How long is it ok to stay before you leave at a wedding reception with out being rude?

Question

Have a friend who is getting married on the 25th. Her wedding is at 2:00PM. We are staying at my parent's house. That same day my brother & sister in law are coming out from the mid west ( I'm in Ca.) they are staying at my parent's house too. I haven't seen my brother & sister in law in 8 years and my husband has never met them! So my qusetion is how many hours would you stay at a wedding reception, with out being rude????

PS- the drive from my parents house to the wedding is about 1 1/2 hours on way!

Answer 1

Stay about half an hour, maybe 45 minutes. Be sure to congratulate the bride and groom and tell her she looked beautiful and that the wedding was gorgeous. Trust me, they will be so wrapped up in the festivities that they'll barely notice you leaving. That's not because they don't care about you or anything, but it's such a big day and there's sure to be a lot of hustle and bustle. Frankly, they'll be more concerned with each other and with whether or not the caterer was paid than with who is leaving when.



30-45 minutes is just long enough that they don't ask, "Hey! Where did so-and-so go?" But, it's short enough that you'll have plenty of time to visit your family. Don't worry about explaining your exit at the time, explain later IF they notice or ask. ;)

Answer 2

There are actually two answers to this question....

If there is a seated meal, you should let the bride or her mom know that you'll need to leave early, you don't HAVE to explain why if you don't want to, but it would be kind not to mess up their head count.



If there is no seated meal, then you may leave anytime after you've congratulated the happy couple, told the parents how happy you are for your friends and how lovely the wedding was, and lifted a glass to their future health and prosperity....an hour should be fine.

Answer 3

If you are driving 1 1/2 hours to the wedding you should stay for at least half the wedding. (2 hrs) Wait untill everyone is a little tipsy to slip away.

Answer 4

I would say most people tend to stay longer than they really would like to because they don't want to be rude.Often the people responsible for the affair are tired and would like to be able to start tying things up a little earlier than others.What time would you be in bed on any other day if you had to work the next morning?Good guideline.

Answer 5

depends on how close of a friendship you have ...If somewhat close, attending the wedding is enough, providing you RSVP the invitation correctly, saying you will be with them for the wedding, but will be with your family who you haven't seen the rest of the day. A phone call or lunch with the bride ahead of time might be nice as well..

Answer 6

stay for the first 1/2 hr.

Answer 7

As soon as the toast is finished you can leave.