Hmmm..I would say that bringing someone, no matter the sex, is fine. You were invited plus guest, not plus male companion. I would take some time and choose wisely about who you are going to bring though.

You were invited with "guest", not someone by name or by sex, so it is definitely appropriate to bring someone along. Especially in this particular situation when you are traveling out of the country and probably won't know too many of the people there. This is definitely not abusing the invite.

I think it's wonderful to be invited to an exotic destination for a wedding. Just remember that IT IS a foreign country... There is nothing wrong with bringing a platonic friend (male or female)with you. You may in fact feel safer than traveling alone. Many things can happen especially if you do not know the language or customs of the country. I doubt anyone would frown upon you trying to make the trip a safe and fun one. Plus, I think your friend wants you to enjoy yourself and relax. I think you should go for it!!!!

It is in no way rude or inappropriate to ask the bride. Be ready for her to say no, but it isn't out of line to ask.

You're way overthinking it. Asking her would totally be the way to go! What a fun wedding!

I would go along by yourself unless you really want to take a particular girl friend or male friend.
Often going alone to an event makes you chat to more people and perhaps be more sociable than you might if you had a friend there. Also, if you are single..it may be the perfect chance to meet an eligible guy!! So many people I know met their partners at a wedding )

Have a chat with your friend the bride. When you're planning a wedding you are used to having to answer a constant string of tricky, diplomatic questions so she will tell you straight away what she thinks of the dilemma.
She will probably be so completely delighted that you are making the effort to go all the way to Mexico for her that she will tell you to go ahead & bring whoever you want.

As long as your invite read "and guest" it is fine to bring whoever you want (male or female). The invite didn't specify "date" or a particular name of someone so you choose who you want to bring. By leaving the invite vague the couple is ensuring that you will be comfortable at the destination wedding with a guest of your choice.

Talk to the bride.. see who else is going to see if you DO know others. The bride will have a certain guest list cut off for the number of people, and generally a destination wedding is quite small. The couple may appreciate being able to invite another friend/family member in replacement of your guest.

I have to disagree with most of the posters above. "And Guest" does not mean bring anyone - it should either be a significant other and if not, it should be someone else that knows the couple in some way. Just because a bride sends out "and guest" to 20 friends - it doesn't mean they want 20 random "guests". For example, my FI has a bunch of friends from college - some in relationships, some not. Those not know that it is not okay to just bring their flavor of the week or another friend.

Bottom line, the only way to know how the couple feels about this is to ask - and don't be surprised or offended if they say no.

Guest means guest. I say bring a great friend if you like.

Has anyone saying "guest means guest" actually planned their own wedding? I suggest you read up on wedding etiquette.

if it's a destination wedding, the bride probably doesn't want to entertain you for the ENTIRE time you're there, so bringing a guest (male or female) would take the pressure off of the wedding party in that respect.

i say a guest is a guest. take a girlfriend & enjoy your trip.

I agree with zabrow, Bella, and others. She invited you with a guest. It means you can bring a guest. Honestly, I wouldn't even bother calling.

And I have read up on wedding etiquette pretty extensively lately. When you are invited with a guest, it isn't improper to bring any adult guest to the wedding with you (except for people with whom the bride and groom have personal issues, of course). Actually, it would be a serious breach of etiquette to invite someone with a guest and then try to dictate whom that particular guest is.

Anon, you could easily get past the problem of having guests bring their "flavor of the week" by only inviting guests for those whom you know are in serious relationships.

I tend to think guest means significant other when on a wedding invitation. I would ask the bride if bringing a girl friend would be an acceptable substitute. Obviously they planned the wedding to include a guest so I don't think you're out of line asking. The right thing to do is pick up the phone and ask.

Grow up and learn to travel alone. It can be fun.

I disagree with most of the postings that "and guest" means any guest or friend. It generally implies a signifigant other that you will be bringing as a date. I'm not sure the bride and groom would appreciate paying for dinner for your random friend.

As a compromise, why not invite a friend to travel with you and hang out during non-wedding festivities? It doesn't sound like you're in the wedding, so presumably you'd just be attending the wedding and reception. She can hang out alone that night and you guys can enjoy the rest of the trip together.

The bride sent you an invitation, so I'm sure she wants to you make it. It is my impression that couples who invite people and a "guest" expect them to bring a guest, regardless of the association. It doesn't hurt to ask, but so long as the guest is accounted for, I wouldn't think it would be a problem. None of my friends minded. It totally stinks to be stuck at a table full on strangers!

When I got married, we had a really small hall. It held exactly 62 people with no room for extra tables. I made sure to take the trouble to find out the names of all significant others to put on the invites and addressed the single guests with their names only. If we'd had room for more people, we would have included "and guest" on the invites for our single friends and that would have meant "bring whomever you want". I don't really get the mentality of "the bride and groom won't appreciate paying for a random person's dinner" -- if they we're prepared/willing to pay or didn't actually want you to bring a "date" of your choice, they wouldn't have added the "and guest".

I think it's fine for you to bring a close friend as your guest. Though, if you feel the bride has a certain idea of what "wedding etiquette" entails, such as only bringing a male guest or someone that the bridal party has a remote connection to then you should ask. Though it seems to me in those cases the guest would be just as much a stranger to the bridal party as a guest who is you friend.

