Its become a practise to attend the wedding receptions only more than the wedding itself. As the receptions are held in the evenings, one could plan and attend post work timings, hence its become popular. So almost empty wedding hall seen here at Villivakkam.
Unlike the past (say about 25 years back), attending weddings have become more of a ritual these days, whether for the marriage ceremonies or for the reception hosted by the bride and groom families.
Go there, sit for few minutes, get-up with friends / family, go to the stage, shake hands with the groom, handover the gift/ money envelope, smile, stand in attention(why?) for the video footage, shake hands again, get down, head for the food hall, take food, come back, if possible wave at the bride/ groom, grab the polythene bag with coconut, betle leaves and banana head for the transport back home!
Ram : Well summarised, Sathya