Put the single people together at a table, so they have someone to talk to. Also, task your more outgoing friends to look out for the guests who don't know a lot of people to make sure they feel included.

Heh. I pictured the opening of the frat party in Animal house.

Ken, Lonny, l'd like you to meet...Mohammet...Jugdish, Sidney and Clayton. Grab a seat and make yourselves at home. Don't be shy about helping yourselves to punch and cookies.

I don't tip delivery when there's already a fee.

Shrift - lessen the load on the rod.

Heh. That is what I plan to do. If it falls on my head after I do that, I will know to go with option b.

Most of the weddings I've been to are family, so. The two that weren't: one I was the maid of honor and only knew the bride, but that was fine as I was staying with them anyway, and y'know maid of honor. I was busy. Or drunk enough I didn't care (which sounds bad, but we all were.) The other, I knew people from work, but they barely qualify as acquaintances. So I kinda made friends with the groom's best friend who also knew no one else there.

Shrift--lessen the load on the rod today and go shopping this week for a replacement. IME, once a rod starts slipping, it had gone to the dark side and is always plotting against you.

Weddings are expensive but it wasn't the plus-ones that ran up the cost so much as the people you had to invite for obscure family or work obligations.

Anyway, we definitely allowed guests for anybody who was single.

There have been a few times when someone has said to me "hey, can you make sure that so and so gets introduced around?" and I have drawn them into conversation, bought them shots, whatever :) (and by "bought" I mean went to the open bar and picked them up)

Ooooh, we've got a thunderstorm blowing in here. I hope the guys working on the front of my building are smart enough to get everything under cover. I don't need to add to my Moneyed Class Guilt by getting a worker killed in by lightning.

I swear when in Texas that we got some invitations to JUST the wedding - like big church wedding, much smaller reception - common?

Mostly, I've seen where people are invited to the whole shebang, but then others may be informally invited to the wedding ceremony.

Though once I was invited to a recoption only. And My friends got married in a small country church that only sat 40, so there were some neighbors who were only invited to the reception.

Someone in my office was talking about credit cards and said "It's not Visa, there should be only one." They seem to think that MasterCard is some obscure type of credit card. Not the point, the point is that I cracked myself up by saying "This is not Highlander the credit card". FTR, still neither a geek nor a nerd.