The Single Girl’s Wedding Survival Guide: This Is Going To Be Fun, We Promise

Wedding season is upon us once more and, while dressing up and having champagne with your friends is always fun, being reminded that you haven’t found The One can be annoying. Weddings are a potential minefield for single women – awkward encounters with your ex and that elderly relative who won’t stop asking when you’re going to settle down – but they’re also a great place to meet eligible single men. So we’ve asked dating expert Sarah Beeny to share her top single girl’s wedding survival tips.

Wedding planning
Wedding planning
(Image credit: Knot and Pop)

Wedding season is upon us once more and, while dressing up and having champagne with your friends is always fun, being reminded that you haven’t found The One can be annoying. Weddings are a potential minefield for single women – awkward encounters with your ex and that elderly relative who won’t stop asking when you’re going to settle down – but they’re also a great place to meet eligible single men. So we’ve asked dating expert Sarah Beeny to share her top single girl’s wedding survival tips.

Check out the guest list

Subtly find out who’s going to be there so you can scope out the single men in advance ‘My first tip would be to get your mitts on that guest list,’ says Sarah. ‘Check out who else is riding solo on the big day, and see if anyone takes your fancy. Ask the bride and groom to give you the low down on the other single guests. I’m sure they’ll be happy to help!’ This way you’ll know who to approach and who to avoid – accidentally flirting with the Maid of Honour’s boyfriend never works out well for anyone.

Preparation is key

It may sounds obvious but looking and feeling your best will make you feel confident about going to a big event alone. ‘Book yourself in for a few spa treatments, or treat yourself to a little retail therapy before the big day to make sure you’re looking and feeling your best,’ advises Sarah. ‘We don’t mean upstage the bride by turning up in a floor-length silk gown, but a shopping trip and a massage never did anyone any harm!’

Think before you drink

‘Free’ and ‘champagne’ are probably two of the most popular words in the English language but avoid getting more drunk than you intend to. ‘As much as we all enjoy a glass of fizz to calm the nerves, there’s definitely a limit here,’ says Sarah. ‘Get yourself noticed for all the right reasons.’

Keep smiling

Avoid telling everyone you meet how much you’d like to find someone. ‘Yes, you might be single, but there’s really no reason to be feeling sorry for yourself,’ says Sarah. ‘It’s your friend’s special day, and you don’t want to put a downer on the occasion. You’re there to have fun, so put a big smile on your face – you never know who might be watching.’

Mingle

While we all know that we’re meant to make an effort and chat to everyone we can at big social events, it’s all too easy to spend the entire evening catching up with old school and uni friends instead. ‘It might sound like an obvious tip to talk to the other wedding guests, but it’s definitely easier said than done,’ says Sarah. Talking to strangers can be daunting but asking other guests how they know the bride and groom is a great conversation starter. 

MySingleFriend.com’s new wedding service MySingleTable.com lets brides and grooms write profiles for all of their single wedding guests. This entitles guests to a free one-month subscription to MSF, so they can check each other out and exchange messages ahead of the big day.

Image credit: Knot & Pop

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