Exploring Cocktail Hour At Weddings
A wedding is usually an extremely well planned and thought out event and the day and night are made up of a number of different traditions and activities. Today, we’re going to be talking about some more unconventional ones, like photobooth ideas, engagement favors, and of course, the wedding guest favourite – cocktail hour.
What is cocktail hour ?
Known in the UK as “Reception Drinks”, cocktail hour usually occurs directly after the formal wedding ceremony and this often takes place outdoors in the gardens or grounds of the venue. The main purpose of cocktail hour is to keep the guests occupied while the newly married couple have their photographs taken before proceeding to the wedding breakfast.
During cocktail hour, the guests have an opportunity to mingle and relax with a drink and will usually be called to participate in some of the wedding photographs.
Exploring the charm of cocktail hour at weddings
For many guests, cocktail hour is the best part of a wedding as it doesn’t tend to have the formality of the ceremony or the wedding breakfast. In this section, we’re going to be sharing our tips for creating a little magic at your wedding’s cocktail hour:
Setting the scene
Where you hold your cocktail hour will depend on your venue and on the time of year. For a summer wedding, lots of people like to hold cocktail hour outdoors if their venue has a garden or patio. You will, of course, need to discuss this with your venue as the patio may already be booked by another party.
If you’re unable to host cocktail hour outdoors, don’t worry, indoor cocktail hour can be just as magical. Speak to your venue about your options and, if possible, request a private room or area. If you have no choice but to hold cocktail hour in a public area (for example, a hotel bar if you are getting married at such a venue), check that there will be somebody responsible for making sure that non-wedding guests don’t help themselves to your drinks!
What to serve during cocktail hour
The most important part of cocktail hour is, of course, the beverages served and, in this section, we’ll be sharing some tips for your tipples:
Keeping it simple
Some couples like to keep things simple and traditional by serving champagne during cocktail hour. Not only does this cut down on hassle but sleek glasses of bubbly also tend to look great in your wedding photos. If your budget won’t quite stretch to champagne, Prosecco or Cava are both great, reasonably priced alternatives.
If serving champagne at cocktail hour, you may also wish to offer Bucks Fizz as a lower alcohol alternative.
Decorative drinks
If you’ve worked hard on your wedding theme, you might want to extend this to your cocktail hour. Why not match your cocktails to your decor? For example, if your wedding theme is white and pink, a strawberries and cream cocktail would work well. Similarly, if your wedding has a flower theme, try serving cocktails featuring that flower.
Cracking cocktails without the booze
Whether you’re serving simple glasses of bubbly or a fancy themed cocktail, don’t forget to also provide soft drinks during cocktail hour for guests who don’t drink or who may be driving.
You may want to consider alcohol free versions of your main cocktail drinks; for example, NoSecco or 0% gin in cocktails.
Getting the balance right
Serving alcohol is, of course, part and parcel of cocktail hour for most weddings, whether you’re going for champagne or a fancy cocktail. While you want your guests to enjoy themselves, you don’t, however, want to end up with a drunken rabble before you even get to your wedding breakfast.
For this reason, it’s a good idea to limit the number of drinks per guest during cocktail hour (this may be regulated by your venue anyway). A good rule of thumb is to allow for two drinks per guest during cocktail hour as this will ensure that everybody is in good spirits without the problem of some having consumed too many spirits!
Food for thought
Some couples will choose to save money by not serving canapes during cocktail hour but this is rarely a good idea as:
- Canapes help to soak up alcohol and prevent guests becoming too inebriated
- Lots of guests won’t have eaten since breakfast and may be in danger of becoming ‘hangry’
- Along with your cocktails, canapes help to keep guests occupied while you’re having your photographs taken
Going with the flow
Cocktail hour is a great way of transitioning from your wedding ceremony to your wedding breakfast as well as preventing guests from getting bored while you have your pictures taken. As we’ve shown in this article, there are lots of options available when it comes to what drinks you serve and where you serve them – just always remember to discuss your plans with your venue in order to prevent any awkward moments on your big day.