Always the Bridesmaid? Here’s How to Work That Wedding

Now that summer is here, so is wedding season. For all of you singles out there: Don’t fret. Weddings are one of the best places to meet people. Unattached women at nuptials usually have their relationship future on the brain. This vibe creates perfect timing for single guys to make their entrances. (Yes, men as well as women want that special someone to make them as happy as the wedding couple.) If you have been invited to a wedding and are unescorted, don’t despair, keep reading and chances are that you will be leaving the wedding with at least a phone number.

•    For starters, be strategic. As soon as you receive the invitation, call your soon-to-be-married friend and get a sense of who’s who among the unattached. Be sure to ask to sit at the singles’ table. You have all year to hang with your friends who are in relationships. This is the time to take full advantage of any potential opportunities.

·      Make the best use of your time spent at the bachelor and bachelorette parties, showers and rehearsal dinners. This will give you a chance to scope out the room and also drop some subtle hints to those invited that you are single. If you are in the wedding party, be sure to give a toast at either the rehearsal dinner or the wedding. This will showcase who you are to the room, and hopefully the right person will take notice. You’ve got a captive audience and you never know who is listening.

•    Fly solo. Do not show up with a filler date, a friend or a stand-in date to the party. This is false advertisement and the assumption will be that you are off the market. Be confident that you are selectively single and capitalize on any opportunity to meet your future mate with the aura of love in the air.

•   Bring your A game. Smile and exude confidence. Work the room with taste and class. Warmly introduce yourself to the other guests. You never know who you will meet that might know of someone for you. Don’t discount speaking with people who are married or older. They love to play matchmaker. It goes without saying, but just in case, remember to not have too many drinks, lest you get sloppy. If someone piques your interest, keep it to fun flirtation and don’t hook up that night if you are going for long-term intentions. You certainly don’t want to be the hot topic on Twitter during the post-wedding commentary.

•  As for the men… Make sure to put yourself out there and ask an unattached woman that you would like to see again for her number. Don’t count on people remembering who you were talking to, or on searching her out on Facebook. And as far as small talk goes, please, no cheesy lines. Women have heard them all. Be confident, not braggy, and keep the flow of conversation going back and forth, not one sided. Who knows? The band may be striking up Wagner’s Wedding March sooner than you think….