While guests can get away being inconsiderate, it is up to the host to swing into action and do some damage control. Always have a contingency plan in place for those 'extras' your guests bring along.

To avoid such complications (unwanted guests) invite the couple, so you get your numbers right. Make sure you have some extra food to go as well. While a cocktails and dinner do can be salvaged, a formal sit-down may not.

While inviting, ask your guest if he / she would like to bring someone along. More so if they are seeing someone and you don't know their partner.
Nisha JamVal

In today's time and age, being socially correct is important but that does not mean you are restricted by its norms. Do not hesitate to tell your guest to come in alone the next time!

Socialite and fashion designer Nisha Jamvwal observes, "Why assume anyone will come alone? A marriage is a marriage, so you have to invite the couple. But if someone you know is in a relationship, you make that allowance and accommodate his / her partner as well."

Guest Relations

All said and done, guests are an important part of any social do. If you have been invited alone, there is a reason behind it. So respect your host's motive and go alone. Even if it is a party at a nightclub or a larger venue, don't take friends along.

Says Rukshana Eisa, Director, Image Inc, a company that specialises in grooming and etiquette, "Taking your boyfriend or girlfriend along if they have not been uninvited is certainly NOT a done thing. I don't think I would go uninvited even if my partner has been invited; I would like to be personally invited as well. But I guess among close-knit friends, it is ok."

Going Solo

All said and done, as a guest you have a responsibility towards your host as well. If you've been invited for a business or a social gathering where your presence is required, don't let your personal ego come in the way. Don't hesitate to go alone! If you go with an open mind, not only will you have fun, you will also interact with a lot more people than you would going with your partner.

Nisha sums it up best when she says, "Whether host or guest, it is polite not to invite someone than invite just one partner. That said, it is best to decline an invitation than ask for your partner to be invited as well!"