Tinder Adds New Plus One Feature

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Tinder has announced another new feature aimed at helping singles during wedding season: Plus One.

According to the company’s press release, users are now able to enlist in the Plus One option to let other Tinder users know they are looking for a date to a wedding (or that they are willing to be a plus one for someone else). Plus One is found in the new Explore section of the app, where most of Tinder’s newest features can be found.

The dating app company is also trying to incentivize people to use Plus One, offering the first 100 eligible Tinder users who join $460 to cover the cost of wedding expenses, which can add up quickly. The money can go towards travel, lodging, or even a gift for the happy couple. Tinder partnered with online wedding resource company WeddingWire, who suggested the prize money based on the average amount people spend to attend a wedding.

According to Tinder, the partnership was inspired by the upcoming “wedding boom” expected next year, thanks to many ceremonies being postponed during the pandemic. WeddingWire said that there could be as much as a 20 percent increase in weddings in 2022 compared to pre-Covid times. Tinder also took notice of this trend. The company found that mentions of “plus one” in user bios increased 45 percent since the beginning of 2021.  

Jeffra Trumpower, senior director of creative marketing for WeddingWire, said that according to the company’s data, “a top priority for wedding guests is permission to bring a date, and one-quarter would consider bringing someone they're casually dating or met on a dating app as their plus one.”

According to WeddingWire’s “guest guide,” which is linked in Tinder’s press release, traditional rules no longer apply to younger daters, and you don’t have to be in a committed relationship with someone to bring them as your guest to a wedding. In fact, 35 percent of Gen Z daters like to confirm if they are allowed to bring a guest before agreeing to attend a wedding. However, WeddingWire does suggest some traditional etiquette remain – like letting the wedding party know if you plan to bring a date, and also to follow their health and safety protocols when you arrive to the event.

Kyle Miller, VP of Product Innovation at Tinder, said in a statement: “We’re thrilled to partner with WeddingWire to help our members really enjoy this epic wedding season. After all, Tinder is the brand that brings more couples from app to aisle - last year alone we were responsible for more than 25%*** of all newlyweds who met online.”

For more on this dating service you can read our Tinder review.