This is why i make sure that when i do my opening spiels upon welcoming the guests, i make it a point to encourage everyone to stay till the end. It's the only time when the newlyweds are able to socialize with everyone.
Receiving an invitation to a wedding is a blessing. If you get invited, know that the couple considers you an important part of their lives. It's either you are a close friend and have been a part of their lives or a good friend of their families. Finalizing the guest list is one of the most crucial and challenging tasks in wedding planning. So if they included you in their guest list they see you as someone who should be there to witness their big day.
Take the time to dress nicely and appropriately. Follow the recommended attire. Never wear jeans. Go to the church and be a witness to a milestone. And the most important part, go to the reception without planning to leave right after eating. If there is nothing important or urgent that you should attend to, by all means stay. It's a party and the bride and groom took the time to make sure that you get to enjoy every minute of it.
The reception program only takes two hours. The wedding ceremony takes about an hour. Travel time from the church to the reception venue usually takes about thirty minutes to an hour. But if the ceremony and reception are just in one venue then all the more reason to stay because really, would it take so much of your time to stay till the end?
Weddings are a time of celebration. In fact, everyone should be dancing at weddings, not just sitting down, waiting for the food to be served and then leaving right after dessert. It is after eating where the fun part really starts. Don't miss it. Celebrate!
I have hosted weddings where guests approached the couple ( who are seated in front) while the program is going on to say their goodbyes, disrupting the program in the process and having it caught on film. Personally, i think that if you really "need" or just "want" to go, just leave quietly, unnoticed if possible. And please, be courteous enough not to stand up and leave while a speech is being made. Time your goodbyes and exit as politely as you can.
Making the guests stay is a challenge for any wedding host. To me, it is a goal. A key performance indicator. But no matter how lively the program is, when the guests have no plans of staying, no power on earth could stop them. Sadly, it has been a norm. An accepted part of wedding culture here in the Philippines.
I love hosting weddings because there is no other occasion where love is celebrated to the fullest. And because i do it professionally, i seldom get to be "just a guest" even at a friend's wedding. On the rare times that i do get invited as a guest, i make sure to have fun as much as i can because it is not everyday that i get to dress up, buy a thoughtful gift, enjoy a sumptuous meal, listen to good music, laugh and reminisce with friends.
Planning a wedding is no easy feat for any couple. Since the wedding culture has evolved in so many inspiring and creative ways, wanting to make your own wedding uniquely perfect becomes more exciting. To be honest about it, it is also physically, emotionally and financially challenging for the couple. So if you receive an invitation to a wedding, know and understand that there were others who got edited out of the guest list, that your name was prioritized and that you are sure to have a beautiful time because the couple spent a lot of time and money to make sure that you do. Money that they could have just as easily have saved and use as they start their life together. But the fact that they invited you means that they chose to have a celebration so that they could spend their most special day with you. The best gift that you could give them in return is to stay long enough till the couple says their thank you at the end of the program.