Attending a wedding without a date can seem like a daunting task, especially if you foresee yourself being surrounded by a sea full of couples. But before you decide to spend the entire event drowning yourself in masses of wedding cake, step away from the sweets on the Viennese table – they’re not going to make the wedding any sweeter. Instead, take advantage of the proven positive ways to bring out the plus sides of a wedding when you’re attending without a plus one by your side.
Get pampered
The wedding may be all about the bride and groom, but that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve any of the attention. Why not engage in a little pampering and self-care and head to a blow dry bar, buy a new dress, pick out a new tie or get your suit altered beforehand? Splurge on yourself so that you can attend the wedding feeling and looking your best.
Besides, you may have already spent a few bucks on an engagement gift, a shower gift, airfare, hotel reservations and/or a wedding gift for the happy couple, so why not spend a little dough to make yourself happy as well? This can be your something new.
Get introduced
When you’re riding solo at a wedding, it’s up to you to take the reins and initiate conversations with other guests of interest. Being confident, outgoing and sociable are highly attractive qualities, and this proactive approach can create a number of opportunities for you to meet someone of interest and get approached by others in return. And the best part is that you already have the perfect entry line to strike up a dialogue.
All you have to ask is, “How do you know the bride and groom?”. That’s it. By utilizing this simple question as your go-to line, you can eliminate feeling weird, needy or awkward since you’re just being friendly. And whether the people you talk to are in relationships or not, you never know who they might know who’s single.
Small talk can have big rewards.
Get chatty
It’s not uncommon for those attending a wedding without a date to be put at what’s known as the “singles table”. A hodgepodge group of odds and ends, this table is typically filled with guests who for one reason or another didn’t quite fit anywhere else. But before you get discouraged about sitting with people who may be older than your grandparents or younger than your nieces and nephews, it’s important to remember that it’s still an opportunity to mingle, network and make a great impression. The older woman next to you may have a single godson. The little girls across from you may have a stepsister who’s unattached. By taking action to get to know those around you, you’re creating more opportunities to get to know others of interest in their social circle.
Get involved
It’s not surprising that your phone can seem like the perfect date and distraction when you’re solo at a wedding. After all, you can tune out and sit silently at your table with an endless supply of entertainment, news and games at your fingertips. And while it’s very tempting to text, read or play Angry Birds, you’re actually playing yourself by being closed off, preoccupied and totally disinterested in the wedding festivities that are taking place. Instead, make yourself approachable and accessible by putting away your phone and putting in the effort to exchange real words with other people instead of playing Words with Friends. There’s no reason to phone in your presence at the wedding.
Get moving
The actual definition of a wedding is a celebration, so there’s no better time to jump into party mode and partake in the married merriment. Even if you’re by yourself, you can still make your way onto the dance floor, grab a spot in the conga line and take some pics in the photo booth. You can also reconnect with people you may not have seen in a while and make some new friends as well. Besides, a wedding is supposed to be fun. Remember fun? And you don’t need to go with someone or be with someone to have fun. You’re fun on your own.
