So it’s the first weekend of June, and I’ve just come back from two weddings in one weekend. If you’re anything like me – a single Christian guy in your early 20s – then you’ll probably be expecting a summer full of weddings.
As an extrovert, I love a wedding. In fact, there isn’t much that can beat a wedding. You’ve got friends, food, dancing, laughter and a beautiful ceremony all in the space of 11 hours. However, sometimes being a single guy at a wedding has its difficulties.
I’m a firm believer in being prepared for every situation, so I asked a few of my friends what they would suggest to other single Christian guys going into the wedding season. Most of them seemed to echo my own view of not being that bothered. Nonetheless, there were some handy pointers that might help you along your way:
- Check for friends. Everything is better when you do it with friends. Being the only single guy and watching all the couples enjoy romance on the dance floor isn’t my idea of a fun wedding. Try and make sure you’ve got a pack of lads there who will help you pull off moves on the dance floor. Even better, if you can travel with people, you can practice for the night and belt out some S Club in the car on the way there.
- Get the gifts early. For me, when I look at that John Lewis gift list, I don’t have a clue. Let’s face it, the chances are the bride chose a list full of kitchen, bathroom and bedroom accessories. Get in as early as you can. I managed to do my shopping for a recent wedding early, and bought something I know well – sports gear (and some kitchen utensils to keep the bride happy).
- The question. Something about weddings brings out the dreaded question from friends and family. “So… is there a special girl in your life?” followed by: “Oh well, maybe one day…” There is no one-stop solution for this one. There are three viable options here: you can avoid the question, answer honestly or pretend you are dating Emma Watson.
- Embrace the singles table. I’ve heard it before. Weddings are the place you could meet your future wife. This isn’t helped by the couples table, where the bride and groom lovingly assume that you and Stephanie will be the perfect match.
Embrace the table. You can communally drink, laugh and enjoy your time as singles. Be loud and let everyone else at the wedding know that you are all happy to be single.
- Remember – it isn’t forever. I know that going to weddings as a single guy probably won’t happen forever. One day I’ll hopefully get to write a guide on how to approach the summer wedding season as a married man. Until then I’m going to embrace every wedding as a single guy.
- Enjoy it! As I said before, you might not be single at weddings for the rest of your life. For now, you get to enjoy the wedding as a single guy. Dance like there is no tomorrow and eat as much food as you want, without a partner telling you to slow down. I love the wedding season. I’m sure that as I get further on into my twenties, weddings could get harder – but for now, I’m going to make the most of the time I have at each and every wedding.
Alexandra Davis wrote the single woman’s guide to wedding season. Read that here.
She said: “Firstly, I enjoy that Tim only needed six things and that frankly, he and his man friends just don’t seem to be that bothered. And secondly, I like that both Tim and I are all for embracing the good times at a wedding, particularly the dance floor. And S Club.”