Quote: (09-09-2011 01:17 PM)Nonpareil Wrote:
The biggest hurdle for an average guy at an average wedding is not competition (lots of fools bring dates; I've been to a dozen weddings and brought a date once, to my sister's wedding) or cockblocking (Trotter's bartender occurrence...generally the bride, groom and all important parties are too tied up in the affair to keep an eye on everyone's doings), it's two things;
1) Always ask her age, don't ask me how I found this out the hard way. I will not give you details, but let's just say fathers and mothers spare no expense on the dresses of their 15 year old daughters on an affair as important as a wedding and don't mind if they dance and flirt a little.
I'm not on a registry...but I came pretty damn close.
2) Overdrinking. Every wedding I ever went to save for the most recent (and it was a laughably low-rent affair) had open bar. That, combined with the joy of the day and plenty of friends typically means that there's going to be pressures to drink, and you'd be surprised how fast you can put the drinks back when all they cost you is a $20 tip upfront. ALWAYS grease the bartender, even if you don't plan on having too much; they won't ruin your flow (like they did Trotter, and I'm not saying he didn't grease properly) and they'll serve you quick and with a smile.
That said, don't get too drunk and make an ass out of yourself. I've had receptions where I did this and I came away empty-handed, and I've had receptions where I kept it maintained and I was able to scoop myself up something nice for the end of the night.
My magic number, given that a large wedding has the average reception length of 4.5-6 hours, is one cocktail or glass of wine an hour (I'm a pretty big guy who can hold my liquor, so calibrate accordingly). Avoid beer unless you want to be yawning and shit.
What Nonpareil said is huge. I cost myself notches before at weddings b/c of this, especially when you're in the wedding party as a groomsmen. Shots, toasts, drinks with family and old family friends. Before you know it you're wasted and running 'wasted I Don't Give a Fuck' game. Never ends well.
Overall just be the man at the wedding. Some ppl will recommend laying in the shadows and being stealth, but I think it's better to stand out and have everyone want to get to know you. Make a toast to the couple, say hi to babies, dance with little kids (in view of hot girls you want to go after), tell some ridiculous stories, have fun on the dance floor, etc.
Also, since you're in the wedding party as a groomsman you will have high value at the wedding. You can just go up to girls you wanna go after and tell them, "You crashed this wedding, didn't you? I've known Mark and Jessica forever and they put me in charge of finding and kicking out crashers..." All said with a smirk while your custom suited down (a la G-Manifesto) of course.
The groom probably gave you guys some oversized joker suits (as is the custom nowadays), so try and get it tailored as best as possible. You want to look the best, even better than the groom.