Wedding Curious re: when to leave your reception...

[Toreo]

I am curious about everyone''s thoughts on when the bride and groom should leave their wedding reception. I have been to weddings where they leave by 11:00 p.m., where they have stayed until 12:30 a.m., and where they have partied with the very last guest.

Is there a "rule" for this? What are everyone''s opinions? Personally, I believe that I will stay until the VERY end of my wedding, because it is my one-time wedding party and I want to enjoy every second and have every opportunity to spend time with everyone and say goodbye to everyone!

 

[galvana]

i never heard of a bride and groom leaving early - you have to stay and do the "last dance" together.
its always or usually another slow song (kind of like the first dance) and everyone left crowds around you - this is how they do it here, in MA

 

[brooklyngirl]

I plan to be the last one to leave, lol. I''ve never been to a wedding where the bride and groom left early.

 

[musey]

Date: 9/10/2008 4:52:06 PM
Author: galvana
i never heard of a bride and groom leaving early - you have to stay and do the ''last dance'' together.

its always or usually another slow song (kind of like the first dance) and everyone left crowds around you - this is how they do it here, in MA

We have our venue until 11:30pm, but all amplified sound has to end at 11pm because of noise ordinances in the area. So that''s when our last dance is.

But there''s another 30 minutes of ''reception'' left. I thought this was totally weird, but I think the ''end'' of an event is always fuzzy. The last dance is the official conclusion but people will linger and talk until they''re kicked out.

So, Toreo, are you talking about the "very end" as in when the staff kicks you out? Or just when the final dance occurs?

 

[Toreo]

I think that is great that everyone is saying they would stay until the end. That is what makes sense to me! However, several weddings I have been to, there is no "final dance", they just announce (or don''t announce) that they are leaving and are gone. Then everyone else is left to party amongst themselves. I have even heard from someone that "most couples leave between such-and-such-a-time and such-and-such-a-time".

I was just curious as to the "norm" I guess relating to when the bride and groom leave. I''m definitely staying until "kicked out".

 

[swingirl]

I like when the bride and groom stay until the end so everyone gets a chance to say good bye. But a lot of brides want to change into a honeymoon outfit and leave before the reception is over. I think that tradition was born out of the need to consummate the wedding ASAP!

 

[Shoopy]

Date: 9/10/2008 4:49:00 PM
Author:Toreo
I am curious about everyone''s thoughts on when the bride and groom should leave their wedding reception. I have been to weddings where they leave by 11:00 p.m., where they have stayed until 12:30 a.m., and where they have partied with the very last guest.

Is there a ''rule'' for this? What are everyone''s opinions? Personally, I believe that I will stay until the VERY end of my wedding, because it is my one-time wedding party and I want to enjoy every second and have every opportunity to spend time with everyone and say goodbye to everyone!

I plan on drinking up the last bit of alcohol and eating the last pieces of cake with the cleaning crew.

If I paid for it, you can''t kick me out

I will not go.

 

[Toreo]

Exactly!!

 

[Krissie]

Our reception ends at 11 pm and we plan to leave around 10.15 pm. We are having an "exit" down the staircase and then into a horse-drawn carriage. Then we''ll be taken around town in our carriage and go back to the room where lots of reception food will be waiting for us

I think it will be romantic - and, we will be tired. We are hosting a breakfast the next morning at 8.30 and then we have to leave for our honeymoon by noon.

 

[scarlet16]

Our reception didn't end until 1AM, so by then most of the older folks had left, and mostly anyone left was our friends. We played Lean On Me and everyone got in a big circle, surrounding my husband and I, and danced and sang the lyrics together. It was one of my favorite moments of the wedding and I really felt the love of all our friends. It was the PERFECT way to the end the night!

I'm a little sad though because we had already told our photographer and videographer they could leave so I'm not sure if we have any pictures of it.

