Wedding Invitations

[Uzoma]

I've invited a number of people to our wedding anniversary. Most of them have assumed that they can either come with a partner or if their partner can't make it, they want to bring another relative. Is this normal? After all, I only invited the one person.

[CheekyChops]

I think it depends on the wording of the invitation.

I have been invited to my brother's wedding and am single, so my invite is to 'CheekyChops and Guest' and I can take who I like. If it just said to 'CheekyChops' then I wouldn't assume I could take anyone.

We went to a wedding a few years ago where my mum and dad were invited but my brother wasn't. My dad couldn't make it so we asked the groom if it would be ok for my brother to come in place of my dad, he said that it was fine. I wouldn't 'substitute' someone without asking though, that would be a bit cheeky.

[jno]

that sounds a bit presumptuous of them - an invitation usually means 'you and you alone' unless it says 'you and guest'. If I'd got one and the wording was at all unclear I would have rung you up and asked rather than just assuming I could bring the family round. Now, I guess you can either accept them and all their partners, or call them back and explain you've only got room for one at a time.

[teag1rl]

I think it's rude to ask someone on their own. I'd rather stop at home than go to a wedding on my own to be surrounded by smug marrieds, but I would never assume I could take someone else unless it said 'and guest/partner'

[Uzoma]

teag1rl - my plan would have been that if people came on their own (single or married) then you would not be surrounded by 'smug marrieds'.
I'm just wondering why people can't just come on their own. Ideally, I wanted to be in a room surrounded by people I knew & recognized and now I've got so many strangers turning up it kind of defeats the object. Add on to that pictures with people I don't know as well etc.