A humble word of advice, on behalf of brides and grooms...

At recent weddings, I have found many of our couples thrown for a loop by unexpected guests attending their wedding. Wedding guests who bring an unaccounted for date, or last minute attendees who fail to RSVP can cause a lot of heartache for couples, especially since table assignments, stationery items, favors, meals, even centerpieces, linen, and budgets are set according to the "final" guest list. If invited to attend a wedding, please note whether the invitation states "and guest," and please be sure to respond whether able to attend or not. This step will only help brides and grooms to have a stress-less wedding day.

Brides and grooms: to minimize the likelihood of this happening, start contacting the guests who have not responded from the day that responses are due. The more certain you are of who is expected to attend, the less likely it will be that "surprise" guests appear at your wedding. Happy planning!