Wedding season when you still have a job on Monday

Late August, someone on our team counted. Three weddings, two bachelor parties and a work offsite, all inside six weeks. That's what your calendar looks like between about 27 and 35, and nobody really prepares you for it.

You're not going to skip your best friend's wedding. You're also not 22 anymore, and Monday has a 9 a.m. on it. Here's what's actually worked for us.

Before you leave

• Eat a real meal. Cocktail hour is not dinner. Wedding dinners get served at 8:45 more often than you'd think.
• Set up the nightstand. Glass, stick of Glug, phone charger. If you're in a hotel, do it before you go down to the ceremony. Future you is not going to unpack a bag at 1 a.m.
• Plan the ride home now. Book it, or know whose car you're in.

During

Water between drinks sounds like advice from your mom. It's also the single thing that works best, and at an open bar it's free. Ask the bartender for a water with every other order. Nobody's paying attention to you, they're watching the groomsman doing the worm.

The other thing is the late-night food. If there's an 11 p.m. taco truck, eat the tacos.

After

Back in the room, before anything else: stir the stick into the glass, drink all of it, and fill the glass again for later. That's the whole routine. It takes less time than taking off your shoes.

The morning

Get some light. Eat something with salt in it. Don't start a group-chat recap until you've had coffee, because the photos will still be there and you'll want to be in a better mood when you see what the groomsman's worm looked like on video.

There's one more wedding on that calendar, in October. We'll report back.