7 Tips for Surviving Wedding Season as a Single Woman

by Diana Veiga

It’s summer which means it’s wedding season. I, myself, have several weddings to attend in the next couple months. And while I love to see people in love (or at least what I hope is real love – cue Mary J.), as a single gal, it can be hard to be around so much happily ever after.

Sure, I love the life that I’ve created and I don’t need a man in my life to make it fulfilling. I am a firm believer in enjoying what you have, where you are, and relishing in the moment. But let’s be real. Sometimes being single can be challenging, especially during wedding season. No matter how much of a G you are, sometimes you reach a point where it feels like all that love is going to take you out, or at least take you over the edge. The thing that could set you off could be the bride doing a Shug Avery ‘I’z married now’ shimmy shake, or people nudging you to get up and go catch the bouquet (No thank you!), or maybe it’s having to eat another weird flavor-combination wedding cake.

Whether you’re single by choice or circumstance, whether you’re waiting for the one or you’re happy doing you, if this wedding season starts to become overwhelming then try some of these tips and hopefully you’ll make it safely to the other side.

1. Take Full Advantage of the Open Bar

If you drink, enjoy the open bar. If they don’t have an open bar, then go ahead, turn around, and leave. And take your present with you. Who makes people sit through their nuptials and then doesn’t give them free top shelf or mid shelf liquor afterwards? Don’t get crazy drunk because that’s dangerous and not a good look. Just get buzzed enough that you’ll have a smile on your face and be able to make it through all the reception’s routine and traditions.

2. Get Your Quips Ready

While at these weddings, it is inevitable that somebody’s auntie is going to ask you when it will be your turn. Or they might just tell you that you’re next. Even though you’re sitting there like, how Sway? Because you know you don’t have any prospects. Or maybe you don’t even want to get married in the first place. But don’t tell Auntie Hattie that because she’ll just look at you like you have two heads. What you say is completely up to you and your personality. Whether you want to launch into a mean monologue about how you don’t believe in the institution that is marriage, or crack a joke, or be totally inappropriate and tell auntie you’re having too much fun enjoying one night stands to even think about getting married, make sure you have a retort (or two) in your back pocket and then keep it moving. Don’t let anyone corner you and make you feel bad for being single.



3. Take Lots of Selfies

Listen. Why should people in love be the only ones who can flaunt themselves and this love all up and through the social media? Engagement announcement pictures. Bridal shower pictures. Bachelor/Bachelorette Party pictures. Cake tasting pictures. Wedding day prep pictures. Ceremony pictures. And on and on. There are months of having to endure their love before you even get to the wedding. The only way to counter this is to take a thousand pictures of your own, of you doing fabulous things as a single woman and post them, then post some more. Let the world know that you love yourself and you have awesome adventures by your damn self or with other wonderful single women.

4. Join Tinder

Just kidding. Don’t do that. Like at all.

5. Put Yourself Out There

However, if you are interested in meeting a potential boo, bae, or beau... it is summer, which is the perfect season to catch you a somebody. Whether you make it a fling or something deeper is up to you. Either way, get out of your comfort zone and visit a new spot in your city, pick up a hobby, or strike up a conversation with a stranger. Change your surroundings and shake up your routine. Get cute, get out of the house and see what happens. Single or not, summers tend to be magical — get out there and enjoy!

6. Create a Safe Space

What do you do when you want to talk about how annoyed you are with all this wedding stuff, but you can’t post it on your Facebook wall? In an effort to avoid looking like a hater, it’s important to have a group of friends who you can commiserate with during this wedding season. Get y’all some wine, popcorn, get comfy and just vent. You can talk about the cost of traveling to a wedding, being in a wedding, and buying wedding gifts. You can talk about the difficulties of dating. You can confess your deepest fears about being single. Or anything in between. Make sure it’s a safe space where you can speak honestly with one another and no one will run tell dat.

7. Live Your Best Life

Yes, we have reached the Oprah-Iyanla portion of the program. But it’s probably the realest. Allegedly, we only get one life – so enjoy where you are at this moment. Find the joy in being single. For instance, the fact that you don’t have to be considerate of another person’s desires or needs. That you can get up and go when you feel like it. That you can walk around your house in whatever you want (or nothing at all) and enjoy all your secret single habits without judgment. Take this time to create the life you’ve always craved. Start the business you want, finish that project, take that dream vacation, buy the house or condo you’ve had your eye on, go back to school, apply for that job across the country - take all the leaps. What do you have to lose?

Before you know it another summer wedding season will come to an end and you will have survived. You will have danced, caught (or ducked) a bouquet or two, cried, laughed, and cheered your friends on to wedded bliss – all in the midst of living your best single life. And hopefully when it’s all said and done, you’ll come away with some great stories to tell in the nursing home.

Photo: Shutterstock

Diana Veiga is a Spelman woman, a DC resident, and a freelance writer. Of course, she’s also on Twitter.