Angela Philipps, Contributor

You're single and you're going to a wedding. One question which springs to mind is, "Are there going to be any unattached guys there?" Not that we singletons have anything against our smug, married friends, but obviously, we'd like to shake a leg with someone, and we don't fancy doing that with our best friend and her husband, or the four women we usually end up with on the dance floor. Yes, it does sound desperate, doesn't it? But look at it from a gal's point of view. It's not as if all of us are searching for our soulmate, or even a boyfriend. It would just be nice if, for once, a matrimonial celebration was followed by a hot date!

I can't tell you how many weddings I have been to in the last two years - more than 15 - and I must be honest with you, I absolutely asked myself the question! Of course, there were a couple cute blokes at each. In fact, I seem to remember there being quite a few at one in particular. However, it is not a good thing when there are too many of them in one place … they tend to hang out together drinking, leaving us ladies to fend for ourselves.

Competition

When there are just one or two fellows, they will make an effort. I have a theory as to why this happens. I think that when there is a large group of men together, they are each other's competition, and if one of them approaches a woman and gets rejected in front of the rest, it can be mortifying for him. So it's best to play it safe and stay at the bar. If there is just one single man, his chances of success go up. He has the pick of the lot, and all night to find out which chick might be interested in him.

Do I hear some objections coming from the male corner? Are you sending signals during the festivities, but no one is reciprocating? Ladies, perhaps we need to open our eyes and hearts … make the effort to really feel out the prospective attention that's coming our way.

So a wedding party is supposed to be all about the bride and groom, but that doesn't mean you can't benefit in some way yourself. It's like being at a dinner party where you might get to meet new people who are friends of friends, but only better, because it's bigger! Not only that, the time you have tends to be longer … we're looking at potentially eight to 12 hours of stimulating a courtship here. And as the average dinner only lasts two to three hours, we're talking about a whole heap of time to set the feet in action!

Of course, if you insist on leaving the nuptials once you've stuffed yourself, then you'll miss out. Even if you're getting a little sluggish after eating, just stay for a while more. Kick off your shoes and shake that booty! It's a wonderful icebreaker between those who don't know each other well, or at all.

Let's say you did make an acquaintance with someone with whom you 'clicked'. What do you do about it the next day? If no numbers were exchanged, it's not exactly too difficult to rectify that. He's a friend of the happy couple, so I'm thinking that they know how to get hold of him! For goodness sake, just pick up the phone. There's nothing like using the mood of the night before as an excuse to call him straight away. If you're too shy or not sure what to say, then organise an impromptu brunch with a few of the guests, and invite him along. Ensure that your affections are portrayed to him. The roll is now on his plate to ask you out on your first date after the wedding!

angelaphilippsja@hotmail.com