a serious social faux pas. It would be like wearing a necklace your ex-boyfriend gave you for your wedding instead of your fiance’s gift of pearl bridal jewelry. Nonetheless, wedding crashers are a real problem, and not just in the movies. It can be a difficult issue for the newlyweds to resolve on the spot at the reception, which is why it is wise to have a plan in place beforehand should uninvited guests arrive.
The most likely type of uninvited wedding guest is not so much a true wedding crasher (unless you happen to be a celebrity), but a date brought along by one of the official guests. This actually makes the issue a bit more delicate, since presumably the person to whom you did extend an invite is someone that you care about. That means that unceremoniously chucking the intruder into the street by his shirt collar is pretty much out of the question.
If you are having a buffet dinner and there is room for an extra guest, the most gracious thing to do is nothing. Simply allow the uninvited guest to have dinner along with everyone else and do not give it another thought. In the case of a buffet or station reception, it really won’t cost you anything more than maybe a couple of drinks. But if you do not have an extra dinner or a place to put the uninvited guest, by all means someone should inform the person that they cannot accommodate an extra guest for dinner. To soften the blow, you may invite them to join everyone else for dancing after the meal.
Much more rarely, there will be true wedding crashers, people who you most definitely do not want to have at your wedding. Typical candidates are ex-boyfriends or ex-girlfriends, estranged relatives, and maybe a crazy former roommate. There is no need to allow these people to intrude on your wedding day. The father of the bride or the best man is perfectly in the right if he lets the wedding crasher know that his or her presence is not welcome and that they must leave. Rarely will this sort of problem arise at a wedding, but at least if it does, you will be prepared to handle it so smoothly that none of the invited guests will even know that anything is happening.
Filed under Uncategorized, Wedding Planning, pearl bridal jewelry | Tags: pearl bridal jewelry, uninvited wedding guests, wedding crashers | Comment (0)Wedding Crashers
Wedding crashers – it was a great idea for a fun movie, but in real life wedding crashers are nothing but a headache. Your best defense is a good offense – try to deal with the problem well before the wedding.
Wedding crashers usually fall into two categories: invited guests who never sent in their R.s.v.p. and then show up anyway, or tag-alongs brought by invited guests. Be clear with the response cards. Fill in the names of the invited parties, and do not use the type of response cards that allow guests to fill in the number of people that they will bring. Too many people take this to mean that they can bring whoever they would like.
Follow up on your invitations. If there are guests who have not responded, it may be necessary to phone them several times (if they are rude enough not to reply to a wedding invitation, there is no guarantee that they will return a call in a timely manner). If they still do not respond, leave them a message saying that you will assume that they are not planning to attend the wedding.
Much more rare is the malicious wedding crasher. This type of unwanted guest is usually a jealous ex-spouse or former boyfriend or girlfriend. If you have that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach that someone from your past is going to show up an cause a scene at your wedding, it is important to be proactive. Designate a couple of point people to handle the crisis, should it arise. Groomsmen are perfect for this.
Weddings are complicated events, and there are always surprises that pop up. When the surprise is an uninvited guest, all you can do is deal with them pleasantly, either welcoming them to the party when feasible or gently sending them home if you cannot accommodate them. With a little foresight and planning, you can prevent wedding crashers from causing problems on your big day.
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