5 Ways To Enjoy Wedding Season When You're Without A Plus One

Summer weekends are my jam. I wait all year for the perfect indulgences that are beaches, beverages, and beelining out of work at 3 p.m. on a Friday.

The only thing that can kill my warm seasonal buzz? Wedding season.

I love the concept of love, but the constant barrage of weddings during this time of year is a glaring reminder that I am deeply single. Rather than sipping a frozé on the beach while trying to get a tan without burning, I'll be sitting at a table alone, trying not to sweat my makeup off.

But lately, I've been trying to get over my grumpy, single-person ways, and so should you.

As nobody wants to dance with a surly person at a wedding, I challenge you to reclaim wedding season and make the most of it sans plus one. You might even have fun, if you try hard enough. 

Here are five reasons to quit your complaining and get excited about going to a wedding without a date.

1. There'll Probably Be A Lot Of Rosé There

Hot tip: Drinking is a thing that happens at weddings.

So, if an Aperol Spritz in the sun after a long week is what you're after, you still get to have your Saturday alcohol fix.

Summer weddings always have the best cocktail hours. There's also the added bonus that you won't need to battle a sticky mass of frat boys in RompHims on a rooftop to pay for an overpriced glass of rosé. Instead, a handsome human in a tux will hand you one off a tray... for free!

Weddings are an excellent excuse to eat and drink indulgently on another person's dime.

Savor this fact, and let a large glass of rosé (or other cocktail, if you prefer) ease you into the mushy love vibes of the day.

2. You Get To Dress Yourself Up Like A Princess

There is no greater way to feel better about yourself than by getting all dolled up.

Feeling like your best self allows everything else feels to just fall by the wayside.

A wedding is an excuse buy a new outfit, get fake eyelash extensions for fun, and treat your Instagram like a well-known fashion blogger. Flaunt your fun two-piece dress. Take that solo picture and filter the heck out of it.

Do it up, girl.

All those basic couple photos from weddings are so boring. Come up with a witty caption, post something cute, and own your awesomeness for all of those potential plus ones to see.

Plus, there's nothing like an influx of Instagram likes to validate your single existence.

3. You Can Enjoy A Whole Weekend Of Plans That You Didn't Have To Organize

Organized themed events with friends are the most fun way to hang out.

Think of a wedding as an adult college theme party, only much classier. Dancing to fun bands and DJs that don't only play EDM is something we should all do more often.

The best part about a wedding is that it's OK to be a terrible dancer. There will inevitably be a cousin who is lit like a torch, receiving most, if not all, of the side-eye attention.

Beyond dancing, weddings provide you with tons of other opportunities to let loose that you didn't have to organize. From rehearsal dinners, after-parties, or brewery tours the next day, your weekend is laid out for you.

All you have to do is be there on time for the arranged transportation. Structure is liberating!

4. You Get To Meet Tons Of Fabulous New People

If you go into a wedding looking to find that special someone, there's a good chance you'll end up being thrown down on a bed by a f*ckboy seeking his prey a la Wedding Crashers.

A wedding is a great place to meet new people because there is some forced bonding that occurs. Not to sound like a LinkedIn advertisement, but you might even find some networking opportunities.

At a wedding I attended in April, I shared a hotel room with a friend from school that I had barely keep in touch with.

Our flight was cancelled, so we ended up driving nine hours to North Carolina together with two other stranded wedding attendees we didn't know well. It was a great way to bond, let me tell you.

At a wedding, everyone's in close quarters, no one's being judgmental, and it doesn't hurt that everyone's a little buzzed, either.

5. All That Wedding Love Will Leave You Feeling Uplifted

Weddings can be like a Xanax for your bitter, traumatized love muscle.

I challenge you to get through a wedding ceremony without a tissue, or at least a pang or two of true happiness for the two people standing in front of you.

Let yourself feel the feels!

Weddings always remind me that life is beautiful, love is possible, and it is something that I do actually want.

It's so easy to be cynical. Being open to love is difficult, but a poetic reading or father/daughter dance will get me every damn time.

Just think of each wedding you go to as research for your own big day (if that's what you want). Your wedding is going to rock after all these wedding seasons because you'll filled with tons of experience from riding solo as a single gal.

Party on, ladies!