CivicScience data show that opinions vary. While nearly half (48%) of Americans leave at some point during the reception, 31% wait until the reception ends. Although in the minority, a solid 21% leave after the ceremony or dinner (among wedding attendees). 

Men outpace women by four percentage points when it comes to leaving right after the ceremony or dinner (23% vs 19%), while Gen Z and those who earn $50K or less annually lead all other income levels with early wedding departures. 

However, this demographic data is far from the full story. Those who leave weddings before the reception gets underway stand out from the crowd for a variety of unique consumer behaviors. Here’s what the data show: 

Public Transportation Usage: Those who typically leave a wedding after the ceremony or dinner are more than four times as likely as other wedding guests to use public transportation at least once per week. 

Interior Decorating Trends: While 57% of those who typically leave a wedding after the ceremony or dinner say they follow trends in home and interior decorating ‘closely,’ just 31% of those who leave during the reception say the same. 

Fashion Inspiration: Those who typically leave a wedding after the ceremony or dinner are more than twice as likely to say they get fashion inspiration from social media than those who leave the wedding during the reception (29% vs 12%). 

Brand Values: While 32% of those who typically leave a wedding after the ceremony or dinner say they research brands’ stances on social issues, just 24% of those who leave during the reception say the same. 

Fridge Cleaning: Those who typically leave a wedding after the ceremony or dinner are more than three times as likely as those who leave during the reception to say they clean out their fridge ‘very often’ (20% vs 6%). 

Where do you stand? Take this poll now and see how your preference compares with other Americans:

Clearly, when you leave a wedding is a choice that impacts more than just your social time. It has ripple effects that impact every aspect of your life – something to think about the next time you’re watching your loved ones say “I do.”

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This article’s data comes solely from CivicScience’s database, which contains nearly 700,000 poll questions and 5 billion consumer insights.