We all know how awkward some first dates can be, so how about having a first date at a wedding?

That’s what Tinder appears to be proposing with its new Plus One feature. When a user opts in to Plus One via Explore they are signaling that they are either looking for a partner for a wedding or willing to be a partner at a wedding.

“We know many of our members are looking for a Plus One for their next wedding and we’re excited to now give them a way to do exactly that on Tinder,” said vice president of product innovation at Tinder, Kyle Miller.

“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,” reads a press release.

That 25 percent figure is according to the The Knot 2020 Jewelry and Engagement Study which drew responses from 5 000 engaged adults in the US between April and November 2020.

Why is Tinder doing this? Well for one it seems to have a partner in Wedding Wire, a wedding planning resource. There is a launch competition on the go but it appears limited to the US as we can’t see an option or mention of Plus One on our app. This competition gives the first 100 Tinder members who sign up for Plus One a grant of $460 to help cover the costs of attending a wedding.

Do you feel strange bringing a stranger to a wedding? Tinder says you don’t have to as a blog by WeddingWire says the rules have changed. Of course we can trust two companies who have something to gain through this new features. And if you disagree you’re just old because “Gen Z prefers to see where things go, but that doesn’t mean they want to see where they go alone”.

Maybe we are just old because this just sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.