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‘Plus Ones’ at weddings: New rules have emerged and not everyone’s following them

"Plus One" situations at weddings can be tricky, setting the tone for friendships after the wedding and even ending them.

According to an article written by bridal blogger Xochitl Gonzalez from the Huffington Post, brides and grooms should always invite both halves of a couple who are living together and not married. As well, guests should adhere to the name on the wedding invitation for whether or not they can bring a guest -- if only your name appears, only you are invited.

Also, letting the couple know that you are going to be bringing a "Plus One" well in advance is an absolute must. This may not be obvious to all, as the following example will reveal.

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Recent Toronto bride Laura, 31, has distanced herself from a few friends after they breached some pretty basic rules of "Plus One" etiquette.

"A few people showed up to our small reception without RSVP-ing," she says. "One guest emailed literally the day before to ask if she could bring a "Plus One", and another just showed up without RSVP-ing and brought a date."

Laura says the date was not someone she was actually seeing, but a friend.

"The invitations didn't say 'Plus One' and it wasn't a sit-down event where someone might feel out of place at a table of strangers."

The icing on the cake of bad manners? Both unexpected guests arrived empty-handed.

Laura says she doesn't care much about people not bringing gifts, but a simple card would have been nice.

Also see: British bride gives birth on wedding day, still makes it to evening reception

In another example of poor wedding etiquette, Toronto musician Jennifer, 36, was told by her stepsister that she could not bring a date to her brother's wedding.

"I had asked a year in advance if it was all right," says Jennifer. But two weeks before the wedding, her stepsister told her that she would have to fly solo.

"You can't bring a date because you're not married," her stepsister said, blaming a tight budget. This did not sit right, as Jennifer knew that her stepsister and brother are very well-off. Jennifer's own father was bankrolling the wedding, and of five siblings, Jennifer was the only unmarried one.

Not wanting to disappoint her date, Jennifer presented a calm and united front, skipping the dinner portion of the wedding and arriving later in the evening with her plus one for drinks and dancing. Her relationship with her stepsister remains strained.

As if it isn't obvious, all parties should consider the rules of basic etiquette when it comes to "Plus Ones". And always remember that springing last-minute changes is completely unacceptable on both sides.

Watch the quirky Niecy Nash surprise a wife on her 11th wedding anniversary in the video below.