What to Do When Someone Crashes Your Wedding

What people don’t always realize is that there are different kinds of wedding crashers and they need to be handled in different ways. There is the category of people you know, be they unauthorized plus ones, children at your adults-only reception, or specifically unwanted guests; and then there are pure strangers, usually people who happened to wander by and wanted to check out the party.

People You Know:
It’s annoying, but it’s often best to just try to accommodate people who just show up. Usually it’s someone who didn’t RSVP or understand that they were not offered a plus one. Have a few extra meals and chairs ready in case you get any surprise guests. However, if the crasher is someone you have major bad blood with (i.e. an ex) or who is otherwise guaranteed to disrupt the festivities, feel free to have them removed. To avoid extra plus ones or children at your adults-only wedding, make it very clear on your invitations and save the dates. A good tip: Have your RSVP expressly mention how many seats are reserved.

Strangers:
First, make sure it's not a friend of your parents or in-laws whom you haven't met. Once it is confirmed to be a stranger crashing the wedding, have your planner or a member of the bridal party ask them to leave. Some newlyweds don't mind if the crashers are not taking the food or drinks and just dancing, but you are well within your rights to have them depart the festivities. They probably won't match the dress code, so that will make them easier to spot. If you really want to avoid crashers, you can always hire security for your wedding. This would also leave you, your family, and your bridal party free to celebrate – regardless of whether or not unwanted guests arrive.

Find more wedding planning tips here and learn what you need to know about the wedding-day timeline.