A wedding guest has sparked heated debate after revealing she wanted to leave her niece’s wedding two hours early so she could get to bed earlier.
The unnamed woman, who is in her mid-40s, took to Reddit to ask people online whether it was acceptable to leave a wedding ceremony four hours after it started.
She explained that the special day, which falls on a Thursday, starts at 4 p.m. and ends at 10 p.m.
However, the guest, who indicated that she was not taking her partner, questioned whether it was okay for her to leave at 8:30 p.m. or “even earlier.”
In a thread with the title WeddingShe confessed that she wanted to go to bed early that night because she had to work the next day and the ceremony was a whopping 60 miles away from her home.
A wedding guest has sparked heated debate after revealing she wanted to leave her cousin’s wedding two hours early so she could get to bed earlier (stock image)
Her post was titled, “Should I stay at a wedding the entire time? Or can I leave after the cake is cut? I don’t know the proper etiquette anymore.”
She indicated that she had not been to a wedding in four years and could not remember how to do it properly.
The wedding guest commented, “My cousin is getting married and the ceremony is at 4pm, then there is a cocktail hour and a dinner/reception and after party. It looks like the ceremony plus reception will be from 4pm to 10pm. That’s six hours?!? Too long for me lol.
‘And there is an after party that I definitely will not be attending – it seems to be for the bride’s young friends. I am in my mid 40s and go to bed early lol. My plus one can’t make it (have a bad back) so I will be on my own, although it is a family wedding so of course I will have people to talk to.
‘Can I leave around 8:30? Or even earlier?’
The woman added that she did not have a good relationship with that side of her family and that she often feels “left out” when she is around them.
She added: ‘I’m not really close to this cousin, even though he’s a nice person and all. I’m going there out of respect for my aunt and uncle, who I was close to growing up.’
The anonymous woman then listed other reasons why she considered going home early that evening.
The unnamed woman, who is in her mid-40s, took to Reddit to ask people across the web if it was acceptable to go home four hours after a wedding ceremony started
Some Reddit users sided with her and urged her to leave the wedding whenever she wanted
“And the wedding is on a Thursday night, and I have to work the next day. The wedding is 60 miles out of town, so it’s a long drive there and back,” she explained.
The wedding guest also admitted that because of her personality, she sometimes wanted to skip these types of events altogether.
She added: ‘I’m an introvert and bad at small talk. My partner unfortunately can’t come due to a back injury, so I won’t fully understand.’
At the end of her message, she begged people for help.
“Still, it is a happy occasion. I wish the bride and groom all the best, will give a nice present and celebrate, but I don’t want my outing to last too long for all these reasons,” she said.
Her candid post generated a lot of responses and sparked a heated debate.
Some Reddit users sided with her, urging her to leave the wedding whenever she wanted.
However, others said they disagreed with her request to leave early, noting that she had to stay the entire time.
Someone said, “Normally, after the cake is cut and the dancing begins, it’s acceptable to leave discreetly if dancing and partying isn’t your thing. It’s rare that 100 percent of the guests stay until the last dance.”
Someone else wrote: ‘Regardless of etiquette, most people won’t notice if you sneak out early. That said, it’s perfectly fine to eat the cake after cutting it.’
Another user added: ‘Cutting the cake is the signal for early leavers that they can go. No matter how close you are.’
‘No one will notice if you leave. Really. Eat dinner and [then anytime after that] “No one will really care if it’s before or after a specific part of the wedding,” one user wrote.
However, others disagreed with her request to leave early, noting that she had to stay the entire time.
Someone said, “I always forget how short American weddings are.”
Someone else wrote: ‘Americans aren’t the best in the world at ‘celebrating.’
Another user commented: “You sound like an amazing person.”
“Right? She’s probably ‘that’ guest they didn’t really want to invite but the rest of the family invited,” someone else added.