Wedding guests can leave early on one condition, according to an etiquette expert
A wedding guest sought advice on social media after wondering if it was permissible to leave the event early.
The user took to Reddit, asking other social media users if she could leave an upcoming wedding early due to a few key factors.
"My cousin is getting married, and the ceremony is at 4 p.m. Then, there is a cocktail hour and dinner/reception and after-party," the user wrote.
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The individual then added, "Looks like the ceremony plus reception will be from 4 p.m. — 10 p.m. That’s six hours?!? Too long for me."
The Redditor said she was in her mid-40s and was going to the family wedding without a plus one.
The Thursday night wedding is also apparently 60 miles out of town, she wrote, and the guest said she was only planning to attend the wedding out of respect for an aunt and uncle.
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"I’m an introvert and bad at small talk, and my partner, who can’t make it because of a back injury, is the life of the party, so I’ll be a bit at a loss," the person wrote.
The Reddit user posed the question: "Can I respectfully leave at about 8:30 p.m.? Or even earlier?"
Florida-based etiquette expert Jacqueline Whitmore told Fox News Digital that it’s "perfectly acceptable" for the Reddit user to leave the wedding reception early — and that she needs to do one thing before she leaves.
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"This guest should make sure to thank the bride and groom before she exits," she said.
"This is proper etiquette," Whitmore added, "plus it shows her appreciation for the invitation."
Other Reddit users shared their thoughts and opinions — with most of them saying it’s OK to leave the reception before the end as long as it isn’t in the midst of a big moment in the day.
"I usually leave after all the special events happen (e.g. cake, first dance, mom/son dance, daughter/father [dance], tosses)," one user said.
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Another wrote, "You can leave anytime. Since you RSVP’d, I would stay until after dinner."
One person on Reddit said he or she (sex wasn't specified) recently got married and didn’t care when people left the reception, saying, "A couple of my guests left before the cake cutting and honestly, I didn’t care."
Fox News Digital reached out to the Reddit poster for further comment.