Wedding without 'rubber band time': Guests are ready to be served

Weddings in the countryside of Quang Nam are often held on time - Photo: TRUONG TRUNG

Weddings are an occasion to celebrate and meet, but often the timing is "out of sync" with each other. Depending on each place and each condition, weddings are influenced by regional culture and customs.

"Rubber Band Time" 1 hour

Just talking about the time of weddings, there is a difference between rural and urban areas. Even where I live, Quang Nam and Da Nang, have history and geography linked together, but there is a difference.

Living in Da Nang for nearly 20 years, I noticed that "rubber band time" when attending weddings at restaurants is about 1 hour. For example, if the wedding is at 11am, the party cleaning time will start 1 hour later.

Almost all weddings in restaurants are like that. Guests implicitly understand that within that hour, hundreds of guests will have time to send envelopes, take pictures, shake hands, talk and… choose seats in the wedding hall.

I think that is reasonable. Because with hundreds of guests, the officiant also needs time to welcome and thank the guests for attending.

Of course, if the bride and groom are more thoughtful, the invitation will clearly state the time to welcome guests and the time to enter the party.

Mr. Tran B., manager of a wedding restaurant on 2-9 Street, said that when receiving a wedding contract, the restaurant's service time is about 4 hours. The host will arrive 1 hour before the wedding to prepare for the party, the time to welcome guests is about 1 hour and the time to eat the party is usually 2 hours.

"After more than ten years of working in this profession, it is very lucky to see the "rubber band hour" last longer than 1 hour. Usually, if the party is delayed by more than 1 hour, it usually happens due to rain or a big event in the city causing traffic jams. It is very rare that there are too few guests, forcing the host to wait longer," Mr. B. shared.

Wedding party center with dozens of restaurants on 2-9 street, Da Nang - Photo: TRUONG TRUNG

Party starts on time, ends... freely

In rural Quang Nam, weddings held at home usually have the exact opening time written on the invitation. As for the ending time, it is… free. Few places use the rubber band time because some places still believe that the bride’s family will leave the wedding venue before… noon (before 12 noon).

When I returned to my hometown, my uncles and aunts said that weddings in the countryside were on time because people were still free. In the countryside, people usually finished their farm work very early, and there was no pressure to get off work like office workers, nor did they worry about traffic jams, so people often arrived earlier than the time they were invited.

In addition, weddings in the countryside are often held outdoors, so if you wait until noon to raise your glass, everyone will be covered in sweat.

I don't think many people want to be late for a wedding. The happy day will be complete if both the organizer and the wedding attendees are well prepared.

The inviter should also provide additional information (by QR code or map) about the wedding destination so that guests can visualize the roads and travel conveniently...

Wedding attendees should also understand more about the regional wedding culture to have a more complete experience. For example, in some places, the party starts at the time on the invitation, in some places, the party starts when all the guests are seated, and in some places, the party starts when the wedding venue is full...

Danang wedding restaurants are mainly concentrated on one street.

In Da Nang, most of the wedding and convention centers are located on 2-9 Street, Hai Chau District, so moving and parking are also convenient.

When expanding Route 2-9 many years ago, Da Nang planned large plots of land to build wedding and convention centers with parking lots in front. From a few initial restaurants, this area alone now has more than 10 wedding centers, capable of organizing more than 50 weddings at the same time.

The cute thing is that these restaurants all have the same opening time, so guests don't have to wait long when attending a wedding here.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dam-cuoi-khong-gio-day-thun-khach-du-ban-la-len-mam-20240806075516787.htm