Wedding Cocktail Hour
When we speak with couples and ask them the question, “what is the most important part of your wedding day?”, they never mention their cocktail hour. However, cocktail hour is truly a special time of your special day. Not only does it begin the post-celebration after your ceremony after you’ve reflected the sentiments of vows and marriage, but it is arguably the most social part of the evening. Guests who were spread out during the ceremony come together for an hour and reunite with old friends, relatives who may have traveled into town, and more. It’s the beginning of the popular and most anticipated time of the night- the reception. It a time to relax, have a drink, and enjoy some great food. There is much anticipation in a cocktail hour and we’ve been lucky enough to witness some amazing ones. Here are our tips for making your wedding cocktail hour stand out:
Food and drinks are probably the first things on everyone’s mind here…did we say drinks? Make bars accessible; if you’re passing a signature drink assure that it makes its way to everyone, and the same goes for the food. It can happen where if the servers come out of the same door with their trays, the guests standing closest to it get all of the “good stuff” while guests farther away aren’t served as quickly or perhaps don’t get anything if something runs out. Make sure you have enough servers to please all guests and speak to your venue about any of your requests or concerns. Food for thought.
Have seating available. You probably have guests of all ages and perhaps some with medical needs. Have some high tables for standing mixed with low tables with plenty of seating for guests who are more comfortable or wish to sit down. To keep the room open, you may consider putting the low tables along the wall and high tables in the center of the area in order to allow room for walking and mingling.
Don’t break your budget. Because alcohol (mid-shelf level is perfectly okay) and appetizers are the main focus along with people catching up with one another, do not break the bank with décor for your cocktail hour room. If you fall in love with a couple of unique ideas that the guests will actually see and enjoy, great. Otherwise, extensive flowers and lighting will barely be noticed here. The same goes for complicated food. It can be difficult, especially if standing without a table, to hold a drink or a clutch in one hand and eat an appetizer that requires a mini fork or utensil. Keep things simple and focus more on the service. Everyone will be happy and you’ll save a few bucks
Can you name even one song from any cocktail hour you’ve attended? While we love working with you and collaborating on ideas, trust us. Less is more when it comes to cocktail hour. Save your top songs and requests for the dance floor. It will make 100x more of an impact and get guests excited and up and dancing. There is so much socializing going on during cocktail hour that it would be a shame to choose some of your favorite tunes when they would go unnoticed. Let’s focus instead on the vibe- something fun, a little quieter, and relaxed. Don’t get us wrong, it’s important to express yourself through musical tastes but as long as we communicate about that (which we will, extensively) things will work out just fine!