I agree with most everyone else too - if the invitation clearly states you and a guest then bring your friend.

if your invite is "and guest" you have a right to bring anyone you want.

Talk with the bride about it. If you're uncomfortable traveling to another country by yourself and she wants you there, she should be understanding of you wanting to bring a friend.

For our wedding last year, we invited my now-husband's friend "and guest," assuming he would bring his girlfriend. But we had also heard they might be on the outs, which is why we didn't actually put her name on the invitation. They did end up breaking up a week or two before the wedding, and he brought his friend (another of my husband's friends who hadn't made the cut). It was fine. We had already paid for the meal anyway.

I would just tell her that your not seeing anyone exclusively and that you would like to bring a friend as your guest of choice if that's acceptable with her. I'm sure she has already calculated your guest into the wedding number.

I think this is totally appropriate. I had a destination wedding in Costa Rica and maximizing the fun for my guests was important to me. We were not at a resort but rented homes on a property. By the end of our week in the area we had so many random people at our wedding (e.g. the guy we rented surfboards from). They were all cool folks and it added to party!

"Guest" does in fact mean "Guest."

(Sorry, "Anonymous"!)

Having planned weddings professionally and having been a bride myself with a destination wedding, when a bride and groom send you an invite that reads, "and Guest," it means you are entitled to bring the person you would like to have there. And it absolutely does not matter that they are not a romantic interest of yours.

It doesn't say anywhere that your +1 can only be someone your dating. I was my sister's date to a wedding once because she wasn't seeing anyone. A +1 is a +1 as long as you RSVP as such.

Wow, who'd have thought that this would be such a controversial topic. Sounds like the best way to go is to just call your friend and see if it's okay to bring a friend.

I would say definitely ask the bride to be certain it is ok. Weddings these days are very expensive, especially when factoring in that everyone wants to bring their significant other. Why would you need to bring a friend of yours to the wedding that does not even know the bride? That makes no sense whatsoever to me, and personally I think it would be tacky to assume that it is ok. Definitely ask the bride first.

Janine22, lots of people bring dates to weddings who don't know the bride or groom. That's not tacky if they were invited to bring a guest, which in this case the OP was. The reason she wants to bring someone is because it's a destination wedding and she's going to be on her own a lot of the time. Of course she's going to want some company!

I agree, Amanda. I think I already said something to this effect, but it would be tacky to invite someone with a guest and then try to dictate whom the guest is. I don't get why it's tacky to bring a guest of your choosing when you are invited with a guest. Additionally, some brides and grooms would rather you didn't bring someone they know; maybe there is a reason that person wasn't invited.

Personally, I would be extremely annoyed if I was the bride and my guests were calling to ask whether it was ok to bring a specific guest. I'm sure she has enough on her mind/plate as it is!

Agreed with most above. It's fine to bring your friend. Just call her and let her know you would like to bring a girlfriend. Make the conversation short and don't worry her with other details. Its better you do, because you won't have to lean on her for help while you are there. I had a destination wedding and a girlfriend came alone. She nearly drove me crazy as I felt I was babysitting her the entire time. I came close a few times to having a major blowout with her.
I was too stressed to make sure she could get around by herself the entire time. Do everyone a favor and bring her along.

i agree...guest means guest. when i got married i had several girlfriends just bring other girls b/c they weren't attached at the time and didn't want to come alone. i couldn't have cared less. i think it's so rude for the bride to include "and guest" on the invite but then require approval of the "and guest".

bottom line: ask the bride. i'm sure she'd be fine. you're going to a foreign country...i don't recommend traveling alone unless you're a pro.

Easy. The bride is your friend. Ask her if you aren't sure. She'll let you know. Done.

I am the bride and am having this exact problem. a memmber of my wedding party replied plus one, so excited for her as I assumed she'd met someone, I emailed to ask who it was. She's bringing some gal pal i have never met. I am annoyed. She knows 50% of the people invited to the wedding and has responsibilities. I don't mind paying for this random's meal at the wedding, but do I have to host her at my rehearsal dinner? The transportation to and from the rehearsal and dinner is $75 and the dinner will also be the same. So that's $150 for an intimate evening with family and the WP. I find that really awkward! There were MANY people I could not invite to my wedding for budget reasons and it would have been nice to invite one of them rather than have a random.

Easy. The bride is your friend. Ask her if you aren't sure. She'll let you know. Done.

I have an issue. I am the bride and I will be having a destination wedding. I would like friends to attend our destination wedding and it's ok to bring a guest to the trip. But since my reception can only hold 70 people if the guest guest is not someone there dating and basically is a platonic friend of the same sex I dont want them to come to the reception. This way I can accomodate more family members. Is this rude?

I think it would be rude honestly, for the same reasons the Anon bride pointed out. And guest means your sig. other...a date.

No one wants to pay that much for someone just because it would be more fun for you. It is not a vacation, it is basically your duty as her friend to go to her wedding. A pleasant obligation - so bringing a friend is not appropriate IMO and the bride would probably think the same thing - even if she tells you it's fine.