yeah, several years ago my friends and me were drunk and filled
with nuts by the time the bloody dinner started at 9pm.
you shoulda seen the wedding dinner of one of the guys

we all knocked off work early to go to Brewerkz to get a few
drinks first... "knocked off early" = 3pm...
it was sanctioned by the boss then who followed us...
we were blitzed by the time it was 6pm after many rounds of
beers...
we then staggered to the hotel where the drinking continued...
until about 8:45pm
before the actual dinner started, the boss was already talking
really loudly and sporadically breaking into song 
so.. there.. a late start to a wedding dinner is not good at all
