filed in Daily Life
The Single Etiquette of the Plus One
I’m planning a dinner party, and let’s say I’ve invited six friends. They include a married couple, a pair who are living together, and two others who are single, but dating. Am I obliged to ask the people my single friends are going out with? At what point in a relationship must you invite your guest’s plus one – six months, two years, once they’ve met each other’s parents? It’s not such a deal adding two more to the table. But if they all say yes, it’s four couples and me. What would you do?
Photo: Coney Island, 1975, Leon Levinstein. A retrospective of his work is currently at the Met.
Discussion
2 comments for “The Single Etiquette of the Plus One”
Leave a Reply
About this Site
FIRST PERSON SINGULAR is a guide to surviving, thriving and sometimes just getting through a single day. Created by Wendy Braitman (more…)
Follow First Person Singular
Greatest Hits
© 2010 First Person Singular. 
Unless you are also friends with the partners, whether married to your friends or dating them, and would invite them even if they’re not attached to your friend, I would leave it all up to your friends whether they want to bring their SO. Just because someone is married doesn’t mean that you have to invite their spouse but if you do invite spouses, I’d say you’d also want to invite any dates.
You are never obliged to invite the dates or spouses/significant others unless you want them there. It sounds like you are planning a lovely evening for your friends – not friends of friends. Do you want all of your guests to be couples? If it would bother you to be the only “uncoupled” person at your own party, don’t do it. If you relish the chance to check out the new people in your friends’ lives, then by all means add a few more place settings.
You’ve probably had this party by now – I’d be interested to hear how you resolved the dilemma.
Cheers!