 

[Toreo]

Date: 9/10/2008 5:28:20 PM
Author: Krissie
Our reception ends at 11 pm and we plan to leave around 10.15 pm. We are having an ''exit'' down the staircase and then into a horse-drawn carriage. Then we''ll be taken around town in our carriage and go back to the room where lots of reception food will be waiting for us


I think it will be romantic - and, we will be tired. We are hosting a breakfast the next morning at 8.30 and then we have to leave for our honeymoon by noon.

Oh my, that sounds absolutely beautiful!!

 

[Toreo]

Date: 9/10/2008 5:28:56 PM
Author: scarlet16
Our reception didn''t end until 1AM, so by then most of the older folks had left, and mostly anyone left was our friends. We played Lean On Me and everyone got in a big circle, surrounding my husband and I, and danced and sang the lyrics together. It was one of my favorite moments of the wedding and I really felt the love of all our friends. It was the PERFECT way to the end the night!


I''m a little sad though because we had already told our photographer and videographer they could leave so I''m not sure if we have any pictures of it.

That sounds beautiful as well. I can picture it, what a great moment! I hope someone caught it for you.

 

[Krissie]

Date: 9/10/2008 5:29:17 PM
Author: Toreo

Date: 9/10/2008 5:28:20 PM
Author: Krissie
Our reception ends at 11 pm and we plan to leave around 10.15 pm. We are having an ''exit'' down the staircase and then into a horse-drawn carriage. Then we''ll be taken around town in our carriage and go back to the room where lots of reception food will be waiting for us


I think it will be romantic - and, we will be tired. We are hosting a breakfast the next morning at 8.30 and then we have to leave for our honeymoon by noon.

Oh my, that sounds absolutely beautiful!!

Thank you! We plan to do it by 10.15 because we want the photographer to capture the exit (and his contract ends at 10.30). I think it will be great!! And we are normally 2 big party animals who never leave a party early, but I think we are both looking forward to this time together.

 

[Keepingthefaith21]

We''ll be staying to the end of our reception. We''re planning to have a little after-wedding gathering with our friends who decide to stay over at the hotel with us. I figure we will just enjoy the company of our friends until I can''t keep my eyes open any longer - which will hopefully be beyond my standard bedtime of 10:30 PM

 

[Izzy03]

I am having a lunchtime wedding, with the reception ending at 4:00pm (I really want the room til 5:00 but they have to get ready for the evening wedding

). So we are definitely staying until the very end and will probably party elsewhere with the out of town guests afterwards.

 

[KimberlyH]

We stayed until the very end. My parents, my husband, and I were the last people in the room where the reception was held. We didn''t have a DJ, we had a guitarist/singer for entertainment and a long meal, so there was no last dance, we just hung out until everyone left. I''m so glad we did, it was nice to be able to thank my parents privately and enjoy every minute of our guests.

 

[CaliCushion]

We are planning on staying until the end, and probably going next door to the bar with our friends after. Our wedding will only happen once, I plan on enjoying every moment of it!

 

[enfianced]

we stayed until the very end and then changed and went out late-night with friends

 

[Guilty Pleasure]

I''m accustomed to the bride and groom being "sent off" by everyone at the reception, so I don''t like it when the bride and groom stay really late because then they have a weak send off since half of the people (or more) have left. Then we all line up to throw roses or wave sparklers or whatever, and they don''t have enough people to make the two sides. It kind of makes their party look like a dud since people left "early". However, if the send off isn''t part of your wedding plan, then I would stay until the end! It''s your party, you can stay if you want to (stay if you want to)

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

This is going to sound cheesy, but we really want a getaway picture with our classic MG, so we''re going to leave the reception a little early, take the pic and then come back and stay till the end. That way we don''t have to have our photog there all the way until the end.

 

[zoebartlett]

I''ve heard that it''s best to wait until after the bride and groom''s last dance to leave, but I didn''t have a problem with guests leaving before then at our reception. Our reception ended at 4:30, and I didn''t even realize it was time for our last dance until it was being announced by the DJ. Some people stayed for it and some didn''t.

We weren''t planning an elaborate get away or anything, and we ended up being among the last to leave. We loved that!