Bride Stands By No Plus-One Rule For Wedding & Ends 7 Year-Friendship Over It

Jun 08, 2023

Planning a wedding is a daunting task that often comes with difficult decisions about the guest list. For one bride, her strict rule of “no plus-ones” caused a rift that resulted in the loss of a long-standing friendship. 

Cora Breilein, a 28-year-old event planner from California, shared her wedding planning process on TikTok on May 1, 2023, in the hopes of helping other brides with their preparations. However, her video, which gained more than seven million views, sparked controversy and criticism from both online users and real-life acquaintances. 

Breilein and her husband, Jared, hosted an intimate wedding on April 22, 2023, with a limited guest list of 96 people. As an event planner, Breilein understood the importance of clear communication and outlined various rules and guidelines on her wedding website. These rules included attire requests, punctuality expectations, and, notably, the exclusion of plus-ones.

However, the decision to disallow plus-ones raised eyebrows and invited scrutiny from the online community. Breilein's intention behind the said rule was to ensure that only people they personally knew and wanted in their lives long-term were present on their special day. 

Fiancés, long-term partners and spouses of their friends were welcomed and got individual invitations as well. However, any guest's partner who was never previously acquainted with the couple was not extended an invitation, and this condition attracted an online backlash. 

While the feedback was harsh on the bride, it was the loss of a seven-year friendship that hit Breilein the hardest. To be clear, the bride said that this friendship had been strained during the pandemic, but she still invited the friend to symbolize her desire to maintain the connection. 

However, when her friend learned that her boyfriend was not invited, precisely because he was someone neither Breilein nor Jared had met, tensions escalated and led to a permanent rift. 

Breilein's online critics argued that excluding partners from a wedding, especially long-term ones, was unreasonable and unfair. One of the commenters said that the bride's rule was "pure insanity" and stated that she would rather not go to the wedding if she couldn't bring her partner of four years. 

However, Breilein stood by her decision, emphasizing that her wedding was intentionally small and aimed to create an intimate atmosphere with familiar faces.

"We didn't want to meet anyone for the first time at our wedding," the bride said, per Insider. 

Despite the backlash and the loss of a friendship, Breilein remains unapologetic about her wedding day choices. The fact that she and her husband knew every single person present made the day feel truly special and worth the difficult decisions.

"The fact that we knew every single person there and I was able to belly laugh — that made it feel so special, and it was so worth it," the bride added.

Some of her followers on TikTok sided with her and said that a wedding invitation is a privilege, so guests need to follow the rules. Plus-ones also cost money, and it should be understood when couples what to stick with their rules.

The other commenters also shared their similar experiences over losing or ending friendships because their friends' partners, whom they hadn't met, were not invited to the wedding. This was the moment they found out their friends' true colors.

It is essential to remember that a wedding is ultimately about the couple getting married. Do you agree that they have the right to shape their special day as they see fit? What’s your take on this controversy? Do you know someone in a similar situation? Then tell them about this story!