I agree with SW that wedding game isn’t what it used to be.
Wedding game seems more like a Boomer or Gen X'er thing. It hasn't been much of a thing in the Millennial generation. I have one last friend having a 1st marriage in 2023. After that, if I get invited to weddings, it'll be 2nd-3rd type marriages. The weddings and receptions after 2nd-3rd marriages have a way different feeling than a wedding that is a 1st marriage for both.
I have some data points from TheKnot's 2016 wedding survey, a survey of 13,000 brides who got married in 2016.
Cost of US Weddings Reaches New High as Couples Spend More Per Guest to Create an Unforgettable Experience, According to The Knot 2016 Real Weddings Study The largest survey of Americans married in 2016 unveils couples are spending more, and going over budget, on guest entertainment including...
www.theknotww.com
In 2016, 19 percent of newlyweds reported that some of their guests hooked up during or after their wedding. That could be either a post wedding reception hookup or something like a phone number exchange followed by dates later. 4% reported that guests who met at their 2016 wedding are were in a a committed relationship at some point post-wedding. I'd guess most of those "hookups" were one night only.
If you look at that pool of 19% hooking up as a result of wedding attendance, I would guess that most of those hookups occurred at weddings when the bride's age was 26 or under. If a bride is 27+, she simply doesn't have enough friends in her social circle that are unattached.
I skipped the "couples fest" weddings I skipped not just because they were couples fests. There were instances of "couple fest" weddings I skipped because they were going to be all couples AND required me to travel to them. That's so not worth it.
if you are already going, first start chatting with people seated at your table. Men, women, single, taken, etc. These people will be easiest to talk to. And you can easily figure out if any single women are at your table.
If you're talking about later in life (age 28+) first marriages or 2nd/3rd marriages, it's a mostly shiit pool of attendees.
I think unattached women are less likely to skip a "couples fest" wedding of their female friend than unattached men are to skip a "couples fest" wedding of their male friend.